Tag: Jacksonville Jaguars

The Packers cannot be trusted, Giants are ruiners supreme and 8 things we learned in Week 17

Also, Aaron Rodgers cannot return to New York, Joe Burrow has an MVP case (but won’t win) and Baker Mayfield is great (as long as his blocking’s there).

The penultimate week of the 2024 NFL regular season was… unpleasant.

Christmas gave way to a new day for the league to monetize and spread 16 games across five days. Typically, that would be exciting news — especially with a handful of games between contenders destined to alter the 14 postseason paths to Super Bowl 59.

Instead, we got blowouts and bad football. The Kansas City Chiefs rolled the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Houston Texans scored two total points against the Baltimore Ravens. The Seattle Seahawks and Chicago Bears combined for nine points.

While Saturday’s Cincinnati Bengals – Denver Broncos was a fireworks display unto itself, the majority of Week 17 was uncompelling football. Even Sunday’s marquee game between the Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers was a listless slog before Green Bay made a late rally in a 27-25 loss.

So what stood out in a week of forgettable matchups? Let’s talk about it.

[Please bear with me for any Twitter embed issues. Our editing software has become a whole problem on that front the past couple weeks. Rest assured, if there’s a play alluded to in the text it’s worth clicking through to see if it didn’t make it into the article itself.]

1. The New York Jets are rotting from the head down

Bryan M. Bennett/Getty Images

The Jets’ 40-14 loss was somehow worse than the final score suggests. It all starts with the veteran quarterback whose body language is bleeding through an undisciplined team that’s crumbled around him.

From The Jets cannot allow Aaron Rodgers to return:

No one reflects the sorry condition of the 2024 Jets than its headlining attraction. The bad vibes are emanating from within. No one is happy with a 4-12 team, obviously, but Aaron Rodgers’s visible frustration combined with his status as a veteran leader only exacerbates that.

Rodgers can fault whomever he likes for New York’s struggles, but no one shoulders more blame than the four-time MVP who was supposed to provide deliverance from the Christian Hackenbergs and Zach Wilsons of the football world. Instead, a 39-year-old player coming off his worst season as a starter has aged even worse than expected thanks to the torn Achilles that ended his 2023 after four snaps.

The mobility he used to extend plays has taken a definite hit. His pocket awareness has crumbled alongside his blocking. The situations from which he used to weave magic from thin air have instead been gentle gusts pushing this offense backward.

ok now i’m starting to feel a little bad

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— Christian D’Andrea (@trainisland.bsky.social) December 29, 2024 at 1:59 PM

All the while, Rodgers’s outward demeanor has phased from smiling disbelief to passive aggressive hostility. Sometimes its directed at players (see above). Sometimes it’s reflected back at his own sideline.

looks like Aaron Rodgers thinks running out of shotgun on 4th-and-short is just as stupid as the rest of us do

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— Christian D’Andrea (@trainisland.bsky.social) December 29, 2024 at 12:31 PM

That tone has bled through the roster. New York has devolved into a poorly coached mess because the Jets were put in a position where they couldn’t fire the quarterback so Saleh got tossed instead. That’s led to a total defensive collapse, certainly, but this team is an undisciplined jumble of talented players who add up to significantly less than the sum of its parts.

Read the full piece here.

2. Joe Burrow has a legitimate MVP case (but not as good as Josh Allen or Lamar Jackson

The Enquirer

Micah Parsons knows who he’s voting for in the 2024 MVP race. If the Cincinnati Bengals make the playoffs, that is. And if he actually had a vote.

But the pass rushing savant and undeniable knower of ball understands just how significant Cincinnati’s rally from 4-8 to a place in the playoff race heading into Week 18 is. And he knows exactly who’s driving the Bengals beyond the limits of their suddenly shoddy defense.

Joe Burrow leads the NFL in passing yards (4,641) and touchdowns (42). He’s the engine behind the league’s top passing offense. He’s got Cincinnati back to .500 despite a defense that’s allowed more points this year than all but four other teams. But even if he somehow converts what The Athletic estimates is a seven percent chance to make the playoffs, he’s not going to be MVP. He might not even crack the top three when votes are counted.

That’s how good Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson and Saquon Barkley have been. All three were vital to their own respective blowouts this week.

Allen threw for a pair of touchdowns and ran for one more in a 40-14 dismantling of the unhappy Jets. That light lift didn’t do too much to pad his stats but brought him up to 40 total touchdowns in 16 games. That includes one incredible pass to Amari Cooper and a couple that wound up not counting on the box score due to either penalties or drops.

neither of Josh Allen’s best plays this half counted (penalty, drop) but i cannot imagine the frustration of having to play against this man

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— Christian D’Andrea (@trainisland.bsky.social) December 29, 2024 at 1:08 PM

Jackson embarrassed the Houston Texans 31-2 and had 255 total yards and three touchdowns on just 19 touches (15 passes, four carries). That puts him at 43 touchdowns on the year — as many or more than he had in either of his two previous MVP campaigns.

