JACKSONVILLE – This was about defense and staying in first place.

It above all else was about winning, which the Jaguars did Sunday in their 2023 regular-season home finale with a dominant effort on defense and a mistake-free one on offense.

Josh Allen's three sacks enabled him to set the single-season franchise sacks record on a day when the defense registered a season-high six sacks – and most importantly, the Jaguars ended a four-game losing streak with a 26-0 victory over the Carolina Panthers on a sunny New Year's Eve afternoon in front of 67,215 at EverBank Stadium.

"We got the job done," Allen said of Sunday, adding of being able to clinch the AFC South title with a victory in the final week of the regular season:

"No going through the motions. We have to start on Monday and get ready to prepare every single day. If we can do that, I can see the same outcome as this. But if we don't, we can get beat easily."

The Jaguars (9-7) with Sunday's victory remained in first place in the AFC South and are assured of being able to clinch a second consecutive division title with a victory at the Tennessee Titans next weekend in Week 18.

The Jaguars and Titans will play either Saturday or Sunday, pending the league announcing the Week 18 schedule. The Houston Texans (9-7) will visit the Indianapolis Colts (9-7) either Saturday or Sunday. If the Jaguars beat the Titans, they are assured of finishing ahead of the Texans and Colts for the division title because of tiebreaker advantages over both teams.

"Our guys really thrive on these situations, and that's okay," Head Coach Doug Pederson said. "It's a great opportunity for our organization, for our franchise, for our players, for our owner to be in this situation.

"We have to go play another good football team on the road. And we'll enjoy this one obviously and prepare this week whenever we play."

The Jaguars, who registered their first shutout since beating the Indianapolis Colts 24-0 in Week 2 of the 2022 season, also secured back-to-back winning records for the first time since 2004-2005.

Quarterback C.J. Beathard, making his first start for the Jaguars and his 13^th in seven NFL seasons, completed 17 of 24 passes for 178 yards and no touchdowns with no interceptions. Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence missed the first start of his three-year NFL career with a sprained AC joint.

"He played smart, he played tough," Pederson said of Beathard. "He ran the offense."

Beathard called the victory "huge."

"We were in a slump the weeks before, losing four straight," he said. "All week we went into this week with a lot of energy knowing what this game meant and what the next week means, knowing that we needed to get this one. I thought the guys played great."

Running back Travis Etienne’s 62-yard run early in the third quarter gave the Jaguars a 16-0 lead after kicker Brandon McManus converted first-half field goals of 35, 26 and 24 yards. McManus, who missed four of five field goals over the past four games, converted four of four field goals Sunday.

Etienne rushed for 102 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries.

Allen, the Jaguars' fifth-year outside linebacker, registered three sacks and now has 16.5 for the season. That broke the previous record of 14.5 set by Calais Campbell in 2017.

"I didn't do it by myself, first and foremost; so shout-out to everybody who was a part of it," Allen said.

Outside linebacker Travon Walker added two sacks for the Jaguars, with defensive lineman Roy Robertson-Harris also registering a first-quarter sack on fourth down that ended a Panthers drive that had reached the Jaguars 21.

Carolina quarterback Bryce Young completed 19 of 32 passes for 112 yards and no touchdowns with one interception. Safety Antonio Johnson's fourth-quarter interception was the Jaguars' lone takeaway Sunday and gave them 26 takeaways for the season.

The Jaguars outgained the Panthers 317-124 and had 16 first downs to seven for Carolina.

"I thought today they responded well, obviously, to have the shutout and really play a solid football game," Pederson said. "I'm sure there's going to be some things to clean up as we look at this film. But the defense responded, too. They played a really good game today."

Step by Step:

• McManus' 35-yard field goal capped a 13-play, 43-yard drive on the game's first possession and gave the Jaguars a 3-0 lead with 8:36 remaining in the first quarter; the Jaguars converted third downs of one, four and one yard on the drive.
• McManus' second field goal – this one from 26 yards – pushed the Jaguars' lead to 6-0 with 7:18 remaining in the second quarter. McManus' 24-yard field goal gave the Jaguars a 9-0 lead with 2:45 remaining in the second quarter and came four plays after Beathard's 48-yard pass to wide receiver Jamal Agnew gave the Jaguars first-and-goal at the Panthers 7.
• Etienne's 62-yard touchdown came with 11:36 remaining in the third quarter and McManus' 34-yard field goal with 3:00 remaining in the quarter pushed the lead to 19-0.
• Etienne's one-yard run capped a four-play, 15-yard drive with 4:16 remaining. The Jaguars stopped Carolina on downs to set up the drive.

Notable:

• Jaguars tight end Evan Engram's four-yard second-quarter reception gave him 100 for the season, making him the eighth tight end in NFL history with 100 or more receptions in a season. …. Etienne's third-quarter touchdown gave him 10 rushing touchdowns for the season, the first Jaguars player since 2009 with 10 or more rushing touchdowns in a season. He now has 11 for the season. … Tyler Shatley started at left guard for the Jaguars Sunday with left tackle Walker Little and left guard Ezra Cleveland dealing with injuries in recent weeks. … Lawrence and wide receiver Zay Jones were among five game-day inactives Sunday, with Jones missing a second consecutive game with a hamstring issue. Left tackle Cam Robinson, the only Jaguars player aside from Jones listed as questionable on Friday's final injury report of the week, played after being on injured reserve four games with a knee injury. … The three other inactive players for the Jaguars Sunday: defensive lineman Angelo Blackson, outside linebacker Yasir Abdullah and offensive lineman Cole Van Lanen.

Injury Report:

• Agnew sustained a second-quarter ankle injury and did not return.