JACKSONVILLE – Let's get to it …
Nick from Virginia Beach, VA
Man, that feels good to sweep them.
This was strikingly close to a consensus in the O-Zone following the Jaguars' 20-13 victory over the Tennessee Titans in the 2024 regular-season home finale at EverBank Stadium Sunday. Yes, many fans simply enjoyed winning the game for winning's sake. And many fans enjoyed the Jaguars winning in Jacksonville, something the Jaguars had done just once previously this season. Mostly, though, many fans just enjoyed winning because it meant beating – and sweeping – the Titans. While it's certainly true that sweeping Tennessee meant far more when it meant winning the AFC South in 2022, it still meant something at 4-12. Old wounds cut deep, evidently. But you know what? Winning absolutely is fun. Rivalries absolutely are cool. Good for the fans that enjoyed it. Such feelings have been in short supply around these parts this season.
Boxcutter Bill from Mass
We could end up 4-2 in the division, with both Houston Texans games being close. We are also 3-9 in one-score games. I know the season is a wash, but it didn't have to be. Do you think this is one of the better bad teams we've had? Meaning we actually have an OK roster with some really good pieces heading into the offseason, which hasn't always been the case. Some years we're horrible everywhere. One more cycle and we might be on to something, huh?
There's some truth here, though I hesitate to overplay that truth. What I mean is this: While there are indeed strong areas on this roster – most notably defensive ends Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker and wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. – the reality is that many areas on the roster are good but great. You need great to win big games consistently in the NFL. There's also the reality that the NFL is a one-score league and going 3-9 in one-score games means you're a 3-9 team that's not good enough to be a postseason team. I don't believe this is a "bare cupboard." But let's not fool ourselves into thinking it's a good team that just got some bad breaks. The idea is to build a roster that can sustain long-term success and contend for the Super Bowl. The cupboard needs to be better stocked for the Jaguars to be that team.
Chuck from North Augusta, FL
I'm happy we beat the Titans. I'll remind myself of this win if the Titans end up drafting Travis Hunter, and we have to sit and watch him destroy the Jags for the next decade.
Well, there is this …
James from Socorro, NM
Draft order really doesn't matter: in the 2021 draft, for example, Pro Bowl players were selected at Nos. 1, 4, 5, 7, 9, 12, 13, 15 and 24. Sweeping the Titans is more satisfying.
… and there's also this.
Sascha from Cologne
Hey, John. I've been a Jags fan for a long time now, but I really don't know what to watch for or root for the last games. I don't want to, but somehow I want them to lose so that changes in the offseason are more likely, besides that I hope for some good games of rookie wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. That's really frustrating, to be honest.
These are not ideal feelings. These are very, very frustrating feelings. But they're also fair feelings. This has been an awful season for the Jaguars, and that's true even with the good feeling of sweeping the Titans. Sunday was the fourth consecutive games the Jaguars have played with essentially zero playoff implications. That's absurd. It's terrible. One game still remains. How in the world are Jaguars fans supposed to be focused and excited when they see the rest of the league in important games? It's up to the Jaguars this offseason to refocus and make necessary moves so that fans and observers of this team don't feel listless again. It will be a long and significant offseason. One more week.
Brad from The Avenues
Winning is cool. I like it. Sweeping the Titans is oh so sweet. I LOVE IT!!!. I had a comment for all the quit talkers out there (and he knows who he is) but then I thought better of it.
One fer beating the Titans and not one fer the "quit talkers …"
JT from Palm Coast, FL
Yeah, I will take a W against the sorry Titans all day, everyday over draft position. This season has been awful, but that is a very small bright spot. Cheers, John!!
… and another fer winning…
CaptBob from J-ville
Even when we don't have a winning season, we can have a Jaguars perfect season when we beat the Titans twice. Insight from a fan that remembers 1999 and a visiting coach that was too comfortable in Jacksonville.
… and another …
Brandon from Louisville, KY
You know, we've seen the Jags pick high in the draft. I'd rather see them win like they did against the Titans. We haven't seen enough of that.
… and still another …
Anita from Springfield
Say what you will about his time as a Jaguar, but for a kid from Jacksonville to get to beat the Titans twice is pretty sweet. One fer the Mac Attack!
… and one fer the Mac Attack.
John from Jax
Hi, KOAGF - Are you in the mood for a "what if"? What if Shad decides to move on with a new GM and HC. He finds a most perfect duo. Then, they both indicate a rebuild needs to occur...without Lawrence...as he is not the secret sauce in their plan. What would Shad do?
No one except Jaguars Owner Shad Khan knows what he will decide regarding General Manager Trent Baalke and Head Coach Doug Pederson. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence will be in the sauce.
Dinkus from Abandoned Oil Rig in Gulf
Could this be Fred's year?
Former Jaguars running back Fred Taylor on Saturday was named as one of 15 modern-era finalists for the 2025 Pro Football Hall of Fame Class. My early thought it will be tough for Taylor to make it this year. He didn't seem to have a lot of momentum after being a finalist last year. I could be wrong and hope I am wrong. I continue to believe Taylor will eventually make the Hall and I believe he should make it sooner rather than later. He's deserving.
Jim from Middleburg, FL
John, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you and family. Thank you for being the Jaguar who listens still to the middle-class, blue-collar fans who made the NFL great. Too bad the game left its fans. Two beers, one hot dog, one order of fries is only 50 bucks. Game tickets for a family of four is ... it doesn't matter. Yet those same fans' taxes are used to make things bigger, better, and more expensive.
Fair.
Woofie from Louisville, Ky
62,000 announced in attendance? What was it really?
Of course not. Announced attendance in the NFL isn't really attendance. It's number of tickets sold. When a team is 3-12 in late January and there is a tornado watch looming, some people are going to sit it out. And why wouldn't they? It's the team's responsibility to be good enough to make sure the stands are full. The Jaguars haven't fulfilled that responsibility this season.
Don from Marshall, NC
Doug Pederson has lots of respect and friends around the league but he is on his own island when it comes to the performance of his team. I don't have a crystal ball but I am pretty, pretty, pretty sure that everyone will be gone. As they should be. Go Jaguars!
When it comes to seeing a dismal future for many around the Jaguars, Don remains "all in."
Kathy from Palm Coast, FL
I read your comment today about the head coach as the tone setter and team leader. Your next statement recalled the first two seasons when you felt he lost some of that ability due to injuries of key players. The way I see it is that when things go wrong the leader/tone setter should rise to the top and be the one that helps the team rise. Pederson fell apart and the rest is history.
Many people feel this way. Many people believe coaching can overcome all else in the NFL. Many believe it's always coaching in the NFL. I learned long ago that people who believe this can rarely be convinced otherwise.
Paul from Lake City, FL
Meh.
I'll assume this is a lukewarm reaction to beating the Titans in a relatively meaningless and admittedly a listless game. There's little question there is some disinterest right now in the Jaguars' season, and how could that not be the case? If your reaction to winning Sunday is a bit of a shoulder shrug, I get it. That's a legitimate reaction.