NASHVILLE - It took the Tennessee Titans a month to find themselves.
This version looks pretty comfortable atop the AFC South Division standings.
After two turnover-filled debacles and an open date, the Titans ended up on the other side of a turnover-fest and got back in the win column Sunday. It surely helped that they faced the woeful Jacksonville Jaguars and rookie quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
The opportunistic Titans took advantage of four interceptions to win 20-0 - their first home shutout victory in more than two decades - and earn their second division series sweep of 2021. Tennessee won 37-19 at Jacksonville on Oct. 10; the Titans also went 2-0 against the Indianapolis Colts this season.
Jayon Brown, Rashaan Evans, Kristian Fulton and Buster Skrine - a former University of Tennessee at Chattanooga standout in his 11th NFL season - picked off passes from Lawrence, who hadn't thrown as many as three interceptions in a game since his NFL debut.
"At the end of the day, we know what kind of team we are," Titans safety Kevin Byard said. "And I felt like the last two losses we had, we kind of got away from that a little bit. ... It wasn't necessarily about the Jaguars and their team. It was more about us knowing what we needed to do and playing to our strengths."
Tennessee dominated Jacksonville's offensive line, sacking Lawrence three times and prompting four holding calls and a false start. All the interceptions were a direct result of pressure, but not blitzes.
"There's no better indication of success in this league than turnover margin," Titans coach Mike Vrabel said. "You can say what you want, but you can look it up over 20 years. It's real critical that we realize that that's how we have to play."
The Titans (9-4) turned the ball over a combined nine times in consecutive losses to the Houston Texans and New England Patriots. They spent their bye week focusing on better ball security and responded with a clean game on offense and plenty of celebrations on defense.
It was Tennessee's first shutout since a 2018 road win against the New York Giants and its first at home since a 31-0 drubbing of the Dallas Cowboys on Christmas 21 years ago.
AP photo by Mark Zaleski / Tennessee Titans defensive end Jeffery Simmons (98) chases Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence during the second half of Sunday's AFC South game in Nashville.Jacksonville (2-11) provided the perfect remedy for Tennessee's short skid. The Jaguars extended a number of dubious streaks of their own while failing to score in a game for the fourth time in franchise history and first time since 2009.
They lost their fifth straight overall, eighth straight in Nashville, ninth consecutive in AFC South play and 15th in a row on the road.
"Losing sucks," said first-year NFL coach Urban Meyer, who was previously shut out once in his head coaching career, 31-0 against Clemson in a College Football Playoff semifinal for the 2016 season. "That's all I can tell you. It eats away at your soul. You've got to regroup."
This defeat came after reports attributed to unnamed sources saying there's mounting angst between Meyer and his staff. It was followed by a one-on-one meeting with team owner Shad Khan, with the coach saying he assured Khan he believes the Jaguars can get turned around.
"So what's the answer? Start leaking information or some nonsense? No. No, that's nonsense. That's garbage," Meyer said. "I've been very blessed. I've not really dealt with that. I've not dealt with, 'Well, did you hear what he said?' What? No. Let's improve on offense and get our quarterback in a position to be successful. That's our focus.
"What someone's brother said, or someone said someone said, that will occupy very little of my time. And if there is a source, that source is unemployed. I mean, within seconds, if there's some source that's doing that."
The Titans moved closer to clinching the AFC South for the second straight year. They have no one left on their schedule with a winning record, and if they continue playing clean football, they could be a factor in the race for the AFC's top seed despite being without star running back Derrick Henry.
D'Onta Foreman, filling in for Henry, had his first rushing touchdown in four years. Veteran quarterback Ryan Tannehill, the main culprit of the team's recent turnovers, didn't commit one despite getting sacked four times. He completed 20 of 31 passes for 191 yards, and he also ran for a touchdown.
Titans receiver Julio Jones, who had missed the past three games with a hamstring injury, returned to the lineup and had four catches for 33 yards.