Barkley became just the ninth running back to break the 2,000 rushing yard barrier in a single NFL season. He’s 100 yards away from tying Eric Dickerson’s record of 2,105.

All four of these players have a valid claim for most valuable player. Ultimately, this year’s quarterback play may have been too good for even a historic season from Barkley to break through. And as good as Burrow has been, it will be incredibly difficult to sway voters on a team with a single-digit chance of making the playoffs this winter.

That leaves it down to Allen and Jackson — an argument in which neither side is wrong. For me, Allen’s ability to stave off what looked like a rebuild and continue to thrive despite an underwhelming receiving corps is enough to give him the nod for my PFWA vote. But I still have time to change my mind and plenty of tape left to grind.

No matter who I choose, however, I’m gonna be OK with the outcome.

3. The Philadelphia Eagles are a death machine (but it came against the Cowboys, so…)

Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Facing fourth-and-one near midfield typically means one thing for the Eagles. A compressed formation, a snap under center and a rugby-style push for first down. In 2023, Philadelphia’s 73 percent fourth down conversion rate was nearly seven full points higher than second place Tampa Bay.

But in Week 17, head coach Nick Sirianni stared down fourth-and-one at his own 46 in need of a win to keep pace in his race for the NFC’s top seed and a playoff bye. Then he blinked. Out came punter Braden Mann for a kick that bounced into the end zone for a touchback.

This wasn’t the only indication the Eagles were playing without Jalen Hurts behind center. If we’re being honest, this was the dead giveaway:

I thought the football turned into an anvil

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— Nate Tice (@natetice.bsky.social) December 29, 2024 at 12:58 PM

But Kenny Pickett’s act of premium mime-ery — THE MAN THREW HIMSELF INSTEAD OF THE BALL — barely made a dent in Philadelphia’s win probability against the Dallas Cowboys. Not even Pickett’s third quarter departure due to a rib injury could slow this offense down. 2023 sixth-round draft pick Tanner McKee entered the game, threw four passes and found the end zone twice.

One week after Hurts’s head injury created the latitude for the Washington Commanders to earn an upset win, McKee and Pickett led a charge that locked the Commanders out of the NFC East title race and ensured, at the very least, a home playoff game in Pennsylvania.

How? Thanks to the rising tide around the quarterback position and an overwhelmed opponent. The defense that had gotten sliced up by Olamide Zaccheaus and Jamison Crowder in the fourth quarter of last week’s collapse shoved Cooper Rush into a locker. Without CeeDee Lamb in the lineup, the Cowboys offense averaged just 5.2 yards per pass attempt. The secondary held Rush to a piddling 50.7 passer rating.

The offense also showcased its star power. DeVonta Smith had two touchdowns and nearly a third thanks to Pickett dialing it back to his Pittsburgh Steelers days and delivering three good passes per game.

in conclusion, Kenny Pickett is a land of contrasts

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— Christian D’Andrea (@trainisland.bsky.social) December 29, 2024 at 1:31 PM

A.J. Brown found the end zone. Saquon Barkley ran for 167 yards, putting him just 100 away from the NFL’s single season record. The offense didn’t need a heroic effort to put up 40-plus points, it just needed someone who could operate within the narrow confines of a smaller playbook and get the ball to the guys who can do the most with it.

That’s what Pickett and McKee did, even if that meant Pickett botching a goal line Tush Push in the second half to help validate Sirianni’s first quarter decision to punt (he rode a wave of blockers into the end zone one play later). It’s also a reminder of how dangerous this team can be with a healthy Hurts.

You don’t get extra credit for rolling a shorthanded Cowboys team at home, but you can make a statement by doing so with your third-string quarterback. Philadelphia can survive a Hurts playoff slump, but it can thrive if he’s back to his Week 15 self (where he carved up the Steelers for 290 passing yards and a pair of touchdowns). There’s more to the Eagles’ playbook than just “get the ball to Brown/Smith/Barkley,” but Philly can be a real headache even when that’s all a diminished quarterback has to do.

In a week where cracks could have begun to show without Hurts in the lineup, that’s a statement to which the rest of the NFC has to pay attention.

4. The Buccaneers refuse to go quietly into their goodnight thanks to Baker Mayfield (as long as he’s not pressured)

Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Tampa Bay rallied to the top of the NFC South in Week 15, then ceded that position back to the Atlanta Falcons by losing to the Cooper Rush Cowboys in Week 16. Sunday’s game against the Carolina Panthers wasn’t quite a must-win situation, but a slip up against an upset-hungry division rival would have been brutal to the team’s playoff hopes.

