Trevor Lawrence had every chance to lead the Jacksonville Jaguars into the playoffs for a second straight year as the AFC South champions. He wound up stopped short of the goalline with 7:13 left, and he also turned the ball over on downs with 1:47 left as the Tennessee Titans eliminated the Jaguars from the playoff hunt in the final Sunday of the regular season.
The Jaguars (9-8) came in needing a win to clinch a second straight AFC South title for their first back-to-back crowns since 1998 and 1999. Their 28-20 loss makes Houston the division champs, costing the Jaguars their only way into the postseason after Pittsburgh also won on Saturday.
Jacksonville controlled their fate after starting 8-3 but finished losing five of six. Lawrence, who returned after missing last week with a sprained shoulder, was intercepted twice on Sunday. The Jaguars also turned the ball over on downs three times – twice in the final seven minutes.
Lawrence tried to rally the Jaguars from a 15-point deficit with a 14-yard TD pass to Evan Engram at the start of the fourth quarter.
The Titans, with the NFL’s stingiest defense inside their 20, stopped Lawrence a foot short as he tried to reach the ball to the goalline on fourth-and-goal from the one-yard line.
The Jaguars had one final chance, getting the ball back with 2:18 remaining and no timeouts left. Lawrence’s deep pass went off Calvin Ridley’s fingertips, then Lawrence threw incomplete on the next two downs with the last nowhere close to Engram.
Tennessee’s win makes the Texans the AFC South champs and the No 4 seed. They will host No 5 seed Cleveland in the wildcard round. Pittsburgh and Buffalo both clinched playoff berths with Jacksonville eliminated.
Left for dead in mid-December, the Steelers are heading back to the playoffs anyway. Pittsburgh clinched a wildcard spot when Tennessee upset Jacksonville, giving the Steelers a playoff berth that seemed unlikely following a three-game skid that included losses to lowly Arizona and New England. Pittsburgh bounced back to finish the season with a three-game winning streak, culminating in a victory over rival Baltimore in Week 18. Pittsburgh haven’t won a postseason game since beating Kansas City in the divisional round in 2016.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9-0 Carolina Panthers
Chase McLaughlin kicked three field goals, the Tampa Bay defense pitched a shutout and the Buccaneers won their third straight NFC South title with a 9-0 victory on Sunday over the Carolina Panthers.
Tampa Bay (9-8) were facing an all-or-nothing scenario entering Sunday’s game with a win clinching a playoff spot and a loss resulting in elimination.
The Buccaneers weren’t exactly impressive on offense with Baker Mayfield held to 137 yards, but the defense – aided by some self-inflected wounds by Carolina – did just enough to keep the Panthers off the board.
The Panthers finished with a league-worst 2-15 record and do not even have the consolation of the No 1 overall pick in this year’s draft after trading it to the Chicago Bears so they could move up and select Bryce Young in 2023.
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Atlanta Falcons 17–48 New Orleans Saints
Derek Carr passed for four touchdowns to lift the New Orleans Saints over the Atlanta Falcons 48-17, but both teams missed out on a chance to win the division when Tampa Bay beat Carolina. Either New Orleans or Atlanta would have won the NFC South by winning their regular-season finale if the Buccaneers had lost. New Orleans can still back-door into an NFC wildcard spot with losses by both Seattle and Green Bay later on Sunday.
New York Jets 17–3 New England Patriots
Breece Hall rushed for 174 yards and a late touchdown and the New York Jets snapped a 15-game losing streak against the Patriots with a 17-3 win in what could have been Bill Belichick’s final game as New England’s coach. Greg Zuerlein kicked three field goals to help the Jets earn their first victory over the Patriots since an overtime win in December 2015. The Patriots’ 4-13 record is the worst finish in Belichick’s 29-year NFL coaching career. Belichick and team owner Robert Kraft are expected to meet Monday to discuss the coach’s future with the franchise after 24 seasons.
Minnesota Vikings 20–30 Detroit Lions
Sam LaPorta had a two-yard touchdown catch midway through the first quarter but later limped off the field with a knee injury in the Detroit Lions’ win over the Minnesota Vikings. LaPorta’s injury is an ominous development for the NFC North champion Lions, who are set to host a playoff game next weekend. Detroit could only hope to improve their playoff seeding by one spot, but coach Dan Campbell elected to play his starters anyway. The Lions finished 12-5, matching a franchise record for wins. The Vikings fell to 7-10 and their long-shot playoff hopes ended.
Cleveland Browns 14–31 Cincinnati Bengals
Jake Browning threw three touchdown passes, Joe Mixon rushed for a season-high 111 yards and a score, and the Cincinnati Bengals got an easy win over a Cleveland Browns team resting most of their starters before the playoffs. Locked in as the No 5 seed in the AFC, Cleveland were content to play out the regular season with backups. Quarterback Joe Flacco, star defensive end Myles Garrett, receiver Amari Cooper and cornerback Denzel Ward were among the Browns’ starters who didn’t play. Cincinnati finished at 9-8, their third straight season above .500, and every team in the AFC North had a winning record.
