Miami (AFP) – The Tampa Bay Buccaneers ground out victory over the Carolina Panthers to book their place in the NFL postseason on Sunday as the Jacksonville Jaguars crashed out of the playoff picture with defeat at the Tennessee Titans in the final round of regular season fixtures.
Three field goals from Chase McLaughlin sealed a dour 9-0 win for Tampa Bay in Charlotte, ensuring the 2021 Super Bowl champions advance to the postseason as NFC South divisional winners.
McLaughlin drilled kicks from 36, 57 and 39 yards as the Bucs clinched the divisional crown for a third straight season.
As the Bucs celebrated, Jacksonville were eliminated after a 28-20 defeat to Tennessee in Nashville that completed a miserable late season collapse.
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Jacksonville looked to be cruising towards the postseason in late November after leading their division with an 8-3 record.
But the Jaguars’ season imploded with five defeats in their final six regular season games as the fast-improving Houston Texans overtook them to clinch the AFC South.
The Titans – already eliminated from playoff contention — took control of Sunday’s clash in the third quarter when DeAndre Hopkins gathered a Ryan Tannehill pass for a six-yard touchdown completion that made it 28-13.
Jacksonville looked to launch a fourth quarter rally after Evan Engram’s touchdown from Trevor Lawrence cut the gap to 28-20.
But after regaining possession, the Jags’ bid for a potentially game-tying touchdown score faltered when Lawrence’s attempt to reach into the end zone on fourth down was stopped just short to give possession back to the Titans.
Jacksonville had one last attempted drive but Lawrence was unable to make any headway – tossing an attempted throw on fourth down well beyond reach of his intended receiver — as the Titans closed out the win.
Jacksonville’s defeat means both the Buffalo Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers clinched their playoff places.
The Bills face the Miami Dolphins later Sunday where a win will see them clinch the AFC East division, while the Steelers – winners over a depleted Baltimore on Saturday – have also squeezed into the wild card round despite finishing third in the AFC North.
In other early games on Sunday, the New Orleans Saints kept their hopes of a playoff place alive with a 48-17 drubbing of the Atlanta Falcons who miss out on the playoffs for the sixth straight season.
The Detroit Lions boosted their slender chances of taking the NFC’s No.2 seeding with a 30-20 win over the Minnesota Vikings.
The Lions were already assured of the NFC North divisional and can finish as second seeds if Dallas and Philadelphia both lose later Sunday.
In New England meanwhile, what could turn out to be the final game of the Bill Belichick era ended in defeat as the once-mighty Patriots slumped to a 17-3 loss against the New York Jets.
The defeat condemned the Patriots to a 4-13 regular season record – the worst of Belichick’s 24-year reign in New England.
