Trevor Lawrence threw for three touchdowns and ran for a fourth Sunday as the Jacksonville Jaguars kept their slim playoff hopes alive with a 36-22 victory over the AFC South-leading Tennessee Titans at Nashville, Tenn.
Lawrence completed 30 of 42 passes for a career-high 368 yards, finding tight end Evan Engram 11 times for 162 yards and two touchdowns. The result improved Jacksonville to 5-8, two games behind Tennessee in the division.
It was the third straight loss for the Titans, playing their first game after general manager Jon Robinson was fired Tuesday. Fans booed frequently after both Jaguars touchdowns in the third quarter and after Tennessee’s two three-and-outs offensively in the period.
Tennessee’s Derrick Henry ran 17 times for 121 yards and a touchdown, breaking a string of four consecutive games under 100 yards. But Henry rushed for just 24 yards after the first quarter as Jacksonville took the Titans out of their game plan by scoring 26-consecutive points.
Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill was 25 of 38 for 254 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. He also lost a fumble as the Jaguars recorded four sacks. Tennessee finished with four turnovers that the Jaguars cashed in for 20 points.
The Titans scored on two of their first three possessions. Henry scored on a 3-yard run to cap an opening drive that lasted nearly six minutes. After Lawrence and Engram teamed for a 12-yard touchdown strike, Tannehill hit Chigoziem Okonkwo with a 10-yard scoring pass with 3:03 left in the first quarter.
It was all Jacksonville after that. Riley Patterson kicked 37 and 43-yard field goals for Jacksonville before Zay Jones made a juggling 20-yard touchdown reception with 15 seconds left in the half for a 20-14 Jacksonville lead at intermission.
Lawrence finished off a march of just over seven minutes with a 1-yard touchdown run in the third quarter to make it 27-14. He then hit Engram with a 20-yard scoring strike less than five minutes later for a 33-14 cushion.
–Field Level Media