three touchdown passes<\/a>.<\/p>\nThe Jaguars became the first team since Las Vegas in 2020 to win with a minus-4 or worse turnover margin in the regular season.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou talk about resilience, toughness, staying together, guys having each other\u2019s backs, keep playing,\u201d coach Liam Coen said. \u201cGuys stepped up. Nobody flinched, nobody was walking around, head down, disappointed or frustrated. You\u2019ve got to keep playing, and that\u2019s been the message for the last few weeks is to just keep playing. These guys closed it out when we needed to.\u201d<\/p>\n
And now they\u2019ll try to close out a rare November.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s working<\/p>\n
Jacksonville has nine sacks over its last two games, with defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile finding success with blitzes. The Jaguars sacked Arizona\u2019s Jacoby Brissett six times Sunday, including one by Josh Hines-Allen that put the Cardinals in a hole to open their first overtime possession.<\/p>\n
Jacksonville, which had just eight sacks in its first seven games, has 13 in the four games since a bye week.<\/p>\n
What needs help<\/p>\n
Covering tight ends continues to be a problem for the Jaguars. Arizona\u2019s Trey McBride caught nine passes for 79 yards, giving tight ends a combined 50 receptions for 587 yards and seven touchdowns in the last eight games against Jacksonville.<\/p>\n
Stock up<\/p>\n
Brenton Strange returned from a five-game injury absence and caught five passes for a team-leading 93 yards. One of the best blocking tight ends in the league, Strange also helped the Jaguars run for 134 yards in the game.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s just his presence and energy,\u201d Coen said. \u201cThe look in his eye that he has gives our offense a spark.\u201d<\/p>\n
Stock down<\/p>\n
Defensive tackle Maason Smith, a second-year pro from LSU, played 21 snaps and didn\u2019t record a stat. He also was penalized for jumping into the neutral zone on a fourth-and-1 play in the first half, handing the Cardinals a new set of downs.<\/p>\n
Injuries<\/p>\n
CB Greg Newsome, DE Danny Striggow (knee) and OL Chuma Edoga (calf) left the game with injuries. WR Brian Thomas Jr. (ankle), CB Jourdan Lewis (shoulder\/neck) and TE Hunter Long (hip\/knee) could return after missing consecutive games.<\/p>\n
Key number<\/p>\n
3 \u2014 Number of times Jacksonville has been a 7-point road favorite in the last 20 years. The Jaguars are favored by a touchdown against Tennessee, according to BetMGM Sportsbook.<\/p>\n
Next steps<\/p>\n
The Jaguars are currently the No. 6 seed in the AFC playoffs and can\u2019t afford a letdown at Tennessee, which is 0-4 in the division, 0-6 at home and 0-8 in conference play.<\/p>\n
___<\/p>\n
AP NFL: https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/NFL<\/a><\/p>\nCopyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.<\/p>\n