The Titans were upset by the Cardinals while the Jaguars were in fourth quarter of their game against the Seahawks. Jacksonville knew if it held on, it would take a one-game lead in the AFC South with three games remaining.
It wasn’t as easy as it maybe should have been, but the Jaguars won 30-24 victory in a game that had an ugly ending.
Jacksonville moved to 9-4, with the Titans sitting 8-5. The teams close out the season in Nashville on New Year’s Eve.
Seattle fell to 8-5, but it remained only a game behind the Rams, who lost to Philadelphia. The Seahawks host the Rams next week.
The Jaguars and Seahawks will face fines and possible suspensions for what happened during the final two snaps of the game. With the Jaguars in victory formation, Michael Bennett rolled into the legs of the Jaguars offensive line. Jaguars running back Leonard Fournette went after Bennett, and both were penalized. Sheldon Richardson was ejected for throwing a punch.
On the next snap, Quinton Jefferson was ejected and, as he was leaving the field, he attempted to climb the railing after a fan threw something at him. Seahawks coach Pete Carroll also was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct for running onto the field.
The upstart Jaguars didn’t back down despite seeing their 27-10 lead nearly slip away as Russell Wilson did what Russell Wilson does in the fourth quarter.
The Seahawks’ final possession ended with an incompletion on fourth-and-nine at the Seattle 43. They could have gotten the ball back, but on third-and-11, Fournette ran for 13 yards to allow Jacksonville to run out the clock.
Fournette ran for 101 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries. Blake Bortles completed 18 of 27 passes for 268 yards with two touchdowns and a 123.7 passer rating. Keelan Cole caught three passes for 99 yards and a touchdown, and Dede Westbrook had five catches for 81 yards and a score.
The Jaguars, who led 3-0 at halftime, did much of their damage after the Seahawks lost linebacker Bobby Wagner to a hamstring injury.
Wilson went 17-for-31 for 271 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions.
