Jaguars-Titans: 5 Observations on Week 17

The Jacksonville Jaguars completed their season sweep of the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, taking down their most hated rival in a 20-13 clash in the Florida rain.
In the win, the Jaguars have at least brought one more Sunday of positive feeling to EverBank Stadium as the 2024 season draws to a welcomed close.
So, what did we see in the Jaguars' fourth win of the season? We break it down below.
Brian Thomas Jr. should change the entire complexion of the Jaguars' offensive philosophy
Brian Thomas Jr. has quickly become one of the best wide receivers in the entire NFL, and he is currently on one heck of a run. Over the last three weeks, Thomas has averaged over 100 yards a game and caught four touchdowns, with Thomas becoming the focal point and driving force of the Jaguars' entire offense.
After years of a passing philosophy of sharing the wealth, the Jaguars need to recalibrate their offensive philosophy in 2025. They now have an alpha male No. 1 wide receiver, and he deserves to be fed targets like one -- just like the other elite wide receivers demand. Thomas is good enough to change the entire way the Jaguars view their offense and roster.
Jaguars are clearly well ahead of the Titans
The Jaguars shouldn't hang a bar room napkin, let alone a banner, for being a better team and organization than the Titans. But in a 4-12 season, there aren't many other victories and bright spots for the Jaguars to have. Even in the worst-case, nightmare, doomsday scenario for the 2024 Jaguars, they are still a good bit better than the Titans.
The Jaguars were supposed to be well ahead of the rebuilding Titans, but cratering from playoff expectations to one of the worst records in the NFL changes things in that regard. But even with everything falling apart in front of the Jaguars' eyes, the Jaguars still pack a bigger punch than their biggest rival.
Josh Hines-Allen continues strong season
Jaguars defensive end Josh Hines-Allen will not finish the 2024 season with numbers anywhere close to the career year he had in 2023. That doesn't mean Hines-Allen isn't still having a good season, though, as the Jaguars' pass-rusher still looks like one of the NFL's top edge rushers on a weekly basis. His performance on Sunday hammered this point home, too.
Hines-Allen collected a sack, two quarterback hits and two tackles for loss on Sunday, while also being the driving force behind a Travon Walker strip sack. Hines-Allen is now just 2.5 sacks away from the all-time franchise sack record and is firmly on pace to be the best defender the Jaguars have ever had.
Jaguars should not fret about small change in draft slot
With the loss to the Titans, the Jaguars have now moved down two spots in the 2025 NFL Draft. After entering the week with the No. 3 pick, the Jaguars now sit at No. 5 behind the New England Patriots, Titans, Cleveland Browns, and New York Giants. With that said, there should not be much hand-wringing in Jacksonville over falling two draft slots.
For the needs the Jaguars are likely to have in April, the No. 5 spot isn't much different than the No. 3 spot. A quarterback and Travis Hunter will assuredly be off the board. This would mean the Jaguars could pick one of Will Johnson, Mason Graham, Tetairoa McMillan, or another prospect who could be a late riser. Losing two spots in this class doesn't mean much since Travis Hunter was already a pipe dream.
It is unlikely for this game to factor into Shad Khan's decision
The Jaguars have a chance to finish with a 4-2 record in the AFC South with a win in Week 18, but the Jaguars' late-season victories over collapsing AFC South teams should not influence any decisions that Jaguars owner Shad Khan does or doesn't make in the coming weeks. Khan is already a deliberate owner who is not prone to making rash decisions, but this win especially should be a non-factor.
While all wins in the NFL are impressive to some degree, the Jaguars' four wins this year have not exactly been the kind that inspire hope. Three of their four wins are against teams slated to pick No. 1 and No. 2 overall, and the other was a three-point win over a Joe Flacco-led Indianapolis Colts team that just lost to the worst team in the NFL. A win is a win, but this isn't much more than that.
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