Jaguars' Rookies Shine in Streak-Snapping Victory | Game That Was

Dec 08, 2024 at 08:54 PM

John Oehser

Jaguars Senior Writer

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Youth was served for the Jaguars Sunday.

The future may have been seen, too.

Wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. and cornerback Jarrian Jones, a pair of promising rookies, played big at the biggest moments of a 10-6 victory at Nissan Stadium – and were key reasons the Jaguars snapped a five-game losing streak and won in Nashville for a second time in three seasons.

First topic: Jones, who registered a sack and two pass breakups, keying a strong defensive team performance.

"He played really well down the stretch," Head Coach Doug Pederson said.

That was particularly true late, with Jones not only registering a key fourth-quarter sack that Pederson called "a thing of beauty" but also defensing two passes.

Jones' sack came on third-and-six from the Jaguars 47. The Jaguars trailed 6-3 at the time, with the sack forcing a punt and the Jaguars driving for the winning touchdown on the ensuing series.

"I thought he did a really good job, and he just continues to get better each week," Pederson said of Jones. "A lot of good things about Jarrian."

Added defensive end Josh Hines-Allen, "That's the expectation that I have for him. He's a baller, at the end of the day. I'm excited to see him out there with the opportunities to put on for himself and for us. I'm happy for him, and hopefully, he'll continue to play better."

Jones, a third-round selection in the 2024 NFL Draft, from Florida State said he began to feel comfortable around Week 4 or 5 this season when he became accustomed to professional game speed.

"I figured out how I needed to prepare and adjusted to how I did in college to the NFL," he said. "It just kind of took off from there."

Second topic: Thomas, who continued a strong rookie season Sunday with eight receptions for 86 yards. All eight receptions came in the second half.

Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Tennessee Titans

WR Brian Thomas Jr. (7)

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"We tried earlier in the game to do some things that way," Pederson said. "It's what we have to do. We have to get Brian involved. He's a great player. He's going to be a really good player in this league.

Thomas turned in multiple key plays as the Jaguars rallied from a 6-0 fourth-quarter deficit. He had four receptions for 62 yards in the fourth quarter, including three receptions for 57 yards on the game-winning drive that ended with running back Tank Bigsby's eight-yard touchdown run with 6:46 remaining.

"I feel like we were able to finally sustain a drive and get something going," he said. "That's all it takes for us is to sustain a drive. I feel like when we sustain drives, good things come to us."

Thomas turned in perhaps the game's key play when he got behind the Titans defense as quarterback Mac Jones escaped the pocket on third-and-4 from the Titans 43. Jones found Thomas down the left sideline for a 31-yard gain to the Titans 12, with Bigsby's touchdown coming two plays later.

"I had a little flat route," he said. "The defensive end lost me, so I kind of split behind him. Mac saw me and threw a good ball, and I was able to get the first. [Wide receivers] coach Chad [Hall] was just saying that the whole week we were going to get one of those big plays and you just got to be ready for it when it comes in the game."

NOTABLE WEEK 14 MOMENTS: JAX vs. TEN

This wasn't the Jaguars' best running game of the season, but the Jaguars ran well when it mattered Sunday – particularly during the critical fourth quarter. Bigsby rushed for 51 yards on 12 second-half carries, finishing the game with 55 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries.
The Jaguars rushed for 71 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries Sunday after rushing for nine yards on 10 first-half carries. Bigsby ran for two of the Jaguars' biggest plays offensively – a 12-yard run on fourth-and-1 that led to a 26-yard fourth-quarter field goal by Cam Little and the game-winner on the ensuing series.
"It started off slow," Bigsby said. "You want to get going as a runner, get the offense going and just be a key factor for the offense. We wanted to stick with it, have faith in the run game, and I feel like we did that. Coach stayed with it. When the opportunities came for big plays and big runs, we executed."

QUOTABLE MOMENTS DURING JAGUARS WEEK 14 POST GAME INTERVIEWS

Pederson on quarterback Mac Jones' first victory as a starter with the Jaguars: "I know he's going to be excited. I'm excited for him to really lead our football team. He knows, too, moving forward that he's going to be out there. He's going to be the guy. There are some things he can build upon. I'm excited for him just getting that first win."
Hines-Allen on winning in Nashville for a second time in three seasons: "This is a rivalry game. Our message before the game was this is a rivalry game, so whatever you need to feel to get that energy, to get that aggression up, that's the type of game it's going to be. You could tell it was that type of energy."