Swept by Jags, Titans alone in AFC South basement

Field Level Media|published: Sun 29th December, 16:08 2024

Dec 29, 2024; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr (7) catches the ball against Tennessee Titans cornerback Jarvis Brownlee Jr. (29) in the second quarter at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Reper-Imagn Images

Mac Jones threw two touchdown passes Sunday and the Jacksonville Jaguars earned a season sweep of the visiting Tennessee Titans with a 20-13 victory.

Jones connected on 15 of 22 passes for 174 yards, finding Parker Washington and rookie Bryan Thomas Jr. for scores, as Jacksonville (4-12) left Tennessee (3-13) behind in the AFC South cellar. Cam Little booted field goals of 48 and 44 yards.

Mason Rudolph hit 19 of 31 attempts for 193 yards with a touchdown and an interception for the Titans, which dropped their fifth consecutive game. Tyjae Spears rushed for 95 yards on 20 carries, playing in place of Tony Pollard (flu/ankle).

Jones' 11-yard scoring strike to Thomas with 7:05 left in the game gave the Jaguars a 20-10 lead but Tennessee responded with Matthew Wright's 28-yard field goal at the 2:02 mark.

After getting a three-and-out, the Titans had a chance to force overtime and reached the Jacksonville 26. But Rudolph's fourth-down pass intended for Nick Westbrook-Ikhine was knocked down at the goal line with nine seconds left.

The pregame storyline concerned which team could benefit most from a loss. Both entered a game behind the New York Giants for the potential No. 1 overall pick in April's NFL Draft.

Jacksonville initiated scoring on the game's opening drive, needing to drive only 38 yards on nine plays to set up Little for his first field goal at the 10:46 mark. The Jaguars got into the end zone for the first time with 8:59 left in the half on Jones' 2-yard touchdown pass to Washington, coming five plays after Rudolph tossed a tipped-ball interception.

Little's second field goal upped the margin to 13-0 with 2:02 remaining before Tennessee pieced together a two-minute drive that set up Wright for a 39-yard field goal as time expired, making it 13-3 at halftime.

The Titans started the second half with their best drive of the game, chewing up 85 yards and eight minutes before Rudolph hit Nick Vannett with an 8-yard strike to cut the margin to 13-10.

--Field Level Media

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