NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- With 1:56 left in the game, the Tennessee Titans' defense had their sights set on the Jacksonville Jaguars' offense that was facing a fourth-and-8 from their own 27-yard line.
Jaguars' quarterback Trevor Lawrence dumped a pass off to running back Dare Ogunbowale, who seemed to have some space to make a play.
Titans' defenders Naquan Jones and Matthias Farley swooped in to bring Ogunbowale to the ground. Fellow defenders Dane Cruikshank, Elijah Molden and Kyle Peko got in on the pile as well.
Defensive coordinator Shane Bowen pumped his fist with jubilation as defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons congratulated him. Tennessee (9-4) finished with a 20-0 win over the Jaguars (2-11).
Titans Win!!!!! And don't forget that shutout!!! 1-0 #TitanUp
— Jeffery Simmons (@GrindSimmons94) December 12, 2021
The shutout was the first time the Titans have kept a team from scoring at Nissan Stadium since Dec 25, 2000, when Tennessee handed the Dallas Cowboys a 31-0 loss. Titans safety Kevin Byard said the defense started to feel like a shutout was brewing early in the game.
"That's something that we talked about [doing] leaving out of halftime," Byard said. " ‘Hey, let's go get a goose egg.’ We talked about coming out there, dominating, flying around, getting to the ball, getting turnovers."
Coach Mike Vrabel challenged the Titans' defense to play with more speed and energy in their first game after the bye week because the defense seemed to lack juice during their two-game losing skid.
Tennessee's defense quickly showed that Week 14 was going to be different against the Jaguars. Vrabel seemed pleased with the results.
"I felt like you could just feel it down there," Vrabel said. "It felt like guys were moving around, flying."
The Titans set the tone early with Denico Autry's sack for a loss of nine yards on Jacksonville's first offensive play. Harold Landry III sacked Lawrence five plays later to force a punt.
After allowing 198 rushing yards in a 37-19 Week 5 win over Jacksonville, the Titans wanted to make sure they didn't have a repeat performance this week. They were like sharks that smelled blood in the water.
It showed in how they swarmed to the football on nearly every Jaguars possession. The tackling was more effective, which helped contribute to Jacksonville finishing with a meager eight rushing yards, a new franchise low.
Bowen said last Thursday that Titans linebacker Rashaan Evans' aggressiveness and physicality against the run was something the defense missed when he was out. Tennessee welcomed Evans back into the lineup after he missed the last five games due to an ankle injury.
Evans immediately made an impact by stopping Jaguars running back James Robinson in the backfield for a four-yard loss the first time Jacksonville tried to run the ball.
"Just to be out there and feel the energy, that's what I was missing," Evans said. "For me being outside looking in when I was out, I definitely wanted to bring the energy to the defense. These guys were already playing good anyway."
Evans finished with a team-high six tackles and registered his second interception of the season. In total, the Titans intercepted Lawrence a career-high four times. It was the first time the Titans had four interceptions in a game since 2012, when they picked off Mark Sanchez four times in a 14-10 win.
Tennessee's turnover margin dropped to -0.6 after they gave the ball away nine times and failed to get a takeaway in consecutive losses to the Houston Texans and New England Patriots. Facing a Jacksonville team that was tied with the New York Jets for last in the NFL with a -1.3 turnover margin proved to be just what the doctor ordered.
"I told y'all turnovers come in bunches," said Jayon Brown who also had an interception. "We got bunches today. Guys made plays when it came to them."
The win over the Jaguars put the Titans one game behind the Patriots for the top seed in the AFC. Tennessee now turns their sights to next Sunday's road trip to play the Pittsburgh Steelers (6-6-1) at Heinz Field.