The Jacksonville Jaguars entered Week 12’s game against the Tennessee Titans with it being a do or die situation for their playoff hopes but fell flat on their faces as they did in their last two games. In fact, the game got downright ugly as they fell to their longtime rivals by a score of 42-20.
The game was close (7-3) heading into half-time but the wheels fell off in the third quarter. In the first series, the defense gave up a huge 36-yard reception to receiver A.J. Brown, which set the Titans up for an easy 1-yard touchdown reception to Denis Kelly. Afterward, the struggling rush defense allowed a 75-yard touchdown to Derrick Henry.
After a fumbled kickoff return by Michael Walker that put Tennessee on the Jags’ seven, they were able to punch in another touchdown with Henry, putting the score at 28-3. The bleeding didn’t stop there, however, as Brown added a 65-yard touchdown reception before the third quarter could end.
The Jags tried to respond with two touchdowns of their own by running back Leonard Fournette but the damage was done at that point. Not to mention, the Titans added a fourth quarter touchdown courtesy of quarterback Ryan Tannehill.
In a nutshell, the loss came down to another embarrassing performance from the defense, which allowed 471 total yards, 219 of which were rushing yards. Additionally, the Jags’ $80-plus million man Nick Foles struggled once again with hitting his receivers when it counted. With the Titans pouring it on, he had 48 passing attempts which led to a padded total of 272 passing yards on the night. Simply put, the loss is one that signals the team has hit rock bottom and changes could be on the horizon.
The Jags’ next game will be at home against the Tampa Bay Bucs, who are coming off a 35-22 win over the Atlanta Falcons. That game will take place on Dec. 1 with a 1 p.m. kickoff.