The Jaguars battle the Titans, with the AFC top seed and a playoff bye at stake. One win secures home-field advantage, but Jacksonville must overcome an improved Tennessee.
The Jacksonville Jaguars host a dangerous division-rival in the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, and while they're assured a spot in the playoffs, having arguably one of their best seasons ever, the Jags are in no position to cheer just yet.
Reportedly there's a celebration planned after Sunday's game, with Jaguar-themed AFC South champion hats and t-shirts, and possibly some congratulatory stogie-smoking. But Jacksonville can't put the parade before a victory in the regular-season finale in Week 18.
Head coach Liam Coen told reporters this week that the focus for Jags players is on beating a tough Titans team.
The Jaguars' defense ranks second in the NFL in takeaways (with 30) as they welcome the Tennessee Titans to Jacksonville in Week 18's season finale. (Ron Chenoy/Imagn Images)"Yeah, there’s a hat and a t-shirt that come along with that," Coen said. "But at the end of the day, this is about going 1-0 against a team that is going to be extremely ready to play physical."
Here's what's on the line Sunday for the Jaguars:
With a win against the Titans (3-13), Jacksonville (12-4) can secure the top seed in the AFC, a first-round bye, and home-field advantage throughout the conference playoffs. But only if Sunday afternoon turns ugly for both the AFC West champion Denver Broncos (13-3), who host the Los Angeles Chargers (11-5) (4:25 p.m., FOX), and the AFC North champ New England Patriots (13-3), who host the Miami Dolphins (7-9) (4:25 p.m., CBS).
The Broncos currently hold the No. 1 seed in the AFC, but Denver is vulnerable, making the AFC playoff picture and possible seedings for the postseason still to be determined.
The Jaguars can clinch their fifth division title in franchise history with a win over the Titans on Sunday. (Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union)The Jaguars are counting on quarterback Trevor Lawrence to lead them to an eighth straight win Sunday and their first season with at least 13 wins since 1999. (Jacksonville had its best finish ever at 14-2 in 1999 under coach Tom Coughlin.)
Lawrence needs to play at the kind of heightened level he's showcased in the second half of the 2025 season. He has so far led the Jaguars to the franchise’s single-season scoring record (with 433 points) and he has nine rushing TDs.
If the No. 1 draft pick in 2021 and fifth-year starter runs it into the end zone again this Sunday, it will be his fourth game in a row with a rushing TD, and he will become the fourth quarterback in NFL history with at least 25 TD passes (Lawrence currently has 26) and 10 rushing TDs in a season, joining Josh Allen (2023-2025 with Buffalo – 2024 MVP), Kyler Murray (2020 with Arizona) and Cam Newton (2015 with Carolina – MVP season).
In the Jaguars' 25-3 victory in Nashville in Week 13, Lawrence finished with a 111.5 rating, passing for 229 yards and two TDs.
Titans DT Jeffery Simmons (right), who is having a career season this year, was recently named to the Pro Bowl for a fourth time. (Andrew Nelles/Imagn Images)Still, heading into Week 18's matchup, Coen is wary of this Titans team. Tennessee has won two of its last four and is playing much better football down the stretch.
"It was a back-and-forth kind of gritty game the last time we played in Tennessee," Coen said. On Sunday, he added, "It’s going to be one of those types of football games where we understand that they’ve improved."
Tennessee has become one of the NFL's best run defenses, while Titans rookie quarterback Cam Ward "has definitely found a little bit more of a rhythm," Coen said.
The Jags have been preparing to take on the Titans' run defense, with a focus on Jeffery Simmons. The 6-foot-4, 302-pound defensive tackle is among the most fearsome defenders in the league. Last week against the New Orleans Saints, Simmons had seven tackles, a sack, and a forced fumble. In Week 13, Simmons made tackles and one sack against the Jags.
Coen praised Tennessee's defensive coaching.
"They do a good job moving (Simmons) around," he said. "He’s extremely strong. What he does to people out on that football field, that are grown men, is pretty impressive."
Kicker Cam Little could make Jags history again on Sunday, as he looks to tie or surpass the franchise record for most points in a season.
This season, the sixth-round 2024 draft pick kicked a 68-yard field goal in the Jags' overtime win in Las Vegas on Nov. 2, breaking the NFL record previously held by Justin Tucker with his 66-yarder in 2021.
Little, 22, needs five points to tie and six to break the Jaguar record for most points in a season, set by kicker Mike Hollis in 1997 (134 points). Little now has 129 points and ranks third in team history.
Coen told reporters Friday that the season finale, even with a win, is not the time to stop and smell the roses.
"There's not a lot of people that are truly happy at the end of the season, unless you're holding the [Lombardi Trophy]."