Titans vs. Jaguars final score, results: Jags clinch AFC South with late defensive touchdown

Edward Sutelan

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Titans vs. Jaguars final score, results: Jags clinch AFC South with late defensive touchdown image

In a perfect microcosm of their season, the Titans led the Jaguars for just about the entire game Saturday night. Until the end.

Tennessee, which earlier in the game had orchestrated a 17-play drive that took 9:59, had forced a third straight three-and-out and had the ball with 8:06 left in the game. The Titans weren't picking up yards in bulk, but they converted on two third downs to keep the clock running and worked to make sure the Jaguars didn't get the ball back.

But on a third-and-6, Titans QB Joshua Dobbs, making only his second NFL start, was stripped of the ball on a sack, and linebacker Josh Allen picked it up and returned it 37 yards to the end zone to give the Jaguars the lead. Dobbs marched the Titans past the 50 after that but turned the ball over on downs. Jacksonville had held on to win 20-16 and clinch the AFC South.

Back in Week 11, a run to an AFC South title seemed out of the question for the Jaguars, who were 3-7. The Titans were 7-3, had won six of their past seven, and looked poised to win the division for the third year in a row. But Jacksonville entered Week 18 with a chance to pull off an improbable division-title-winning run in a head-to-head clash with Tennessee.

MORE: ESPN crew pays tribute to Damar Hamlin on Saturday

For much of the game, it appeared the night wasn't going to go Jacksonville's way. Neither offense found much success early; the Titans led 13-7 at halftime, propelled by a touchdown pass from Dobbs to Chigoziem Okonkwo. The teams traded field goals in the third quarter, but Jacksonville's offense had largely stalled.

But its defense started forcing errors by the inexperienced Dobbs. Pressure on a third-and-17 attempt early in the third quarter led to an easy interception for Tyson Campbell, which set up a field goal for Jacksonville. Then, with 2:51 left in the fourth quarter, Dobbs failed to pick up a blitzing Rayshawn Jenkins, who forced the fumble and scoop-and-score.

MORE: Updated NFL standings, playoff picture for Week 18

The Jaguars did well defending Titans star running back Derrick Henry, who was handed the ball 30 times on Saturday. His longest carry was for 14 yards, and he finished with only 109 yards on the ground, 3.6 yards per carry. Dobbs completed 20 of 29 passes for 179 yards with a touchdown and an interception.

Trevor Lawrence missed some key throws, but he also almost single-handedly carried a Jaguars offense that mustered 19 rushing yards on 14 carries. He completed 20 of his 32 attempts for 212 yards and a touchdown.

MORE: Watch NFL football live with fuboTV (free trial)

The Jaguars, who reached the playoffs for the first time since Lawrence arrived in Jacksonville, will face the Chargers or the Ravens in the wild-card round.

The Sporting News tracked live scores and highlights from Saturday's game between the Titans and Jaguars. Follow along for updates from the NFL Week 18 matchup.

Titans vs. Jaguars score

  1 2 3 4 F
Titans 3 10 3 0 16
Jaguars 0 7 3 10 20

Titans vs. Jaguars live updates, highlights from Saturday night game

(All times Eastern)

Fourth quarter

11:11 p.m.: And the Jaguars have done it. They are AFC South champions.

11:06 p.m.: The Jaguars begin the kneel downs with the Titans only possessing one timeout left. 

11:06 p.m.: Dobbs throws a checkdown to Haskins, who is stopped after picking up nine yards.

11:04 p.m.: Dobbs is forced to dump the pass off to Haskins for four yards. Fourth-and-13 coming up after the Titans burn their second timeout. Game on the line.

11:03 p.m.: The Titans were forced to use a timeout after the fumble, then lose five yards on a false start called on Hooper.

11:01 p.m.: Dobbs picked up three yards on a carry, and then Allen forces a fumble off the quarterback on the next play, but the ball falls right back into the hands of Dobbs to save a potentially game-ending turnover.

