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Ben Arthur
AFC South Reporter
The Jaguars fell short despite knowing that their Week 18 game against the Titans would decide the AFC South title.
They had the Texans first. A matchup with Houston didn’t make any difference in the division title race, but the Week 17 showdown wasn’t for nothing. As stressed by Jaguars coach Doug Pederson, there will be no games. The Jaguars never rest, except when an injury prevents them from playing. Momentum is important, especially at this point in the season.
Jacksonville now carries more luggage than ever before at the right time.
The Jaguars (8-8) beat Houston 31-3 at NRG Stadium on Sunday in one of their most dominant wins of the season. By the third quarter, quarterback Trevor Lawrence (17-of-21, 152 yards, INT) and running back Travis Etienne Jr. (9 carries, 108 yards, TD; 3 receptions, 32 yards) ), and starters like right guard Brandon Sherf worked well. Rest away from the game.
The Jaguars take their fourth straight win in the AFC South Championship against the Titans (7-9), who have lost six in a row.
Jacksonville’s performance on Sunday is a tape that teaches the good teams what to do to the bad ones, all the more so given their historic troubles with Houston (2-13-1). The Jaguars have had his ninth straight loss to the Texans since 2017, including his 13-6 loss in Week 5.
The Jaguars were leading 21-0 by the 11:35 mark of the second quarter.
Jacksonville scored their first touchdown on their first drive. It’s an 8-play, 45-yard opening drive followed by 4 and 1 stops. The second was the first play of the fourth possession when Travis Etienne ran 62 yards home after Texans safety Jalen Pitre missed a tackle.
The Jaguar defense contributed to the third goal. Outside linebacker Josh Allen caused a sack fumble, and cornerback Tyson Campbell recovered the ball and ran it for a 12-yard touchdown.
Jacksonville scored their fourth and final touchdown on their first drive of the second half. The 11-play, 75-yard series was capped off with a 3-yard run by running back Snoop Conner.
The Texans didn’t reach positive territory until the 8:31 mark of the second quarter. A misunderstanding between Lawrence and receiver Zay Jones led to an interception by Desmond King.
Beyond team dominance, Jaguars players have also achieved individual milestones. Veteran wideout Christian Kirk (2 catches, 21 yards) recorded his 1,000 receiving yards in one season for the first time in his career. Tight end Evan Engram (1 catch, 16 yards) broke the franchise record for most receiving yards in a single season by a tight end.
The Jaguars are much better than the Titans and are in a matchup for the division title. And it’s not particularly close.
Jacksonville, the same Houston team that Tennessee lost eight days earlier, won by 28 margins. The Jaguars he hasn’t lost since December 4th, but the Titans he hasn’t won since November 17th.
The momentum is on Jacksonville’s side.
Will it be a division title?
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Ben Arthur is FOX Sports’ AFC South reporter. He previously worked for The Tennessean/USA TODAY Network, where for a year and a half he was the writer for Titans Beats. He covered the Seattle Seahawks on SeattlePI.com for his three seasons (2018-20) before moving to Tennessee. You can follow Ben on his Twitter. @benyarthur.
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