JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Josh Allen returned a fumble 37 yards for a touchdown with 2:51 to go and the Jaguars de Jacksonville beat the Titans du Tennessee 20-16, Saturday evening.
With the win, the Jaguars secured the AFC Southern Division title for the first time in five years.
Rayshawn Jenkins caused a fumble from the Titans quarterback Josh Dobbs and Allen won the ball back to head into the end zone without being tagged by a rival. He allowed the Jaguars to take the lead in this game without a future for both teams.
Dobbs fumbled the ball on the next possession and the Jaguars (9-8) began celebrating the most significant season win in team history.
“It was the kind of game where our defense had to win for us,” Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence said. In attack, we were a bit frustrated because we left a lot of things on the pitch. But in these matches, you just have to win. Our defense got us high today. She played very well. »
The Jaguars will be ranked fourth in the All-American and they’ll host the Los Angeles Chargers or Baltimore Ravens in the first round of playoffs next week.
It’s the 18th time in the past 20 seasons that at least one NFL team has won its division after finishing last or tied for last the year before.
It is the fourth division title in franchise history. The Jaguars won AFC Central in 1998 and 1999 and AFC South in 2017.
This is the first time that the Jaguars, led by their quarterback Trevor Lawrencehave swept the season streak with the Titans since 2005.
Saturday’s win over the Titans was the fifth in a row for Jacksonville, making the Jaguars the fifth team in NFL history to qualify for the playoffs in the same season they had a playoff streak. defeats and victories of five games or more. The Jaguars lost five straight games in October, but have since gone 7-2.
“We just kept believing it,” Lawrence said. No one has lost faith. Everyone believed in each of us. We never started pointing fingers. We have lost five games in a row and that has united us. »
The Titans (7-10) have lost their last seven games of the season. That streak made them the underdogs in Saturday’s clash.
Last week, the Titans rested several starters to ensure they were healthy for the duel against the Jaguars. They looked set to pull off the unlikely until Dobbs’ turnover swung the game upside down.
With quarterback Ryan Tannehill sidelined for the rest of the season with an ankle injury, the Titans wanted Dobbs to be smart on the ball and Derrick Henry to get the tough yards. They’ve also relied on a defense that’s been solid against the run all season.
It worked for 37 minutes and then everything fell apart.
Henry made 30 carries for 109 yards. Dobbs completed 20 of 29 passes for 179 yards, including a touchdown pass, an interception and a fumble.