10:58 p.m.: The game heads to the two-minute warning as Dobbs connects with Geoff Swaim for a 5-yard completion up to the 50. Titans will have a first down when the game resumes.

10:57 p.m.: Dobbs picks up 10 yards on a run to the left and gets out of bounds. Henry follows that with a pickup of nine.

10:56 p.m.: The Titans will start at their own 25 now trailing by four points with 2:51 left and a playoff spot on the line.

10:53 p.m. Jaguars scoring play: The Jacksonville pressure gets to Dobbs as Jenkins hits Dobbs as he was trying to throw the ball away. The ball is scooped up by Josh Allen, who returns it 37 yards for a touchdown with 2:51 left. The play is confirmed, and all of a sudden, the Jaguars have their first lead of the game. Jaguars 20, Titans 16

10:51 p.m.: Titans convert with a QB sneak as Dobbs is pushed over the line to pick up the first. Clock ticks below five minutes as Tennessee gets a fresh set of downs.

10:49 p.m.: Henry gets some good blocking and a head of steam and he powers up the middle for a nine-yard pickup, one of his better first-down runs of the night. Dobbs fires a throw to Burks on the next play, but Andre Cisco gets a hand in to break up the would-be completion.

10:48 p.m.: Looked like Ward was going to be taken down short on a third-down completion, but he breaks a tackle and is able to pick up the necessary yardage to convert on the third-and-3 and keep the drive going.

10:47 p.m.: Titans go for a play-action to start the drive, but seeing nothing, Dobbs escapes pressure near the end zone to pick up five yards down the right sideline.

10:43 p.m.: Another three-and-out for the Jaguars as Lawrence over-shoots Marvin Jones on the outside. Punt spots the Titans at their own 10.

10:43 p.m.: Engram catches a short pass and gets the ball back to the original line of scrimmage as he takes it up nine yards.

10:42 p.m.: Teair Tart picks up the first sack of the night for the Tennessee defense as he takes Lawrence down for a loss of nine. Lawrence had no chance of escaping that.

10:39 p.m.: Stonehouse boots his third punt of the night 51 yards out to the Jacksonville 34. Jaguars get the ball back trailing 16-13 with 9:45 left.

10:38 p.m.: Good throw by Dobbs to Woods picks up 11 yards, but it's not enough to get the first as Tennessee will have to punt from its own 15 on a fourth-and-1.

10:38 p.m.: Dobbs dances around in the end zone for a bit, but is able to throw the ball away before the pressure gets to him. Third down coming up.

10:37 p.m.: Another first-down run from Henry is blown up by the Jaguars as he is brought down for a loss of two. Titans getting dangerously close to their own end zone.

10:33 p.m.: Great play by Rashad Weaver, who gets past the offensive line and gets both hands in front of an attempt from Lawrence to force a three-and-out. The subsequent punt from the Jaguars goes out of bounds at the Titans' 6.

10:32 p.m.: Lawrence is forced to throw away the first-down attempt, and Hasty gets only three yards on the second-down carry. Third-and-7 due up for the Jaguars.

10:29 p.m.: Agnew's standout night on special teams continues as he returns the Titans' second punt of the day for 22 yards up to the Jacksonville 43.

10:28 p.m.: Dobbs is sacked, and the Titans will go three-and-out.

10:27 p.m.: Travon Walker blows up the second-down Henry run, as he takes down the Titans running back for a loss of two.

10:26 p.m.: Henry came a step shy of breaking away as it appeared his foot was held up enough to keep him from taking off down the middle. Still settles for five yards on the first-down run.

10:25 p.m.: Titans will start at their own 26.

