NFL recap: Bills, Buccaneers, Packers, Steelers in playoffs as Belichick suffers eye injury
NFL recap: Bills, Buccaneers, Packers, Steelers in playoffs as Belichick suffers eye injury
The Tennessee Titans eliminated the Jaguars from the playoffs on the final Sunday of the regular season.
Trevor Lawrence has every opportunity to lead the Jacksonville Jaguars to the playoffs as AFC South champions for the second year in a row. He made a goal-line stop with 7:13 left and turned the ball over on downs with 1:47 left as the Tennessee Titans eliminated the Jaguars from the playoffs on the final Sunday of the regular season.
The Jaguars (9-8) needed a win to win their second straight AFC South title since 1998 and 1999. The 28-20 loss made Houston the division champion, costing the Jaguars their only postseason berth after Pittsburgh defeated the Jaguars on Saturday.
Jacksonville took control after an 8-3 start, but ended up losing 5 of 6 points. Lawrence, who is back from a shoulder injury suffered last week, was caught twice on Sunday. The Jaguars also turned the ball over twice and three times in the final seven minutes. Lawrence tried to rescue the Jaguars from a 15-point deficit early in the fourth quarter with a 14-yard TD pass to Evan Engram.
The 20-year-old Titans, who have one of the stingiest defenses in the NFL, were a foot short when Lawrence tried to move the ball from the 1-yard line to the goal line on fourth down. The Jaguars had one last chance and got the ball back with 2:18 left, but no timeout. Lawrence’s deep pass scraped Calvin Ridley’s fingertips, and Lawrence fell incomplete on the next two downs, the last of which left Engram without. A win at Tennessee would make the Texans the AFC South champions and a No. 4 seed. They are scheduled to host fifth-seeded Cleveland in the wild-card round. Pittsburgh and Buffalo advanced to the playoffs, while Jacksonville was eliminated.
The Steelers, who died in mid-December, will be back in the playoffs no matter what. Pittsburgh clinched a wild-card spot when Tennessee beat Jacksonville, giving the Steelers a seemingly unlikely playoff spot after dropping three straight games with losses to Arizona and New England. Pittsburgh finished the season on a three-game winning streak, with a Week 18 victory over rival Baltimore. Pittsburgh hasn’t won in the postseason since beating Kansas City in the divisional round in 2016.
Josh Allen threw a touchdown pass to Dawson Knox midway through the fourth quarter and the Buffalo Bills beat the Miami Dolphins to win their fourth straight AFC East title. Allen plagued the Bills with three turnovers in Miami territory, but ultimately helped Buffalo earn the No. 2 seed in the conference. The Bills host Pittsburgh in the wild card on Sunday. Buffalo lost 6-1. Miami dropped to sixth and will play Kansas City on Saturday night. Chase McLaughlin kicked three field goals, Tampa Bay’s defense crumbled and the Buccaneers won their third straight NFC South title with a 9-0 victory over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.
Tampa Bay (9-8) entered Sunday’s game facing an all-or-nothing scenario in which a win would secure a playoff berth and a loss. The Buccaneers didn’t impress offensively as Baker Mayfield was held to 137 yards, but Carolina’s self-challenged defense was enough to keep the Panthers off the board.
