JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) – Third-string quarterback Charlie Whitehurst led Tennessee on its first opening-drive touchdown of the year, and the Titans built a 10-7 halftime lead over the Jacksonville Jaguars on the final Thursday night game of the year in the NFL.
It was a meaningless game for both teams except for draft implications, and the game lived up its hype for most of two quarters.
Both AFC South teams are 2-12, and all that was at stake this deep in the year was which team would get the inside track to the No. 1 draft pick in April, and possibly an easier schedule next year.
The Titans have lost eight in a row. The Jaguars have dropped seven of their last eight.
Whitehurst completed all six of his passes and capped an 84-yard drive on the Titans’ first possession with an 8-yard scoring pass to Jacksonville native Leon Washington. It was the first time this year the Jaguars had given up a touchdown on the opening drive. Houston now is the only team with that distinction.
The Titans smartly made sure their picked up more points midway through the second quarter. On third-and-18, Whitehurst found Kendall Wright in soft coverage over the middle for a 13-yard gain that enabled Ryan Succop to attempt a 50-yard field goal. It cleared the cross bar with a few yards to spare.
At that point, the Titans had a 179-16 advantage in yards, and held the ball for 13 more minutes. The Jaguars had only one first down, and their longest play from scrimmage was a 7-yard swing pass to running back Toby Gerhard on the second play of their opening possession.
Titans defensive coordinator Ray Hunter was on the sideline calling plays for the first time, instead of in the booth.
Jacksonville’s offensive line failed to touch Derrick Morgan, who blasted Bortles and forced a fumble that Gerhart recovered. Bortles was sacked again for the 64th time this year, breaking the Jaguars’ record set in 2001.
Bortles, as usual, was at his best during the two-minute warning.
He led Jacksonville on an 80-yard drive to end the opening half. Gerhart got it started by breaking tackles on runs of 14 and 9 yards, and the Jaguars moved to the 23 when Bortles found Marquise Lee at the sideline, and as he whirled to spin away, George Wilson grabbed his facemask for a 15-yard penalty.
Bortles found Marcedes Lewis in the corner of the end zone on 3rd-and-goal from the 1 with 36 seconds remaining.
Tennessee had a greater advantage on paper than on the scoreboard. The Titans outgained Jacksonville 178-91. Whitehurst was 11-of-16 for 142 yards, while Bortles was 9-of-15 for 52 yards, with 39 of those yards on the final drive.
Bortles also contributed a 9-yard run on a scramble, stumbling the last few yards to get the first down at the Titans’ 13.
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AP NFL websites: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL
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