10:22 p.m. Jaguars scoring play: Kirk nearly has his second touchdown of the game, but Roger McCreary breaks up the throw to preserve Tennessee's lead. Patterson makes the 36-yard field goal, but Tennessee will get the ball back leading by three points. Titans 16, Jaguars 13

Third quarter

10:19 p.m.: The third quarter ends as Lawrence connects with Jones for five yards and Etienne picks up two more. The Jaguars will start the fourth quarter with the ball at the Tennessee 18 facing a critical third-and-3.

10:17 p.m.: Dobbs with a huge mistake on third down as he fires up a deep shot down the left sideline that is picked off by Tyson Campbell. Arden Key pressured Dobbs on the play, and Campbell was able to camp underneath the pass and return it 29 yards to the Titans 25.

10:16 p.m.: Ward loses a yard on a carry, and the Titans are in an even bigger hole, now facing a third-and-17 from their own 13.

10:15 p.m.: Huge 36-yard run by Henry is erased on a holding penalty that will set the Titans back and bring up a second-and-16.

10:14 p.m.: Really impressive catch-and-run by Okonkwo, who takes a short pass in the end zone and gashes the defense all the way up to the 20 for an 11-yard gain to pick up the first after Henry was stuffed at the line.

10:10 p.m.: The Titans will take over at their own 10.

10:09 p.m.: Seemingly for the first time tonight, the Tennessee pass rush gets to Lawrence and nearly takes him down for the sack. He escapes the pocket and retreats far enough to throw the ball away and bring up the punt.

10:09 p.m.: Lawrence almost makes an impressive cross-body throw to Zay Jones, but he can't hang onto the pass. Third-and-10 for the Jaguars from the Jacksonville 47.

10:07 p.m.: Why run the ball when Lawrence is throwing like this, anyway. Lawrence drops a dime into the arms of Kirk, who takes it down the right sideline for 33 yards to the Jaguars 47.

10:06 p.m.: Etienne gets the first-down handoff, and he's stopped for no gain. The Jaguars have not leaned much on the running game so far, as only 31 percent of their plays have been runs. They're averaging just 1.8 yards per carry.

10:05 p.m.: The Jaguars will start their drive at their own 14.

10:03 p.m. Titans scoring play: Bullock makes his third field goal of the day from 41 yards out to push Tennessee's lead back out to six points. Titans 16, Jaguars 10

10:02 p.m.: Dobbs escapes a cornerback blitz and is able to throw the ball away before getting taken down along the right sideline. Field-goal unit coming out.

10:01 p.m.: Dobbs nearly connects with Okonkwo on a second-and-7 pass attempt into the end zone, but the tight end can't quite haul it in. Third down due up.

10 p.m.: Dobbs fires a strike to Woods up the middle to the 26 to collect the first down and keep the drive alive. Dobbs has had some clutch throws today, and has completed 14 of his 18 pass attempts for 137 yards. Hanging in there with Lawrence so far.

9:59 p.m.: Henry is stopped for no gain, and Dobbs' pass to Nick Westbrook-Ikhine is broken up. The Titans now face a third-and-10 from the 39.

9:58 p.m.: A little bit of everything for Henry. The running back picks up five yards, then takes a direct snap and is nearly taken down for a huge loss of yards and decides to throw it down. The throw to Okonkwo draws a pass interference penalty and moves the Titans to the Jacksonville 39.

9:56 p.m.: Henry gets some tough yardage up the middle for three yards, then Burks catches a wide receiver screen on the left side to pick up 10 yards up to the Titans 45.

9:55 p.m.: Titans will start their first drive of the half at the 32 after a 25-yard return from Jonathan Ward.

9:52 p.m. Jaguars scoring play: Disappointing field goal for the Jaguars as Zay Jones was wide open in the end zone, but Lawrence fires well over his head. Riley Patterson boots the chip shot 26-yard field goal to make it a three-point game. Titans 13, Jaguars 10

9:51 p.m.: Good work by Fulton on the outside, as Zay Jones catches a pass for three yards, but Fulton is able to wrestle him to the ground and prevent him from breaking free. Jaguars facing a third-and-7.

