Jaguars Up-Down drill: the good, bad and ugly from Tennessee Titans game

The good, the bad and the ugly from the Jaguars’ 36-22 victory over the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium.

Up: Exorcising demons

It cannot be understated how monumental a win this was on multiple fronts for the 5-8 Jaguars.

Not winning in Nashville since 2013 and breaking that streak is one component.

Another was how the rest of the 2022 season would have felt more like a draft-order watch had the Jaguars been eliminated from AFC South contention.

Now hope is still alive, even if Tennessee (7-6) still has a two-game lead.

Up/Down: Travon Walker

The Jaguars got a much-needed lift from their No. 1 overall draft pick, who jump-started the momentum for the Jaguars’ defense by strip-sacking Ryan Tannehill. Duwuane Smoot recovered the fumble at the Titans’ 20, leading to a game-tying TD pass to Evan Engram. Unfortunately, Walker left the game in the second half with an ankle injury and didn’t return.

More from Sunday's Jags-titans game:

'We put it in the air':Jaguars respond to last week's embarrassment with win over Titans

Gene Frenette: Jaguars' rising star Lawrence may loosen Titans' hold on AFC South

Trevor Tracker 2022:How do Trevor Lawrence's first 13 starts compare to 2021? Here's how

Up: Staying in rhythm

It's no longer a novelty when Trevor Lawrence has a great game, but more of an expectation.

The second-year quarterback is riding a hot hand, making four or five throws a game the past month that should at least start elevating him into the conversation as a rising NFL star.

Whether it was the velocity on the 20-yard touchdown strike to Zay Jones that grazed the right hand of cornerback Roger McCreary before halftime, a 13-yard strike to him earlier over the outstretched arm of safety Amani Hooker, or the 21-yard, jump-ball pass to Evan Engram for the final touchdown, Lawrence put on a fabulous aerial show. He has completed 72 percent of his passes with 10 TDs and no interceptions the last five weeks.

Up: Trevor fire

When the Jaguars were in victory formation at the end of the game, Lawrence didn't appreciate the Titans' defensive line pushing back into him. He got in the face of interior defensive lineman Kevin Strong and exchanged some words.

As he stepped back toward the Jaguars' sideline, he pointed his finger toward the scoreboard.

That's not a reaction you'd normally get from Lawrence, but it was good to see some fire from the quarterback with the Joe Cool persona.

Up: Ending sackless streak

Walker's pass-rushing partner, Josh Allen, had gone 10 weeks without sacking a quarterback before finally getting to the Titans’ Ryan Tannehill with 2:32 left in the game.

The last time Allen put down a quarterback was in the third quarter of a Week 4 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles when he sacked Jalen Hurts. Opposing quarterbacks attempted 330 passes in-between Allen’s last two sacks.

Down/Up: Henry’s early surge

It sure looked after the first quarter that Titans’ running back Derrick Henry might have one of those 200-something yard days against the Jaguars, which he’s done twice in his career.

He rumbled for 96 yards on 12 carries in the first 15 minutes, but that all changed once Tennessee fell behind and went to a pass-heavy offense. Henry had five carries for 21 yards in the last three quarters, and only two yards in the second half.

Down: Slow starts

The Jaguars have been tempting fate the last five games with poor first-quarter showings. They trailed 14-7 Sunday and it might have been worse without the Walker strip-sack.

Over the last five weeks, opponents are outscoring the Jaguars 48-10 in the first quarter.

Yet somehow, the Jaguars won three of those games, the first two against the Las Vegas Raiders and Baltimore Ravens.

Up: Andrew Wingard

Making only his third start of the season, this time due to a second straight week of Andre Cisco being sidelined by a shoulder injury, the fourth-year, undrafted safety continues to make big plays.

Two weeks ago, he punched the ball out from Ravens QB Lamar Jackson, leading to a fourth quarter fumble recovery and three crucial points in a 28-27 comeback win.

Sunday, Wingard made a perfect read on a Tannehill pass — a miscommunication with receiver Nick Westbrook-Ikhine — and got an interception, which also led to a field goal that cut Tennessee’s lead to 14-10.

Even if Cisco returns next week against the Dallas Cowboys, the coaches may have to consider giving Wingard some snaps beyond special teams.

Up: Chorus of boos

With six minutes left in the third quarter, the Tennessee Titans fans among 68,409 paying customers finally had enough when their team tried a tight end screen to Chig Okunkwo on 3rd-and-27.

Jaguars’ cornerback Darious Williams and Arden Key blew up the play for a 3-yard loss.

A heavy dose of boos then came raining down on the Titans, who were trailing 27-14 and clearly lost all the momentum at that point.

Down: Wave of yellow flags

It didn’t come back to haunt them in the end, but the Jaguars continue to pick up untimely penalties that make winning a lot harder.

On the Titans’ game-opening TD drive, a Walker offsides penalty on third-and-10 made it easier for Tannehill to convert a first down and a Darious Williams illegal contact flag allowed Tennessee to move the chains again.

An Engram holding penalty stalled a Jaguars drive in which they had to settle for a field goal.

On the second half kickoff, a shaky holding penalty on Caleb Johnson nullified Jamal Agnew’s 93-yard return for a touchdown.

The Jaguars’ nine penalties for 70 yards are the kind of numbers than can cost them ballgames if they don't minimize the yellow flags.

Up: Playoff contenders

Instead of being eliminated from the division race, the Jaguars are in the hunt just two games behind Tennessee with four games remaining.

If they run the table, the Jaguars will probably win the AFC South because the last game is at home against the Titans.

A sweep means the Jaguars take the division if the teams finish tied.

With Tennessee missing several starters due to injuries and not knowing when some might return, its last four games against the Los Angeles Chargers, Dallas Cowboys, Houston Texans and the Jaguars could be troublesome.

If the Jaguars can go at least 2-1 the next three weeks (Cowboys, Jets, Texans), the Jan. 8 home finale could be for the AFC South crown.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jaguars Up-Down drill: the good, bad and ugly from Tennessee Titans game