Published on November 19, 2023 at 9:04 pm
Jacksonville Today seeks to include a diverse set of perspectives that add context or unique insight to the news of the day. Regular opinion columnists are independent contractors who are not involved in news decisions. Want to submit your own column on a matter of public interest? Email pitches to jessica@jaxtoday.org.
The Jaguars did what good teams should do after their worst performance of the season: They played one of their best games of the year on Sunday.
After being whipped by San Francisco last week, the Jaguars dominated a struggling Tennessee Titans team 34-14 to improve to 7-3 on the season.
Jacksonville Today thanks our sponsors. Become one.
Coming in, the two teams had combined for 10 games scoring 20 points or fewer. So when the Jaguars took a 13-0 lead to halftime, it was clear that it wouldn’t take much more than that to earn the victory.
There were plenty of positive moments from the offense, many of them involving wide receiver Calvin Ridley. Ridley drew a pass interference call on a first-quarter drive that gave the Jaguars a first down. Later in the drive, quarterback Trevor Lawrence found Ridley on an over-the-shoulder catch in the corner of the endzone to give the Jaguars the lead.
Ridley also caught a 34-yard pass that led to a field goal in the final seconds of the second quarter. In the third quarter, Ridley caught another scoring pass from Lawrence. Ridley would finish the game with seven receptions for 103 yards and two touchdowns.
Jacksonville Today thanks our sponsors. Become one.
After giving up 34 points last week, the Jaguars’ defense returned to form. Lineback Foye Oluokun continued to star for Jacksonville. Oluokun recorded a first-quarter sack and a fumble recovery.
The Jaguars limited the Titans to 82 yards in the first half and 236 for the game. Tennessee began the game with two starting offensive linemen inactive and lost another during the first half, and they didn’t score until the final play of the third quarter. Even then, they needed some help and some razzle-dazzle to do so.
On a third-down play, K’Lavon Chaisson tracked down Titans’ quarterback Will Levis, hitting him and forcing a fumble. But Chaisson was called for roughing the passer for falling with his body weight on Levis. The drive continued. On the following play, Tennessee put Derrick Henry in the wildcat formation. Henry took the snap, handed it to running back Tyjae Spears, who flipped it back to Levis, who had lined up as a wide receiver. Levis then threw it deep for DeAndre Hopkins, who caught it for a 43-yard touchdown. The fans voiced their displeasure to the officials.
Tennessee’s second touchdown was a pass to defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons.
In the end, it didn’t matter.
The Jaguars have now faced all three rookie quarterbacks in the AFC South this season: Anthony Richardson of the Colts, C.J. Stroud of the Texans, and Levis. Stroud has been the best of the group, while Levis looked like a rookie on Sunday even when not under pressure from the Jaguars’ pass rush.
The Jaguars have a better roster. They have a better team. They showed it on Sunday, winning at EverBank Stadium for just the second time this season.
Next, the Jaguars travel to Houston for a rematch with the Texans, who beat the Jaguars in Jacksonville on Sept. 24. If the Jaguars win that game, they will have eliminated Houston’s advantage in the tiebreaker. If not, the AFC South race will get much more interesting.
Cole Pepper has covered sports in Jacksonville since 1996, most recently for News4Jax. He is currently broadcast director for Sporting Club Jacksonville and has called play-by-play for a number of teams, including the Suns, Tomcats, Jacksonville University, Sharks and The Bolles School football. He also served as the studio host for the Jaguars Radio Network.