Baker Mayfield understood this. He also knew he was up against a Panthers defense that ranked 26th in EPA allowed per dropback and dead last in pressure rate.

By those powers combined, Mayfield put up a video game type performance.

Mayfield threw as many incomplete passes (five) as touchdowns in a 48-14 rout over a feisty Carolina team who’d knocked the Arizona Cardinals out of playoff contention a week earlier. One look at his passing chart shows how diversely he was able to grind a bad defense down to dust.

via habitatring.com

This was impressive when Mayfield was putting together games like this with Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Cade Otton in the lineup. On Sunday, he only had Evans, who had a very Mike Evans game with eight catches, 97 yards and a pair of touchdown catches from short range. Behind him, the following players all had at least 36 receiving yards:

  • Bucky Irving
  • Devin Culp
  • Jalen McMillan
  • Payne Durham

The connective tissue between them is Mayfield’s reads and placement. But as good as Sunday’s performance was — and no matter how you slice it, 359 yards and five passing touchdowns without a turnover is AWESOME — there remains room for concern. There’s skill involved in throws like these, but the degree of difficulty was undeniably low.

The Panthers’ inability to rustle Mayfield was the source of their pain. Mayfield has been effective against the blitz because of pickups like the one seen above — his passer rating actually improves from 101.1 to 109.4 when defenses bring an extra attacker, even if his EPA/snap drops thanks to more sacks taken. His strength is his vision, and when that newfound pass rusher enters the fray he’s able to identify where it’s coming from, the hole it leaves and the single coverage opportunities that persist.

If that blitz doesn’t get home, it’s disastrous. But if it does, it’s a big deal. Mayfield’s rating drops from 108.3 without pressure to 83.4 when someone breaches his pocket. His EPA/dropback falls from 0.22 to -0.27.

In Week 16, the Cowboys let him throw for 303 yards but brought pressure on 36 percent of his dropbacks between a balance of blitzes and successful four-man rushes in a win. The Denver Broncos introduced pressure on 45 percent of his pass plays in Week 3 and held him to 163 passing yards on 40 dropbacks… in a win.

That’s not a guarantor of success — both the Las Vegas Raiders and Detroit Lions sacked him at least four times in Tampa Bay victories — but it’s a great place to start. Mayfield thrived for several reasons Sunday, including a weak Panthers secondary. But he was able to make these easy throws and breeze to a stupefying stat line because Carolina rarely made him uncomfortable.

Should the Bucs make it to the postseason, opponents will know just what to do. They’ve got to create pressure while mitigating the risk of Tampa’s strong blitz pickups and Mayfield’s ability to exploit it. That’s a fine line to walk — and one Mayfield might wind up sprinting across anyway.

5. There are no losers in the Brian Thomas Jr. vs. Ladd McConkey vs. Malik Nabers debate

Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images

Week 17 was a remarkable one for rookie wide receivers. Marvin Harrison Jr. had six catches for 96 yards as the Arizona Cardinals late rally against the Los Angeles Rams fell short. Xavier Worthy had 89 total yards and a touchdown against the Steelers. Xavier Legette brought enough raccoon meat to the Panthers’ locker room to share with reporters.

But three players stood above the rest, just as they’ve been doing all season.

Ladd McConkey, Brian Thomas Jr. and Malik Nabers each walked off their respective fields this weekend as winners — something that’s far from guaranteed when Thomas Jr. and Nabers play for the Jacksonville Jaguars and New York Giants, respectively. Each was absolutely vital to his team’s effort.

McConkey kicked things off Saturday, continuing an epic tradition in which wideouts the New England Patriots failed to draft rise up to torch them.

McConkey has been an absolute animal for a Los Angeles team starved for receiving help. The second round pick is up to 1,054 receiving yards on the season thanks to his ability to break off defenders with clean routes and split double teams. He’s a menace across the field whose 2.63 yards per route run (YPRR) rank ninth in the NFL among wideouts with at least 200 routes. That’s one spot ahead of Ja’Marr Chase and 90 in front of Ja’Lynn Polk, the wideout New England selected after trading back and giving the Chargers the 34th overall pick (Polk, at 0.39 YPRR, is dead last among qualified WRs).

Thomas Jr. has had a higher degree of difficulty. He’s part of a similarly thin depth chart at wideout, but his quarterbacks this season have been a not-quite-right Trevor Lawrence and (big sigh) Mac Jones.

On Sunday he became just the fourth rookie wideout to have at least 1,100 receiving yards (he’s at 1,179) and 10 touchdowns, joining Randy Moss, Ja’Marr Chase and Odell Beckham Jr. That is absurd company to keep.