9:49 p.m.: Jaguars go into hurry-up after Lawrence hits Marvin Jones for another completion, this one for 21 yards out to the Titans' 11. Jacksonville threatening to take the lead.

9:49 p.m.: Once again, the Jaguars make it look easy as Lawrence hits Kirk for a 16-yard pickup to the Titans' 32 in spite of a holding penalty on the defense.

9:47 p.m.: Lawrence and Kirk can't connect on a throw to the left, but Marvin Jones gets his first catch of the day for eight yards to the right sideline. But a false start backs up the Jaguars to set up a third-and-7.

9:46 p.m.: Lawrence connects with Luke Farrell for his first catch of the day, which the tight end takes for a pickup of 11 yards to the Jacksonville 49.

9:45 p.m.: It took a few efforts on the quarterback sneak, but Lawrence is able to pick up just enough yardage to get the first down.

9:43 p.m.: A wide receiver screen out to Agnew gets him eight yards to start the Jacksonville drive, and Etienne is stopped inches shy of the first-down marker on the second-down carry.

9:42 p.m.: Another decent return by Agnew, as he takes the kickoff up to the Jaguars 28.

Second quarter

9:27 p.m. Titans scoring play: Bullock drills the 39-yarder, and the Titans will go to the locker room leading the Jaguars 13-7 on the road. Titans 13, Jaguars 7

9:25 p.m.: Dobbs gets out of the pocket and tries to find some space, but he's sacked for a loss of four. The Titans call a timeout with three seconds left in the half as Bullock comes out for his second field-goal try.

9:24 p.m.: Henry trucks through the middle for a gain of eight to the Jacksonville 17, and Titans use a timeout with 23 seconds left. They will face a third-and-2 from inside the red zone.

9:23 p.m.: Dobbs gets the offense moving fast, connecting with Hooper for a 14-yard pickup down the middle, but he and Burks can't connect on the next pass. Second-and-10 at the Jacksonville 25.

9:22 p.m.: Another physical run by Henry up the middle as he picks up five yards to the Jags' 39. The Titans use their first timeout as they near field-goal range with 57 seconds left.

9:11 p.m.: Dobbs uses his legs to pick up 11 yards to the Jaguars' 44 and pick up another first down with 1:05 left in the half.

9:20 p.m.: Henry gains four yards on a run up the middle as the Titans get the clock rolling again.

9:20 p.m.: Another pass from Dobbs to Hooper picks up a first down, as the two connect for a 10-yard gain, and runs out of bounds to stop the clock at 1:50.

9:17 p.m.: Henry picks up five yards to the Titans 31, and the Jaguars use their first timeout to stop the clock with the Titans facing a third-and-8 at their own 31.

9:14 p.m.: Henry gets two yards back as the half reaches the two-minute warning.

9:13 p.m.: False start penalty on Okonkwo backs the Titans up five yards.

9:12 p.m.: The Titans will start their drive at the 29.

9:08 p.m. Jaguars scoring play: Jacksonville strikes back as Lawrence hits Kirk in stride for a 25-yard touchdown with 2:36 remaining in the half. Lawrence is an impressive 11-for-13 for 98 yards and a touchdown. Titans 10, Jaguars 7

9:07 p.m.: Lawrence throws from outside the left hash way out to Kirk on the right sideline for a pickup of four yards. Engram then gets involved in the passing game again as he catches a short pass for a quick 10-yard pickup.

9:05 p.m.: Pitch out to Etienne picks up five yards, and then Lawrence hits Engram on a crossing route for six yards to pick up the first at the Titans 39.

9:04 p.m.: Huge kickoff return by Agnew to give the Jaguars a spark as he takes the ball from the middle of the end zone out to the 50-yard line.

