All the ways the Titans crushed the Jaguars' playoff hopes in a devastating 28-20 win

In 2023, the Jacksonville Jaguars crushed the freefalling Tennessee Titans’ playoff hopes in Week 18.

In 2024, the Titans returned the favor.

The Jaguars needed a win in their regular season finale to clinch the AFC South title and host a Wild Card game next week. All that stood in their way was a road game against a 5-11 division rival they’d beaten 34-14 earlier in the year — a game that wasn’t as close as the final score indicates thanks to Jacksonville’s early 27-0 lead.

That made the Jags a 3.5-point favorite on the road. They were searching for a path back to the postseason to reclaim the momentum created by last year’s dash to the Divisional Round. All they found was disappointment in a 28-20 loss that saw Jacksonville run screaming from comeback opportunities while closing out their season with a thud.

So how did the Titans play spoiler? It boils down to five factors.