I’ve already expounded on how good he’s been — and how his run-after-catch ability is the perfect balm to heal a burned quarterback like Jones — but it bears repeating. Jacksonville’s search for a true alpha wideout alongside Lawrence appears to have finally found its man.

While those two each have high profile quarterbacks behind them, Nabers decidedly does not. In his debut season he’s caught passes from Daniel Jones, Tommy DeVito and Drew Lock. On Sunday, he helped guide Lock to the best game of his career.

Lock threw for 309 yards and four touchdowns despite attempting only four passes that traveled more than 13 yards downfield. Nabers, with seven catches on eight targets, 171 yards and two touchdowns, was the primary beneficiary of his quarterback’s competence and the Indianapolis Colts drastic lack thereof.

It would be tempting to consider that stat and the highlight above and consider Nabers a short-range savant. This is incorrect.

Nabers came into the league with one of the most polished skill sets of any member of this rookie class. While he’d only caught three of 21 deep balls this year, that’s as much a function of his weak quarterbacking as anything else. When given a chance to get to the ball, he thrives — as evidenced by his 65 percent catch rate and 0.69 EPA per target when running routes between 10 and 19 yards downfield.

This intermediate wizardry is a function of his overall skill set. He can win one-on-one. He can sit down in zone coverage and find holes. He can be the WR1 who allows the other wideouts in New York to fit into better defined roles, allowing Wan’Dale Robinson to be a run-after-catch wizard and allowing Darius Slayton to run the downfield routes he can exploit for big gains.

All three rookies are foundational pieces for teams in dire need of playmakers. McConkey is in the best position of the three, but both Nabers and Thomas will be undeniably important to the rebuilding of their respective franchises. Time will tell which one of these players will have the best career — for my money, it’ll be Nabers if he’s even given a semi-competent long-term quarterback — but for now the Chargers, Jaguars and Giants have struck gold.

6. The Indianapolis Colts do not deserve nice things

Julian Leshay Guadalupe/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Colts had a flicker of hope coming into Week 17. They were still part of the AFC playoff race, albeit way out in the periphery thanks to an 7-8 start. Their 18 percent Wild Card odds, per The Athletic, rested on the shoulder of Joe Flacco — the backup quarterback who’d earlier been pressed into action in place of Anthony Richardson thanks to the young passer’s accuracy concerns.

If Flacco and a hungry roster of homegrown players could beat the NFL’s worst team, they’d keep their postseason hopes alive.

That is not what Flacco and his hungry roster did.

The Colts offense without Richardson shrunk, but their defense was an abject disaster. This is a unit that’s been uniquely bad in genuinely baffling ways. Indianapolis has given up more than 300 net passing yards only three times in 2024. Those came against:

  • Trevor Lawrence and a Jaguars team that’s currently 4-12
  • Caleb Williams and a Chicago Bears team that’s currently 4-12
  • and Drew Lock’s Giants, who are now 3-13.

That’s remarkable! Indianapolis held Jordan Love to 122 net passing yards early in the season but nearly gave up three times that much to Drew by-god Lock! The Colts lost two of those games, only surviving the Bears.

That’s not what a playoff team does, and indeed Indianapolis will not be a playoff team. New York had 10 different plays that picked up at least 12 yards. Their touchdowns came on a 100-yard kickoff return and passing plays of 31, 32 and 59 yards. This was a team that ranked in the bottom five when it came to explosive play rate, in large part because the offensive line was awful and its quarterbacks were Jones, DeVito and Lock. Yet on Sunday, facing a team who had every reason to treat Week 17 like a de facto playoff game, they feasted.

This shattered the illusion the Colts could even be a modest spoiler in the postseason. General manager Chris Ballard opted to keep the band together in 2024, re-signing a bevy of free agents in hopes a healthy Anthony Richardson could bring this team back to the playoffs. But this was a terrible idea, because Richardson is neither a pass rusher or a cornerback and the holes left on that side of the ball were so huge even the New York Giants could drive their rickety jalopy through them.

7. The Green Bay Packers cannot be trusted in the playoffs

Brad Rempel-Imagn Images

Sometimes, not even Toyotathon can save Jordan Love.

The young quarterback turned on the jets last season as the weather grew cold and the Japanese automaker began its holiday sales push. History repeated itself in 2024 as an early injury sapped his effectiveness before he was able to rally the Packers to an 11-4 record. The only thing missing was a signature win after losses to the Philadelphia Eagles, Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings.

A Week 17 rematch in Minneapolis gave him the opportunity to rectify that. Love could not.

The fifth-year quarterback fell silent for the bulk of Sunday’s national broadcast. He had only 54 passing yards through the first 50 minutes as Green Bay fell into a 17-point third quarter hole. The downfield passing and wide open targets had been erased by Brian Flores and a defense that threw a multitude of looks at Love’s offense. He was hit or sacked on 33 percent of his dropbacks and, importantly, either didn’t have or couldn’t find the free runners that make the Packer offense so dangerous.

