Jaguars Fight For a Much-Needed Win | Week 14 Quick Thoughts

Dec 08, 2024 at 07:18 PM

by John Oehser, Brian Sexton & Kainani Stevens

Week 14 - Quick Thoughts (Postgame) Thumbnails

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Senior writer John Oehser, senior correspondent Brian Sexton and team reporter Kainani Stevens offer quick thoughts on the Jaguars’ 10-6 victory over the Tennessee Titans in a 2024 Week 14 game at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday

John Oehser, Jaguars Senior Writer…

Boy, did they need this. The joy was palpable among Jaguars players and coaches late Sunday, and here's what was significant about the day: It made you remember how much this team wants to win. "It's excited, and it's sort of a relieved in a way," Head Coach Doug Pederson said afterward. "It's the excitement, the joy, the work you put in and you're finally rewarded for a win. They battled their tails off." That joy was evident from pretty much every player afterward, from quarterback Mac Jones celebrating his first victory starting for his hometown team to running back Tank Bigsby celebrating what became a game-winning touchdown run. Bigsby perhaps spoke for many when he smilingly said he had forgotten what winning felt like. No, this was not a day to cynically remember that this season is disappointing and unsavable. It was not a day to note that 3-10 isn't good enough. This was a day to remember that this team hasn't quit and is still fighting. "I've been around these guys all season," Pederson said. "I know how these guys prepared during the week. I'm just so happy for the players and for the work that they've put in to finally get rewarded." This was a day to be glad for a bunch of players who hadn't won in a long time and who got to savor that feeling for a few fun hours late Sunday afternoon. Good for them.
Gritty, gutty – and good for him. Perhaps the happiest, most-relieved player Sunday was Jones – and with reason. A graduate of The Bolles School, Jones on Sunday overcame a difficult first half with characteristic poised and calm – a big reason the Jaguars rallied from a six-point fourth-quarter deficit to win. "I feel like we played a little more swag today," Jones said. "We just have to keep that going." Jones made his third start in four weeks in place of injured Trevor Lawrence and the first three quarters were reminiscent of the first two starts – losses in which the Jaguars failed to score a touchdown. But Jones, who threw two first-half interceptions Sunday, led two fourth-quarter scoring drives and helped get rookie wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. in the game during the late rally. Big credit to Jones. He could have panicked or wilted in a decidedly tough situation. That he didn't was a big reason he got to smile a post-game smile for the first time in a while. "That's one thing about Mac," Pederson said. "He just sticks to it. He grinds it out. He's right there with all the guys. There was no panic."

Brian Sexton, Jaguars Senior Correspondent…

It doesn't mean much but winning matters for this football team. There are a lot of young players who need to develop, particularly Thomas and Bigsby who earlier this year looked like cornerstone players but who haven't had enough success this season. On Sunday it was Thomas who powered the Jags on their fourth-quarter scoring drives and Bigsby who scored the game-winning touchdown. Some will complain that winning now pushes the Jaguars down the draft board and away from Colorado's Travis Hunter. But winning means more for the players who are already here like Thomas, Bigsby, cornerback Jarrian Jones and tight Brenton Strange and many others who need to play well and build for the future. The victory also gives them some juice with four games remaining.
This isn't a good defense, but it played well in Nashville. The Titans might have an offense less functional than the one we've watched in Jacksonville for much of the 2024 season. The Jags made key stops on fourth down and forced the Titans to leave the red zone twice without scoring even a field goal. They missed too many tackles and took some poor angles in the run game, allowing Titans running back Tony Pollard to find some bonus room, for which he made the Jaguars pay as part of his 102-yard performance. But they didn't give up a big play late in the game while protecting the lead, which they had done in so many losses this season. It was nice to see the Jaguars hold the line with the game on the line for once.

Kainani Stevens, Jaguars Team Reporter/Producer...

Not good, but I'll take it. In a game where someone had to win, the Jaguars weren't great, but they were less bad than the Titans. The basement of the AFC South is an ugly place filled with mental mistakes, penalties and fundamentally bad football. The Titans' goal-line sequence in the second quarter and their Hail Mary attempt at halftime were some of the more egregious. The Jaguars struggled on offense. In my opinion, nobody exactly "won" today.
It's going to be a long month. While the Jaguars haven't won many games this season, for the most part, we have seen good effort from the players throughout the first 14 weeks. I don't know if we saw that same level of effort from Jacksonville Sunday – until the fourth quarter. It's completely understandable. The playoff chances are gone, and the starting quarterback is done for the year. Regardless, it felt more like the Titans lost the game than the Jaguars won it. Hopefully, breaking the losing streak will give this team a little extra momentum for the final four weeks of the season.