Titans vs. Jaguars: Score and Twitter Reaction for 'Thursday Night Football'

The Jacksonville Jaguars survived a sloppy AFC South showdown with the Tennessee Titans on Thursday evening to capture a 19-13 win at EverBank Field and improve to 4-6.           

Jacksonville trailed by four with the fourth quarter winding down, but a 63-yard punt return from rookie Rashad Greene set up Blake Bortles' five-yard touchdown pass to tight end Julius Thomas with three minutes, 30 seconds remaining. A fumble on the first play of the Titans' next possession allowed the Jaguars to take over deep in enemy territory and tack on a late field goal. 

The Titans charged down the field with no timeouts remaining, but a sack as time expired crushed their faint hopes of pulling off the unlikely comeback.

NFL.com's Gregg Rosenthal noted Jacksonville has a knack for late-game theatrics: 

Although Bortles was effective in spots, he couldn't find repeated success against a stingy Titans defense that kept him on his heels. The second-year quarterback completed 21 of his 30 passes for 242 yards, one touchdown and an interception, while wide receiver Allen Robinson led the way with five catches for 113 yards. 

Allen Hurns' streak of seven consecutive games with a receiving touchdown was snapped in the loss, as he finished with just three catches for 19 yards. Rookie running back T.J. Yeldon managed 54 yards on 14 carries and tacked on an additional 28 yards on three catches, though Jacksonville largely phased him out in the second half. 

Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota's numbers weren't prolific, but he was poised and relatively efficient, completing 22 of 35 passes for 231 yards. 

Tennessee's offense left plenty to be desired, although Mariota turned things on with an aggressive drive midway through the third frame to give the team a momentary edge. 

The rookie signal-caller kept the ball on a zone read for a season-best 23-yard touchdown scamper that proved to be the first rushing score of Mariota's career, as the NFL relayed on Twitter: 

ESPN.com's Field Yates was impressed with the Titans' play-calling on the touchdown run:

However, points rarely came with such aesthetic pleasure, and as ESPN.com's Bill Barnwell explained, interim head coach Mike Mularkey's tactical passivity proved to be the team's undoing: 

The Jaguars and Titans traded field goals throughout the first half as both squads made headway between the 20s and stagnated upon making their way toward the red zone. 

Jacksonville sustained its early offense with a nice run-pass balance that included heavy doses of Yeldon and Thomas, while Tennessee favored quick passing concepts set up by modest gains from running back Antonio Andrews to keep the chains moving, as the NFL displayed on Twitter: 

While the Titans were able to establish at least a little rhythm throughout the first half against the 18th-ranked Jaguars defense, Jacksonville hesitated to take deep shots downfield against the Titans' heralded pass defense. 

Matched up against a third-ranked pass defense that entered the night allowing 213.8 yards per game through the air, Bortles and the Jags largely stayed away from stretching the field. In fact, Hurns and Robinson combined to record two catches in the first half. 

Bleacher Report's Matt Miller credited Tennessee's defensive line and linebackers with setting the tone throughout the first two quarters: 

Robinson came alive in the third quarter, but the Jaguars' red-zone play-calling left plenty to be desired. With a chance to take a 13-6 lead midway through the third, Jacksonville opted to run Denard Robinson three times in a row inside the 7-yard line to no avail.

NFL.com's Chris Wesseling was among those displeased with the Jaguars' close-range approach:

NFL Network's Jeff Darlington pointed to the 6'5'' Thomas as an underused piece of the Jags offense: 

Thursday's effort wasn't particularly becoming of the Jaguars, but it was good enough to creep past a Tennessee team that was just as conservative on offense. Head coach Gus Bradley's squad ultimately fed the rock to Thomas in the end zone when it mattered most, and thanks to some late-game awareness, it captured back-to-back wins for the first time this season. 

Improbably, the Jaguars are still alive for an AFC South title at 4-6. The Indianapolis Colts are scrambling to stay alive without quarterback Andrew Luck, and the Houston Texans remain a wild card as they attempt to harness the positivity that accompanied last week's upset win over the Cincinnati Bengals. 

The Titans, meanwhile, appear destined to finish in the division cellar for the second straight season. While this year was expected to be littered with growing pains, the Titans could have made a statement by walking into a rival's house and capturing a victory following a blowout loss to the Carolina Panthers. 

Jacksonville will be back in action on Sunday, Nov. 29, against the San Diego Chargers, while the Titans are slated to host the Oakland Raiders following Thanksgiving.      

Postgame Reaction

"It’s an awesome feeling," Bradley said, according to Jaguars.com's John Oehser. "I know the guys are elated in the locker room. It’s a great win."

While Jacksonville celebrated its win, the Titans lamented their late-game woes. 

"We've been in a lot of games, lost a lot of close ones," Mariota said, according to the team's official Twitter account. "We've just got to finish."

Mariota added: "We had an opportunity at the end. I should have thrown it up and given someone a chance."

Mariota needs 205 passing yards to become the second rookie in franchise history to top 2,000 passing yards, joining Vince Young, according to Jim Wyatt of the team's official website. 

Despite the loss, Mularkey exuded optimism regarding his quarterback, per the team's official Twitter account:

"I'll do whatever I have to do to figure how to get us over the hump to win these games," the head coach added, per the team's Twitter feed.