The Buccaneers secure a spot in the NFL playoffs, while the Jaguars are eliminated in the final round

The Jacksonville Jaguars were eliminated from the playoff picture after losing to the Tennessee Titans in the last round of regular season games, while the Tampa Bay Buccaneers secured their spot in the NFL postseason on Sunday with a commanding victory over the Carolina Panthers. 24hscore

Tampa Bay won a somber 9-0 at Charlotte thanks to three field goals from Chase McLaughlin, guaranteeing that the 2021 Super Bowl champions will head to the postseason as the NFC South division winners.

With kicks from 36, 57, and 39 yards, McLaughlin helped the Bucs win the divisional title for the third consecutive year.

Jacksonville’s terrible late-season slide ended in Nashville with a 28-20 loss to Tennessee, which sent the Bucs into celebration.

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Jacksonville had led their division with an 8-3 record and appeared to be coasting into the postseason in late November.

However, after five losses in their final six games of the regular season, the Jaguars’ season collapsed, and the rapidly developing Houston Texans passed them to secure the AFC South.

DeAndre Hopkins caught a Ryan Tannehill pass for a six-yard touchdown completion in the third quarter, putting the Titans—who had already been ruled out of the playoffs—in control of the game on Sunday. This made the score 28–13.

With a 28-20 lead following Trevor Lawrence’s touchdown pass to Evan Engram, Jacksonville sought to mount a comeback in the fourth quarter.

However, the Jaguars’ attempt to score a possibly game-winning touchdown was thwarted when Lawrence’s fourth-down try to enter the end zone was stopped just short, handing the Titans back possession.

Jacksonville made one more try to drive, but Lawrence failed to gain any momentum, throwing a fourth-down pass well beyond the reach of his intended receiver, and the Titans secured the victory.

The Pittsburgh Steelers and Buffalo Bills have secured their postseason spots due to Jacksonville’s loss.

With a victory over the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, the Bills will secure the AFC East division. Meanwhile, the Steelers, who defeated a diminished Baltimore team on Saturday, have advanced to the wild card round despite taking third place in the AFC North.

In further early games on Sunday, the New Orleans Saints maintained their hopes of making the playoffs by thrashing the Atlanta Falcons, who are eliminated from the postseason for the sixth consecutive year, 48-17.

The Detroit Lions defeated the Minnesota Vikings 30–20 to increase their slim hopes of earning the NFC’s second seed.

The NFC North divisional was already guaranteed to the Lions, who may also end as the second-seeded team in the event that both Dallas and Philadelphia lose on Sunday.

Meanwhile, in New England, the once-dominant Patriots suffered a 17-3 setback to the New York Jets in what may have been the last game of the Bill Belichick era.

The Patriots’ 4-13 regular season record, which is the lowest in Belichick’s 24-year tenure in New England, was sealed with the loss.