Love completed just four of his 13 passes that traveled at least nine yards downfield.

via habitatring.com

That’s not entirely surprising — he’s completing only 45 percent of his throws 10-plus yards downfield this fall — but it’s absolutely brutal for the Green Bay offense. Tucker Kraft’s 35-yard catch-and-run was the team’s only play that sprang for more than 19 yards. In Week 14 against the similarly impressive Detroit Lions Love’s offense had six such plays. Against the Seattle Seahawks’ rising defense in Week 15, it had seven if you include pass interference penalties.

This is how the Packers feast or starve. Without big chunk plays, they wind up stuck in neutral for long stretches. But what’s more concerning is the sudden lack of protein in their diet of victories. After falling Sunday night, Green Bay’s best win is over… the Los Angeles Rams in the midst of a 1-4 start? An underwhelming Houston Texans team? The desiccated husk of the San Francisco 49ers?

The Green Bay Packers are difficult to trust. They’re beating the teams they’re supposed to, but losing when paired up against actual contenders. Week 17 was their last chance to prove it with the safety net of the regular season as a backdrop. Their next failure against an actual contender will spell the end of their Super Bowl quest.

8. Fantasy team you absolutely didn’t want to field in Week 17

Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images
  • QB: C.J. Stroud, Texans (185 passing yards,  one interception, seven rushing yards, five sacks, 8.0 fantasy points)
  • RB: James Conner, Cardinals (four rushing yards, two catches, four receiving yards, 2.8 fantasy points)
  • RB: Rhamondre Stevenson, Patriots (one rushing yard, 0.1 fantasy points)
  • WR: Jayden Reed, Packers (one catch, six yards, 1.6 fantasy points)
  • WR: DeAndre Hopkins, Chiefs (two catches, seven yards, 2.7 fantasy points)
  • WR: Cooper Kupp, Rams (one catch, 29 yards, 3.9 fantasy points)
  • TE: Jake Ferguson, Cowboys (three catches, 18 yards, 4.8 fantasy points)
  • D/ST: Indianapolis Colts (45 points allowed, -8.0 fantasy points)

Total: 15.9 points

Titans vs. Jaguars: Best photos from Week 17

The best photos from a Week 17 game between the Tennessee Titans and Jacksonville Jaguars — a game Tennessee lost, 20-13.

Here’s a look at some of the best photos from a Week 17 game between the Tennessee Titans and Jacksonville Jaguars — a game the Titans lost, 20-13.

Everything Doug Pederson said after Jaguars’ 20-13 win over Titans

Everything Doug Pederson said after Jaguars’ 20-13 win over Titans

The Jacksonville Jaguars ended their 2024 home slate on a high note, beating the Tennessee Titans 20-13 to complete a season-long sweep over one of their biggest rivals and secure at least a .500 record in divisional play this year.

Find everything Jacksonville head coach Doug Pederson said after the win below.

On Pederson’s thoughts on the game and the Jaguars getting the season sweep over the Titans:

DOUG PEDERSON: “Found a way to win. Proud of the guys. So happy for them. Coaching staff, the way these guys hang together, they stick together, there is no quit. They keep fighting. I keep telling them, you never know when the play is coming your way. When it does, just make it. You saw at the end there. [S] Antonio Johnson made the play and you win the game. So, a lot of good efforts in this game. Defense created a takeaway; offense was effective and good in the red zone today. Just a good team win.”

On if the win was particularly emotional:

DOUG PEDERSON:  “It’s definitely emotional the way our season has gone. Obviously, we talked a lot about this, just the disappointment and the expectation not where it is, or should be. But any time you get a chance to win a game, especially against a good football team and division opponent, it’s always great. Locker room is excited. Probably a little bit of relief as well just to get another win. It’s part of what we keep talking about every day. We want to finish this thing the right way.”

On Jaguars WR Brian Thomas Jr. tying former NFL WR Randy Moss’s rookie-NFL-record eight games with 60-plus receiving yards and a touchdown:

DOUG PEDERSON: “Yeah, you said Randy Moss, I was on the sideline in Green Bay when Randy had a big day in Minnesota against us. I remember that, his rookie season. Randy Moss is a heck of a receiver and Brian just keeps impressing each week. Can’t say enough good things about Brian and just happy for him. But just goes to show you just with him, and speaking of Brian, the way he works, the way he handles himself for a young kid, very impressive. Very impressed with Brian.”

On Jaguars QB Mac Jones’ play down the stretch:

DOUG PEDERSON: “I thought Mac played probably obviously one of his better games today. I thought he did a great job just putting the ball in play and taking what the defense gave him. Some really good scrambles early in the game to keep us on the field. Helped us in our third-down conversion rate today. The touchdown pass to Brian Thomas and just doing things that we ask him to do. Great performance by Mac, and he’s one of many guys that really had a hand in this win, but he played really well today.”

