NFL: Jags get their tickets to the playoffs

Jacksonville, Florida. – Josh Allen He returned a fumble 37 yards for a touchdown with 2:51 to go and Jacksonville Jaguars hit the Tennessee Titans 20-16 p.m. Saturday.

With the win, the Jaguars secured the AFC South Division title for the first time in five years.

Rayshawn Jenkins caused a fumble by Titans quarterback Josh Dobbs Allen recovered the ball again and it headed into the end zone without being tagged by an opponent. He allowed the Jaguars to take the lead in this game without a future for either team.

Dobbs fumbled the ball on the next possession and the Jaguars (9-8) began celebrating the most important season in team history.

“That was a game our defense should have won,” Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence said. In attack, we were a little frustrated because we left a lot of things on the field. But in these matches, you just have to win. We got our defense high today. You played very well. »

The Jaguars would be ranked as a #4 All-American They will host the Los Angeles Chargers or Baltimore Ravens in the first round of the playoffs next week.

It is the 18th time in the past 20 seasons that at least one NFL team has won its division after finishing last or tied for the previous year.

It is the fourth division title in franchise history. The Jaguars won the AFC Central in 1998 and 1999 and the AFC South in 2017.

This is the first time the Jaguars have ever had a quarterback Trevor Lawrenceswept the season streak with the Titans since 2005.

Saturday’s victory over the Titans was Jacksonville’s fifth in a row, making the Jaguars just the fifth team in NFL history to qualify for the playoffs in the same season that they had a winning streak of five or more games. The Jaguars lost five straight games in October, but have since gone 7-2.

“We kept believing it,” said Lawrence. Nobody lost faith. Everyone believed in each of us. We never started pointing fingers. We’ve lost five matches in a row and that’s what united us. »

The Titans (7-10) have lost their last seven games of the season. That streak made them the underdogs for Saturday’s showdown.

Last week, the Giants rested several starters to ensure they were healthy to duel against the Jaguars. They seemed poised for the unlikely until a Dobbs spin turned the game on its head.

With quarterback Ryan Tannehill sidelined for the rest of the season with an ankle injury, the Titans wanted Dobbs to be nimble on the ball and Derrick Henry to get hard yards. They’ve also relied on a solid run-of-the-mill defense all season.

It worked for 37 minutes and then it all fell apart.

Henry made 30 carries for 109 yards. Dobbs completed 20 of 29 passes for 179 yards, including a touchdown pass, an interception and a fumble.