9:01 p.m. Titans scoring play: Dobbs connects with Okonkwo for the longest play of the game, a 21-yard pass dropped right in the rookie tight end's arms in the end zone for a touchdown. All of a sudden, Tennessee has a two-score lead with 5:32 left in the half. Titans 10, Jaguars 0

9 p.m.: Henry picks up a modest yard, and then runs to the left for 14, throwing Rayshawn Jenkins down with a vicious stiff arm at the end of the run.

8:58 p.m.: Dobbs-to-Hooper picks up a second first down today as a quick throw up the middle picks up seven to the Jacksonville 38.

8:57 p.m.: Titans back to moving slowly up the field, first Henry carrying the ball a yard up before Burks catches a four-yard pass to set up a third-and-5.

8:56 p.m.: Dobbs drops a short pass to Henry, who shifts into a second gear down the right sideline for a pickup of 19 to the 50.

8:53 p.m.: A reversal flips possession. The Jaguars try to dial up some trickery with Lawrence flipping a hard lateral out to Agnew. Agnew can't handle it, and the Titans pounce on the ball at the Tennessee 31 to take over possession with 9:21 left in the half.

8:53 p.m.: Etienne, back on the field, takes a short pass up the right sideline for eight yards to pick up the first down to the Titans 22.

8:52 p.m.: Back-to-back completions for Lawrence as he finds Jones for a pickup of five. Jones is thrown to the ground at the end of the play, and the home crowd wanted a flag, but it doesn't come. 

8:51 p.m.: Lawrence makes it look easy, finding Kirk over the middle at the Titans 35 for a pickup of 16 and a third-down conversion.

8:50 p.m.: JaMycal Hasty replaces Etienne in the backfield, and takes two carries for a collective two yards. But the Jaguars are backed up even further as there were 12 men in the huddle, backing Jacksonville up five yards.

8:48 p.m.: Lawrence finds Etienne, who picks up the first down with a nine-yard pickup, but he's hit hard at the end by Fulton, and he has to head over to the sideline.

8:47 p.m.: Jaguars pick up a yard from Etienne on the ground, then Lawrence connects with Evan Engram for two yards.

First quarter

8:43 p.m.: The former Clemson teammates get the Jaguars off to a hot start on the drive, with Lawrence finding Christian Kirk for five yards and then Etienne rushing for seven yards to pick up a Jaguars first down at the Jacksonville 40 to wind down the first quarter.

8:42 p.m.: The Jaguars will start the drive at the 28.

8:39 p.m. Titans scoring play: That odd play doesn't cost the Titans as Randy Bullock drills the 51-yard field goal to give Tennessee the lead. The Titans faced four third downs on that drive and two fourth downs as they took 9:59 off the clock. Titans 3, Jaguars 0

8:38 p.m.: Maybe one of the strangest plays you'll ever see in a game. Burks catches a short pass and throws the ball out to the left sideline after picking up two yards. The play is called for an illegal forward pass to back the Titans up and cost them a down.

8:37 p.m.: Dobbs scrambles to pick up the first down, but left tackle Dennis Daley is called for offensive holding. The Titans now face a third-and-15.

8:36 p.m.: Two carries by Henry pick up a collective five yards to set up another third-and-5 on this drive. 

8:35 p.m.: Two fourth-down attempts, two conversions. Dobbs hits Woods with a short pass to the left, and the receiver takes it nine yards to the Jacksonville 25.

8:34 p.m.: The Titans hand the ball off to rookie Hassan Haskins, and he's blown up at the line of scrimmage for no gain. Titans again keeping the offense on the field. Would be a 53-yard field-goal try.

8:33 p.m.: A first run by Henry is again stopped behind the line of scrimmage, but he bulldozes his way through the Jaguars defense along the right sideline on a toss to pick up eight yards and set up another crucial third down.

8:32 p.m.: Dobbs had to throw the ball away on third down, but the Titans decide to go for it on fourth-and-3, and the decision pays off. Dobbs connects with Austin Hooper on a short pass to the right for a pickup of seven yards to keep the drive alive.

