Jaguars fail to live up to expectations, will miss playoffs after 28-20 loss to Titans

NASHVILLE — Too little, too late. In a must-win game, the Jaguars failed.

The Jacksonville Jaguars (9-8) will go home as losers after failing to rise to the occasion against the last-place Tennessee Titans (6-11), losing 28-20 in a game that included many thrilling moments, but a lot of heartache for Jacksonville.

With a potential farewell game for both Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill and running back Derrick Henry, it appeared like Tennessee simply wanted the game more for much of the contest.

At one point, the Jaguars trailed Tennessee 28-13. Jacksonville Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence and the team's offense wouldn't be discouraged, however, converting a 10-play, 63-yard drive into a touchdown to cut the Titans' lead to 28-20 in the fourth quarter.

Bitter end game recap: Jaguars lose to Titans, AFC South title

With 2:00 remaining in the contest, Lawrence had the opportunity to get the team in a position to tie the game. After dropping back, the third-year QB tossed a deep ball at least 50 yards down the field to a wide-open Calvin Ridley. However, the ball was just out of reach of the veteran's hands and he couldn't haul it in.

The Titans took three knees to end the game, sending Jacksonville home and the Texans into the fourth-seed spot as AFC South champions.

A loss at the end of the season gives Jacksonville another offseason full of question marks and a ton of what-ifs after losing five of their final six games of the season to fall to 9-8 and out of the playoffs entirely.

Entering Week 13, Jacksonville sat at 8-3 and had the opportunity to capture the No. 1 seed in the playoffs. Now, they are looking at drafting around pick No. 18.

After missing last week's game, Lawrence was good to go this week, starting against the Titans in a must-win game to take the AFC South title.

Before the game, Lawrence warmed up as usual and started after entering the game as questionable with an injury to his right throwing shoulder.

He was quickly deemed active and got the start, playing every snap for Jacksonville despite the injury.

Lawrence practiced all three days on a limited basis this week but didn't throw much or at all on Wednesday before increasing his workload the following two days.

Jaguars gift AFC South title to Houston Texans

With the playoffs on the line, the Jaguars failed to live up to expectations, now missing the playoffs.

With the loss, they'll hand the AFC South title over to the Houston Texans, unable to capture the moment in their most important game of the season. At 10-7, the Texans are in first place of the south and reach the postseason with rookie head coach DeMeco Ryans and rookie QB C.J. Stroud.

Jaguars defense struggles to slow down Derrick Henry, Titans offense

In a must-win situation, the Jaguars' defense did not appear prepared to go up against a powerful runner in Derrick Henry and a screen-heavy game plan by Titans offensive coordinator Tim Kelly.

In the first half, the Titans gained 205 total net yards, including 95 total net rushing yards. They converted four out of five first downs, gaining 6.4 yards per play on average.

Henry accounted for 70 yards and a touchdown on the ground on nine carries in the first half, an average of 7.8 yards per carry. His backup, RB Tyjae Spears handled three carries for 25 yards and a touchdown.

The Titans also ran multiple screens and short passes to gain yards after catch. That included a 28-yard catch and run by Spears and a 21-yard catch and run by tight end Chig Okonkwo.

Jacksonville's defense missed multiple tackles, leading to the deficit of 21-13 at halftime.

The Jaguars' defense clamped up but was unable to deny Henry a highlight-reel run in what could be his final game as a Titans player. On the Titans' opening drive of the second half, Henry bullied the Jags' defense down the field for a 69-yard run. Tennessee converted that into a score, going up 28-13 early in the third quarter.

Henry finished the game with 153 rushing yards on 19 carries.

Tannehill finished the contest by completing 17-of-26 passes for 168 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. The Titans totaled 327 net yards with 175 total net yards of rushing.

Trevor Lawrence tosses two touchdowns, two interceptions

It didn't take long for Lawrence's arm to warm up. It also didn't take long for a couple of mistakes to happen.

With 12:31 remaining in the first half, Lawrence dropped back and quickly launched the ball downfield to a wide-open Calvin Ridley who caught the ball in stride for a go-ahead touchdown.

Despite the shoulder injury entering the game, Lawrence didn't show signs of limitations throughout the contest.

The score put Jacksonville up 10-7 with 12:24 remaining in the first half.

The 59-yard catch and run marked the longest catch by Ridley this season. He entered the game needing 90 yards to reach 1,000 for the season and accomplished that late in the second quarter on a 14-yard snag to get him to 1,009 on the year.

Ridley's 1,000-yard season marked just the second time in his career that he's accomplished this feat, the first time coming in 2020 with the Atlanta Falcons. Ridley caught 90 passes for 1,374 and nine touchdowns that year.

Lawrence's first pick came after a pass to tight end Evan Engram bounced off of the tight end's hands and into the waiting arms of Titans safety Terrell Edmunds.

The Titans scored on the ensuing possession, putting them up 21-10 with 3:03 remaining in the first half.

On Jacksonville's next possession, Lawrence was picked again after a high pass intended for Zay Jones. The Titans later turned the ball over on downs, leading to a field goal for Jacksonville.

Lawrence finished the game having completed 29-of-43 passes for 280 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. The Jaguars finished the game with 362 total net yards, including 82 net rushing yards.

Jaguars take advantage of Titans special teams miscue

Just when it seemed like the Jaguars were going to head into halftime down 11, 21-10 against the Titans, they received a late Christmas present from Tennessee rookie punter Ty Zentler, who dropped a perfect snap.

Zentler was forced to tuck the ball and attempt to run with it before Jaguars rookie TE Brenton Strange held him, giving Jacksonville the football deep in Tennessee territory. Ultimately, the miscue led to a Jacksonville field goal, cutting the Tennessee lead to eight, 21-13 heading into halftime.

Demetrius Harvey is the Jacksonville Jaguars reporter for the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @Demetrius82.

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This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jaguars to miss playoffs after 28-20 Week 18 loss to Titans