It wasn't pretty, but it counts.
Thursday night's 19-13 victory over the Tennessee Titans gave the Jaguars (4-6) their third win in four games and maybe much more. If Indianapolis and Houston tumble this weekend, long-lost Jacksonville would sit atop the AFC South with six games left on the slate.
"We haven't been in this situation for a long time," said linebacker Paul Posluszny, per The Florida Times-Union. "That's great for the organization, great for this environment, great for these guys to be a part of and to now (say), 'Hey, this is all going to count late in the year.' It's an awesome feeling to have."
Said center Stefen Wisniewski: "It's big for everybody's confidence. Obviously, with our division, we still have a great shot and these last two games were just so big for confidence, but to stay in it."
It was far from picturesque, but the Jaguarsforced a three-and-out and a fumble in the final six minutes and saw Rashad Greene race for a 63-yard punt return to set up a go-ahead touchdown toss from passer Blake Bortles to tight end Julius Thomas.
It was another step for a young quarterback who finds himself surrounded by a talented group of skill position players. Wideout Allen Robinson (5/113), receiver Allen Hurns (3/19) and running back T.J. Yeldon (82 total yards) give Jacksonville an enviable core to build around.
"Offensively, if you look at it, our leading playmakers are Blake and Robinson and Hurnsey and T.J.," Jaguars general manager David Caldwell told Around The NFL's Conor Orr before the Jaguars-Bills tilt in London. "... Most of our plays have come from those guys and they're all respectively in their second, second, second and first year in the league. So that's encouraging."
And so is the remaining schedule, with just one game left against a winning team -- the Falcons -- and plenty of opportunity to shake up the South with remaining tilts against Tennessee, Indianapolis and Houston.
We still need to see the Jaguars play more consistently on both sides of the ball, but stringing wins together is a tangible first step for an organization just beginning to taste success.