On the value Thomas Jr. can add as a runner:

DOUG PEDERSON: “Well, it adds a lot. It’s an element of surprise to the defense. A couple of times today on different things, giving him the football in space, guys just did a great job blocking for him, too. Any time you get Brian Thomas on the ball, in his hands, it’s pretty electric. He does some great things with it. So just want to continue to expand that role for him. But at the same time be smart and if it helps the offense, then we’re going to do it.”

On the importance of playing clean football:

DOUG PEDERSON: “Yeah, it’s been a minute since we’ve done that really in all three phases. Even down to the two-minute situations today, both at the end of the half and the end of the game, different scenarios there that, stuff we talk about, and our players did a great job of execution there. Like I said, the defense came up big. Had the takeaway. Offense scored. And then the turnover on downs at the end. Just a complete football game. Just excited for all those guys.”

On keeping coaches engaged at this point of the season:

DOUG PEDERSON: “For me, it’s more about just having some one-off conversations. I don’t get them together and say, ‘Hey, guys this is what needs –‘ we’re adults and we understand. We see what is being written, being said. Listen, obviously, we put ourselves in — I’m the leader of that ship or captain of that ship and obviously we’ve put ourselves in this situation. Just having one-off conversations and trying to, for me, still to encourage them as well and get them to understand that, ‘Hey, we’ve got a lot to play for and coach for, and you put your best foot forward and you give it everything you have during the week.’ When you’re rewarded like we were today, just makes it sweeter.”

On if it’s any consolation that the Jaguars have stayed engaged through the last few weeks of the season despite close losses:

DOUG PEDERSON: “Thank you. Thank you for reminding me. But it’s obvious. You’re right. The thing is the guys aren’t — they’re not waving the white flag. I think even when you talk to them in the locker room, they’re not — they’re busting their tails during the week and doing everything I’m asking them to do, coaches and players. Look, whatever happens at the end of the season is going to happen. We’ve still got one game left. Before today we had two games left. For us to finish the way we want to finish, whatever happens, regardless, we want to finish this thing the right way. We won today and that’s a huge step. Now we move on to the next one. Put another game plan together and go practice and try to do it again on the road. Then whatever happens, is going to happen. But just proud of the way the coaches and players have just stuck together and hung together. The fact that we were rewarded today speaks to that.”

On the chance to finish 4-2 in the division:

DOUG PEDERSON:  “Yeah, I mean, that would be something to be very proud of in the midst of a disappointing season. To finish 4-2, that would be great. Just goes to show you and goes to show our team that these close games, the plays we made today were the ones we weren’t making in those close games. If it goes the other way maybe we win a few more of those games and it’s a different story. You know, I just think that to finish that way, to finish strong, it sends a good message to the team that you can still have a hold I think on your division, right? If you do that next week. You’ve got to win the game obviously. But just shows you can kind of control it. You control your own destiny, right, year in and year out. It will be a good message to the guys if we can accomplish that.”

Jaguars sweep Titans, 20-13: Here’s how X reacted

The Jacksonville Jaguars slid by the Tennessee Titans 20-13 and swept the season series. Here’s how fans on X reacted.

The Tennessee Titans fell once again on Sunday, losing 20-13 to the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Titans’ defense put up a strong effort, but the offense again struggled to get anything going.

The Titans now fall to 3-13 on the season and sit at the bottom of the AFC South standings.

This is a snapshot of how fans on X reacted to the defeat.

 

Titans vs. Jaguars Player of the Game: RB Tyjae Spears

The Tennessee Titans fell to the Jacksonville Jaguars, 20-13, in Week 17 and Tyjae Spears is our Player of the Game.

The Tennessee Titans fell to AFC South division rival Jacksonville Jaguars 20-13 in the teams’ second meeting in four weeks. In the first meeting, the Titans had control of the game for three quarters before blowing it in the fourth quarter. This week, they didn’t wait to let the Jaguars come back and win. Instead, they let the Jaguars control the entire game.

On their first possession of the game, the Jaguars drove down the field and kicked a field goal. They scored their first touchdown before the first quarter ended and led the game 10-0. The Titans would kick a field goal before the half, but they never recovered.

One of the few bright spots for the Titans today was Tyjae Spears, who left the game with 3:23 remaining in the third quarter. Despite leaving the game with an injury, Spears was the most productive skill player for the Titans on Sunday and earned himself Player of the Game honors.

Spears has begun to show the league what he can do on the ground versus his ability to catch the ball as a running back. Against the Jaguars, Spears stepped in for an injured Tony Pollard and carried the ball 20 times for 95 yards, an average of 4.8 yards per carry, and he caught three passes on four targets for eight yards, totaling over 100 yards in offensive production.

