By Hays Carlyon
It’s December.
Your Jaguars are in first place in the AFC South.
Happy days are here again.
Led by a decisive Trevor Lawrence and suffocating defense, the Jaguars made quick work of downtrodden Tennessee roughing up the Titans 25-3 Sunday at Nissan Stadium.
The Titans (1-11) gained 70 yards on their first drive, which resulted in a field goal.
They gained 118 yards the rest of the day.
Lawrence was in control from the outset. He completed 16 of 27 passes for 229 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions for a passer rating of 111.5. He also gained 25 yards on the ground on three carries. Lawrence also ran for a two-point conversion.
Oh, and Houston beat Indianapolis on the road 20-16.
That dropped the Colts to an 8-4 record, the same as the Jaguars. In fact, the Jags have gained two games on the Colts in the last eight days.
Now, the Colts come to Jacksonville.
Get ready.
What a week this will be.
There isn’t much to learn from beating a one-win team, but I admire this team’s toughness. Every phase of the game displayed toughness on Sunday. That’s a credit to coach Liam Coen.
The Jaguars lost their long snapper Ross Matiscik early in the game with a back injury. Defensive tackle DaVon Hamilton stepped up and handled the responsibilities admirably before Matiscik was cleared to return for the second half.
Rookie LeQuint Allen blasted Titans kickoff returner Chim Dike forcing and recovering a fumble that led to a Jaguars touchdown on a Lawrence 21-yard pass to tight end Brenton Strange.
I credit defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile.
The Titans gouged the Jaguars on that first drive, gaining much of their yardage on the ground. Could the Jaguars hold up without injured linemen Travon Walker and Arik Armstead?
Yes, they adjusted and totally shut down Tennessee. Defensive end Josh Hines-Allen was spectacular with two sacks.
The Jaguars never got the ground game going, but they were persistent with it. Running backs Travis Etienne and Bhayshul Tuten ran a combined 20 times for just 45 yards, but Tuten did find the end zone.
It felt more effective that the numbers would suggest, especially with the Jaguars not having right guard Patrick Mekari (concussion) and losing left tackle Walker Little in the first half to a feared concussion.
How tough is Cole Van Lanen? He started at right guard, then moved to left tackle when Little went down.
How tough is receiver Jakobi Meyers? The guy has been here four games and I’m in awe of how quickly he’s become a top target. Meyers caught all six targets for 90 yards and a touchdown against the Titans.
For years, the Titans have been the tougher team in the rivalry. That’s changing. The Jaguars have won six of the last seven meetings.
You have a tough team.
You have a first-place team.
Make your plans now.
The Colts are coming Sunday with sole possession of first place on the line.
This will be one of the most important games in recent years.
Buckle up. You know Coen’s squad will.
Make it loud.
These are the kind of games you’ve been dreaming of for a long time.
(You can email Hays at [email protected] and follow him on X/Twitter @HaysCarlyon).