8:30 p.m.: After a gain of three, Henry lines up in the wildcat and hands a jet sweep off to Racey McMath, who picks up four yards to set up a third-and-3 across midfield.

8:29 p.m.: Henry is getting going now. He carries the ball up the middle for seven yards to set up a short-yardage second down. Dobbs follows that up with a pass for four yards out to Treylon Burks to set up a first-and-10 at the Titans 45.

8:28 p.m.: The Titans offense fools the Jacksonville defense as Dobbs runs a read-option, faking a handoff to Henry before throwing the ball to Chigoziem Okonkwo, who picks up 10 yards for the first down. Henry would have been stopped short for the first.

8:26 p.m.: Henry is once again stopped short with the Jacksonville defense stopping him two yards behind the line. His next carry finally gets him loose as he jumps out to the right and takes it 10 yards up the sideline. Third-and-2 for the Titans.

8:23 p.m.: Punt backs the Titans up as Woods is taken down on his return at the Tennessee 16.

8:21 p.m.: Jones catches a pass on a crossing route and nearly gets the yardage needed, but is stopped a yard short after he slips and is touched down to bring up fourth-and-1. The Jaguars line up to try and get the Titans to jump, but they take the delay of game penalty and will punt the ball away.

8:20 p.m.: Trevor Lawrence rolls out of the pocket and fires a dart to Zay Jones, but the wideout can't haul in the pass down the right sideline. A toss to Travis Etienne on the next play picks up only a yard for the Jaguars.

8:19 p.m.: First offensive play of the night for the Jaguars draws a flag on Kristian Fulton, who is called for illegal contact. That moves Jacksonville up five yards and gives them a fresh set of downs.

8:18 p.m.: Booming punt from Ryan Stonehouse sends Jamal Agnew back a few yards, but he's able to return the kick out to the 20, where the Jaguars will begin their drive.

8:17 p.m.: A low throw from Dobbs to Jonathan Ward falls incomplete, and the Titans will have to punt.

8:16 p.m.: The Titans start the game with a handoff to Derrick Henry, but he's taken down behind the line for a loss of one. Joshua Dobbs hits Robert Woods for a seven-yard gain to bring up third-and-4.

8:15 p.m.: The kick is away, and the Titans will begin the game at the 25-yard line on the touchback.

7:56 p.m.: Before the game, the Jaguars and Titans joined together in the middle of the field in a prayer circle for Hamlin.

7:32 p.m.: The Jaguars have painted a 3 on the field for Damar Hamlin, and players from both teams are wearing "Love for 3 Hamlin" shirts as they prepare for their pivotal Saturday night contest.

What time is the NFL game tonight?

  • Date: Saturday, Jan. 7
  • Time: 8:15 p.m. ET

Saturday's Week 18 contest is scheduled to kick off at 8:15 p.m. ET from TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, Fla.

How to watch Titans vs. Jaguars

  • TV channels: ESPN, ABC | TSN1/3/4, CTV, RDS (Canada)
  • Live stream: ESPN App, ESPN+, fuboTV (U.S.) | DAZN (Canada)

ESPN assigned its top NFL broadcasting crew to cover Titans vs. Jaguars. Joe Buck (play-by-play) and Troy Aikman (analyst) will be on the call in the booth, and Lisa Salters will report from the sideline.

Fans hoping to stream the contest can find it on the ESPN app, on ESPN+, or on fuboTV, which offers a free trial. Canadian viewers can find it on DAZN, which carries all NFL games during the season.

Edward Sutelan

Edward Sutelan Photo

Edward Sutelan joined The Sporting News in 2021 after covering high school sports for PennLive. Edward graduated from The Ohio State University in 2019, where he gained experience covering the baseball, football and basketball teams. Edward also spent time working for The Columbus Dispatch and Cape Cod Times.