The Titans’ 2024 season has been incredibly disappointing, but there are still things to look forward to in 2025. Having both Spears and Pollard on the roster is one of them.

Jaguars complete season-long Titans sweep, win home finale 20-13

Jaguars complete season-long Titans sweep, win home finale 20-13

The Jaguars (4-12) completed a season-long sweep of their AFC South rival Titans (3-13) on Sunday, winning 20-13 and securing at least a .500 divisional record in what has otherwise been a disastrous campaign in Jacksonville.

It marks the fourth time in franchise history that the Jaguars have swept the Titans in the regular season. They most recently did so in 2022.

The Jaguars enjoyed their best first-half of the year, scoring on their opening drive via a 48-yard field goal by rookie kicker Cam Little before adding 10 points in the second quarter, including an acrobatic two-yard touchdown grab by wide receiver Parker Washington.

Washington’s score was set up by Jacksonville’s first takeaway since Week 10 against Minnesota. Jaguars rookie defensive tackle Jordan Jefferson tipped a pass by Titans quarterback Mason Rudolph up into the air, which linebacker Devin Lloyd snatched at Tennessee’s 43-yard line.

The Titans only managed a field goal in the first 30 minutes, as time expired at the end of the half.

Tennessee found life offensively in the second half with a pair of extended scoring drives, a combined 25 plays for 145 yards with an eight-yard touchdown pass from Rudolph to tight end Nick Vannett in the third quarter and a 28-yard fourth-quarter field goal by former Jaguars kicker Matthew Wright, who signed with the Titans this week.

But Jaguars rookie sensation Brian Thomas Jr. answered the call when Jacksonville found itself up only three over Tennessee in the middle of the fourth quarter.

An 11-yard, domineering end-zone grab by Thomas reinstituted Jacksonville’s two-possession lead with just over seven minutes left in the game.

The catch-and-score allowed Thomas to tie Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver Randy Moss for the most games with 60 receiving yards and a touchdown as a rookie in NFL history, with eight.

Wright’s field goal at the 2:05 mark and a Jaguars’ three-and-out gave the Titans a chance to tie the game and send it to overtime.

Rudolph opened the drive with three completions for 43 yards, and the Titans converted a key third down via an offsides penalty by the Jaguars. But Tennessee stalled over four consecutive incompletions following the flag and turned the ball over on downs with nine seconds remaining.

The Jaguars’ regular season finale will be in Indianapolis against their AFC South rival Colts on Jan. 5. A kickoff time has yet to be determined.

Jaguars vs. Titans: Inactive lists

Jaguars vs. Titans: Inactive lists

The Jaguars and Titans will officially be without a combined six starters for their Week 17 matchup at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville.

Find Jacksonville and Tennessee’s inactive lists for Sunday below.

Jaguars inactives

  • OT Walker Little
  • DT Tyler Lacy
  • DT Esezi Otomewo
  • LB Ventrell Miller
  • S Darnell Savage Jr.

Analysis: The Jaguars officially ruled starters, left tackle Walker Little and safety Darnell Savage Jr., and backup linebacker Ventrell Miller out of Week 17 on Friday. Backup defensive linemen Tyler Lacy and Esezi Otomewo are healthy scratches for Jacksonville vs. Tennessee.

Titans inactives

  • RB Tony Pollard
  • WR Jha’Quan Jackson
  • OL Dillon Radunz
  • OL Nicholas Petit-Frere
  • LB Otis Reese
  • S Amani Hooker
  • K Nick Folk

Analysis: The Titans made wide receiver Jha’Quan Jackson and offensive lineman Nicholas Petit-Frere healthy scratches for Week 17 on Sunday after previously ruling four starters — running back Tony Pollard, right guard Dillon Radunz, safety Amani Hooker and kicker Nick Folk — and backup linebacker Otis Reese out between Friday and Saturday.

Titans vs. Jaguars Week 17 inactives: Who’s in, who’s out?

The full list of inactives for Sunday’s Week 17 game between the Tennessee Titans and Jacksonville Jaguars have been released.

The Tennessee Titans (3-12) and Jacksonville Jaguars (3-12) square off on Sunday afternoon at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida in Week 17.

