Rookie Brian Thomas Jr. scores again as Jaguars beat Titans 20-13 for rare series sweep
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Whoever ends up coaching the Jacksonville Jaguars next season, receiver Brian Thomas Jr. will be the team’s most dynamic rebuilding piece.
Mac Jones threw two touchdown passes, including his fifth in as many games to Thomas, and the Jaguars beat the Tennessee Titans 20-13 in the rain Sunday to sweep the season series for just the fourth time in 30 years.
Jones completed 15 of 22 passes for 174 yards, with most of those going to Thomas. The first-round draft pick from LSU finished with seven receptions for 91 yards. His 11-yard TD catch with 7:05 remaining gave him his eighth game with at least 60 yards and a score, tying him with Hall of Famer Randy Moss for the most by a rookie in NFL history.
“Brian just keeps impressing each week,” said Jaguars coach Doug Pederson, whose future with the team remains cloudy. “You can’t say enough good things about Brian.”
Thomas also became the fifth player in Jaguars history with double-digit TD receptions in a single season, joining Allen Robinson, Allen Hurns, Marcedes Lewis and Reggie Williams.
“It’s definitely a great feeling to be able to do some of the things I did,” Thomas said. “I don’t even know all of them. But some of them I heard, just a great accomplishment.”
The Titans (3-13) improved their position for the 2025 NFL draft — a potential chance to land a franchise quarterback — and secured last place in the AFC South. The Jaguars (4-12) guaranteed themselves third in the division.
There was little else at stake in this Week 17 matchup.
Jacksonville looked as if it might make it a blowout, but Pederson’s squad settled for field goals while building a 13-0 lead early. The Titans got back in it with an 85-yard drive to start the second half, which ended with Mason Rudolph’s 8-yard TD pass to a wide-open Nick Vannett.
Tennessee kicked a field goal late to make it a seven-point game and got the ball back with 1:29 remaining. Rudolph drove the Titans to the Jacksonville 26, but safety Antonio Johnson knocked down his fourth down pass at the goal line to end it.
“He was staring down the receiver the whole time,” said Johnson, who was benched earlier this season. “Once I saw him pull the pin, I just broke on it and just got the ball on the ground. … To seal the game felt good.”
Rudolph completed 19 of 31 passes for 193 yards, with the touchdown and an interception in his second consecutive start in place of Will Levis. The Titans have lost five in a row and seven of eight.
“I hope they’re not numb to it,” coach Brian Callahan said. “I sure am not. … It’s terrible. There’s no joy in this process. There’s no fun in this. It’s terrible. I feel it every day I walk into work. I feel it every day I stand up here in front of you guys.
“Nothing is enjoyable about this, so I don’t get numb to any of it, and I hope nobody gets numb to it. And our job is to try to fix it. We’ll do whatever we can do to fix whatever problems we got to fix, to add whatever players we have to add, to make sure that we have a better football team moving forward.”
Hines-Allen moves closer to sack record
Jacksonville’s Josh Hines-Allen moved a step closer to the franchise sack record. Hines-Allen sacked Rudolph in the third quarter, giving him 53 for his career and leaving him two shy of tying Tony Brackens’ team mark.
Cheek sets officiating record
Boris Cheek became the NFL’s all-time leader in games officiated when he took the field for the Titans-Jaguars game. Cheek officiated his 461st game over 29 seasons, passing Walt Coleman for the top spot. Coleman officiated 460 games over 30 seasons until his retirement in 2018.
Key injuries
Titans running back Tyjae Spears was evaluated for a concussion late in the third quarter. Spears, who wears a protective “guardian cap” over his helmet to help prevent head injuries, ran 20 times for 95 yards. Tennessee had to turn to third-string right tackle John Ojukwu after backup Jaelyn Duncan left in the first half with a shoulder injury. Duncan started in place of Nicholas Petit-Frere, who was benched last week and inactive against Jacksonville.
Jaguars right guard Brandon Scherff (shoulder) left in the second quarter but returned on the next series.
Up next
The Titans finish the season next Sunday against division champion Houston.
The Jaguars play at Indianapolis next Sunday to close out another year with double-digit losses.
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