Jacksonville quarterback Trevor Lawrence argues a call with officials during the second half of Sunday’s game against the Tennessee Titans in Nashville, Tenn. John Amis/Associated Press
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Trevor Lawrence had every chance to play the Jacksonville Jaguars into the playoffs for a second straight year as the AFC South champs.
He wound up stopped short of the goal line with 7:13 left, then turned the ball over on downs with 1:47 remaining as the Tennessee Titans eliminated the Jaguars with a 28-20 victory Sunday in their regular-season finale.
The Jaguars (9-8) needed a win for their first back-to-back division titles since 1998 and 1999. Their loss makes Houston the division champion and the No. 4 seed in the AFC, and clinched playoff berths for Buffalo and Pittsburgh.
Jacksonville started 8-3 but lost five of its last six game. Lawrence, who returned after missing last week because of a sprained shoulder, was intercepted twice. The Jaguars also turned the ball over on downs three times.
Lawrence tried to rally the Jaguars from a 15-point deficit, throwing a 14-yard TD pass to Evan Engram at the start of the fourth quarter.
The Titans, with the NFL’s stingiest defense inside their 20, stopped Lawrence a foot short as he tried to reach the ball to the goal line on fourth-and-goal from the 1.
The Jaguars had one final chance, getting the ball back with 2:18 remaining and no timeouts left. Lawrence’s deep pass went off Calvin Ridley’s fingertips, then Lawrence threw incomplete on the next two downs.
BUCCANEERS 9, PANTHERS 0: Chase McLaughlin kicked three field goals, and Tampa Bay (9-8) won its third straight NFC South title with a victory over Carolina (2-15) in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The Buccaneers weren’t exactly impressive on offense, with Baker Mayfield held to 137 yards in his return to Carolina, but the defense – aided by some self-inflected wounds by Carolina – did just enough to shut out the Panthers.
The Panthers became the first NFL team since at least 1991 to fail to run a single play all season while leading in the fourth quarter. Both of Carolina’s wins came on field goals at the end of regulation when it was trailing.
PACKERS 17, BEARS 9: Jordan Love threw for 316 yards and connected with Dontayvion Wicks on a pair of touchdowns to send Green Bay (9-8) to the playoffs with a victory over visiting Chicago (7-10).
Love went 27 of 32 as Green Bay never punted. He threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Wicks that put Green Bay ahead for good midway through the second quarter and found the rookie fifth-round pick in the end zone again for a 12-yard score in the third.
COWBOYS 38, COMMANDERS 10: Dak Prescott threw two of his four TDs passes to CeeDee Lamb and finished 31 of 36 for 279 yards as Dallas (12-5) captured the NFC East title and the No. 2 seed in the conference with a victory at Washington (4-13).
The Cowboys will host Green Bay in the first round of the playoffs.
Washington will have the No. 2 picks in this year’s draft, but Coach Ron Rivera, who celebrated his 62nd birthday Sunday, is expected to be fired Monday by the team’s new ownership.
GIANTS 27, EAGLES 10: Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown and a host of injured, ineffective Eagles can only hope they bottomed out in a loss to New York (6-11) at East Rutherford, New Jersey.
The Eagles (11-6) lost for the fifth time in six games and wound up with the No. 5 seed in the NFC. They will open the playoffs next week at Tampa Bay.
SAINTS 48, FALCONS 17: Derek Carr passed for four touchdowns to lift New Orleans (9-8) over visiting Atlanta (7-10), but both teams missed out on a chance to win the NFC South when Tampa Bay beat Carolina.
New Orleans also was eliminated from contention for a wild-card berth when Green Bay defeated Chicago.
LIONS 30, VIKINGS 20: Sam LaPorta had a 2-yard touchdown catch midway through the first quarter but later limped off the field because of a knee injury, an ominous development for NFC North champion Detroit (12-5) as it closed out the regular season with a win at home against Minnesota (7-10).
Detroit matched a franchise record for wins and will host a playoff game for the first time since the 1993 season, facing the Los Angeles Rams.
The Lions will spend the upcoming week hoping LaPorta, who set an NFL record for receptions by a rookie tight end with 86, is healthy enough to help them earn a second playoff victory since winning the 1957 championship.
RAMS 21, 49ERS 20: Carson Wentz threw two touchdown passes and ran for a score to lead Los Angeles (10-7) to a victory at San Francisco (12-5) in a game filled with backups.
Wentz scored on a 12-yard run with 4:56 to play and then converted a 2-point conversion pass to Tutu Atwell. Los Angeles held on from there and clinched the sixth seed in the NFC.
SEAHAWKS 21, CARDINALS 20: Geno Smith threw two touchdown passes and Seattle (9-8) rallied for a win over Arizona (4-13) in Glendale, Arizona, but the Seahawks still missed the playoffs after Green Bay beat Chicago.
Arizona’s Matt Prater missed a 51-yard field attempt on the final play. It was his second missed field goal of the fourth quarter.
BENGALS 31, BROWNS 14: Jake Browning threw three touchdown passes, Joe Mixon rushed for a season-high 111 yards and a score, and Cincinnati (9-8) got an easy win at home as Cleveland (11-6) rested most of its starters for the playoffs.
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