Both teams have officially announced their inactives for the game. Below is a full list:

Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

Tennessee Titans

  • LB Otis Reese IV (ankle)
  • RB Tony Pollard (ankle/illness)
  • S Amani Hooker (shoulder)
  • G Dillon Radunz (shoulder)
  • K Nick Folk (abdomen)
  • WR Jha’Quan Jackson
  • T Nicholas Petit-Frere
David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports

Jacksonville Jaguars

  • T Walker Little (ankle)
  • LB Ventrell Miller (ankle)
  • S Darnell Savage (concussion)
  • DT Tyler Lacy
  • DT Esezi Otomewo

[lawrence-related id=155522,155518,155501]

6 games today Raiders fans should have rooting interest

Some games have already been played week 17, including three games on Wednesday and Thursday and three which were flexed to Saturday. Of the three Saturday games, only one went the way the Raiders would have wanted – the Bengals beat the Broncos. …

Some games have already been played week 17, including three games on Wednesday and Thursday and three which were flexed to Saturday.

Of the three Saturday games, only one went the way the Raiders would have wanted — the Bengals beat the Broncos. But the other two weren’t great for the Raiders. The Chargers put a beatdown on the lowly Patriots and the Rams beat the Cardinals. You want the Patriots to get a win and the Chargers to lose for strength of schedule reasons. You want the Rams to lose for the same reason.

Those game results actually raised the Raiders Strength of Schedule from .544 to .547, keeping them at sixth in the draft order.

The Raiders game will be Sunday in New Orleans, but that’s not the only game Raiders fans should be focusing on Sunday.

Here are the other games Raiders fans should feel some kind of way about because they could affect where the Raiders end up selecting atop the 2025 NFL Draft.

Root for: Giants

The Giants (2-13) are the only team with a worse record than the Raiders (3-12) and they are also the only team currently in the top six projected draft order with a higher Strength of Schedule. Which means if they win, they would drop out of the projected top spot and all the way to six, behin the Raiders.

Odds: Colts -7.5

News: Colts starting QB Anthony Richardson has been ruled OUT for the game, which would seem to give the Giants a chance. He will be replaced by 39-year-old Joe Flacco.

Root for: NY Jets

The Jets are sitting at 4-11 on the season, which means if they lose this week and the Raiders beat the Saints, the Jets will be in line for a higher pick. While a win by the Jets would lower their pick in the third round which the Raiders own, the top of the draft is far more important. Not that is matters much because the Jets would figure to have a snowball chance in Hell of taking out the Bills in Buffalo.

Odds: Bills -10

Root for: Panthers

The interest here could be two-fold. What you get with a Panthers win would be the Panthers’ fifth win, which moves them out of the way in case the Raiders pick up their fourth win. It also could offer the Panthers confidence enough in Bryce Young to stick with him next season and thus remove them from those teams vying for a QB this offseason.

Odds: Buccaneers -8

Root for: Titans

This one is kind of good for the Raiders either way. But better for them if the Titans win. Both teams have three wins, so whichever wins the game, would drop out of the top five in the draft order where both teams currently sit. However, the Titans will be in the market for a quarterback and the Jaguars will not be. For that reason alone, it’s in the Raiders interest not to have them ahead of them in the draft order and a win could do that. It carries the bonus of lowering the Raiders SOS and raising the Jaguars’.

Odds: Titans -1

Root for: Browns

The Browns have the same record as the Raiders right now and present a major threat to them in terms of their QB needs. Deshaun Watson has been a huge bust there and they will be looking to protect their interests this season.

Odds: Dolphins -3

News: Tua Tagovailoa is Doubtful for the game, which means Tyler Huntley is expected to start for the Dolphins, giving the Browns a shot at the upset. Especially with the game in Cleveland.

Root for: Commanders

The Raiders faced the Falcons this season. They have not faced the Commanders. for that reason a Commanders win would lower the Raiders SOS. It would also raise the SOS of the Giants, Browns, Bears, and Titans.

Odds: Commanders -3.5

Titans downgrade two starters to out vs. Jaguars

Titans downgrade two starters to out vs. Jaguars

The Tennessee Titans downgraded starting running back Tony Pollard and safety Amani Hooker from questionable to out against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 17 on Saturday.

Pollard (ankle) and Hooker (shoulder) were both listed as questionable on Tennessee’s final injury report. Pollard was reportedly expected to play through his injury but came down with the flu after the Titans practiced on Friday.

Pollard has rushed for 1,017 yards and five touchdowns over 238 carries this season and added 41 receptions for 238 yards. Hooker has recorded 71 total tackles with four for loss, five interceptions, nine defended passes and two forced fumbles.

Tennessee previously ruled starters, right guard Dillon Radunz and kicker Nick Folk, out against Jacksonville on Friday. Starting wide receiver Tyler Boyd is questionable to play.

The Titans signed kicker Matthew Wright, guard Arlington Hambright and linebacker Raekwon McMillan to their active roster from their practice squad, and elevated offensive lineman and safety Gervarrius Owens from their practice squad after ruling Pollard and Hooker out.

The Titans released cornerbacks Tre Avery and Gabe Jeudy-Lally from their active roster in corresponding moves.

Jaguars vs. Titans is scheduled to kick off at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla.