NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Senior writer John Oehser examines five key plays from the Jaguars’ 10-6 victory over the Tennessee Titans in a 2024 Week 14 game at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday

1. In the lead. Points have been scarce for the Jaguars lately. They got six big ones at a big time Sunday during a fourth-quarter surge that gave them their first victory in five games. The Jaguars, despite a gutty defensive effort, still trailed 6-3 in the fourth quarter. But one possession after driving for a field goal, quarterback Mac Jones and the offense turned in a second consecutive solid drive – and this one gave the Jaguars their first lead. The key play on the drive: A 31-yard pass from Jones to rookie wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. that turned third-and-4 from the Titans 43-yard-line into a first down at the 12, with Jones leaving the pocket and finding Thomas open behind the defense. "Just great awareness by those two," Pederson called it, with Jones adding: "It was just a great job by him (Thomas). I evaded really a good pocket. I could have sat in there and threw it. I made it harder than it needed to be." Running back Tank Bigsby capped the drive with an eight-yard run over the left side of the line to give the Jaguars their final margin of victory with 6:46 remaining. "The guys up front did a great job," Bigsby said. "They got their double-teams. The rest is history. We just make plays when they're called and have the opportunity to do that."

2. Yes! The Jaguars were stagnant offensively much of Sunday – and suddenly, they weren't. One series after the Titans pushed the lead to 6-0 with a 39-yard field goal by Nick Folk with 4:30 remaining in the third quarter, the Jaguars put together one of their best offensive drives of the game to cut the lead in half. Jones engineered a 14-play, 65-yard drive and steadily completed six of seven passes for 37 yards, but the key play came on fourth-and-1 from the Titans 23. That was when Bigsby powered over the right side for a 12-yard run and a first down at the Titans 11. "It was very big," Bigsby said. "I feel like that set the tone, getting that and getting some points on the board. It was very good." Cam Little's 23-yard field goal capped the drive and cut the Titans lead to 6-3 with 12:09 remaining. Game on.

3. So close. The Jaguars appeared poised to tie the game late in the first half. Alas, this was not to be. The Jaguars, after stopping a Titans drive inside their five late in the second quarter, drove steadily from their 2-yard-line to the Titans 36-yard line, where they faced second-and-3 with :12 remaining in the half. But Thomas was called for pass interference, pushing the Jaguars to the Titans 46. Jones' pass to Bigsby on the ensuing play was intercepted by inside linebacker Otis Reese IV, ending the Jaguars' chance to tie. The first half ended with the Titans leading, 3-0.

4. Goal-line stand. The Jaguars' defense allowed two extended drives in the first half, but the unit played big when it mattered – and kept the team very much in it at halftime. The Titans drove 90 yards on 17 plays from their 8-yard-line to the Jaguars 2, where they faced fourth-and-goal with just under five minutes remaining in the second quarter. Titans quarterback Will Levis from there threw into the end zone, where his high pass to tight end Nick Vannett was defended by Jaguars safety Andre Cisco. That kept the Titans lead 3-0 with 4:41 remaining in the second quarter. "That was huge," defensive end Josh Hines-Allen said of holding the Titans scoreless on the drive. Key play in the stand: A devastating tackle by defensive end Travon Walker on first-and-goal from the 4, with Levis throwing incomplete on the next three passes. "That's Travon," Pederson said. "He just did an outstanding job making a play." Added Walker, "I feel like that was a big play. It kept it from being a 10-0 swing."

5. Ruh-roh. The Titans took control with a steady game-opening drive for a 46-yard field goal by Nick Folk – and the Jaguars' offense set the early tone by continuing its first-quarter struggles. Titans' cornerback Chidobe Awuzie intercepted Jones at the Tennessee 29-yard line to end the Jaguars' first series and the Jaguars' second series ended with a punt early in the second quarter. The Jaguars outgained the Titans, 67-62, in the first quarter but trailed 3-0 because Tennessee finished the opening drive with points and the Jaguars couldn't match. The Jaguars' last first-quarter touchdown came in a Week 4 loss at Houston. "We got a slow start, but we gained momentum as we went on," Pederson said.