NASHVILLE – The Titans put up a fight in their flashy "Music City" uniforms.
Ultimately, however, things ended on a sour note as the Jaguars pulled away.
The Titans fell 40-23 to the Jaguars on Sunday at Nissan Stadium.
Quarterback Cam Ward completed 28-of-39 passes for 231 yards with two touchdowns and an interception in the contest, with a passer rating of 93.0. Ward also ran for a team-high 39 yards.
The Titans dropped to 1-8.
Receiver Elic Ayomanor had five catches for 79 yards in the game, and running back Tony Pollard had 99 all-purpose yards, including a 32-yard touchdown catch.
Linebacker Cedric Gray had a team-high nine tackles, along with an interception,
But it wasn't enough for the Titans.
The Jaguars took the opening kickoff and drove 60 yards for a touchdown, scoring on a two-yard toss from quarterback Trevor Lawrence to receiver Parker Washington to make it 7-0.
The Titans answered back with a scoring drive of their own, as kicker Joey Slye booted a 53-yard field goal to make it 7-3 at the 7:04 mark of the first quarter.
The two teams traded interceptions after that, as Gray intercepted Lawrence on a tipped pass, and Jaguars cornerback Travis Hunter intercepted Ward on a throw across the middle.
Early in the second quarter, the Jaguars took a 10-3 lead on a 46-yard field goal by kicker Cam Little. Another Little field goal later in the quarter made it 13-3 Jaguars.
But the Titans jumped back in it quick.
After Ward connected with Ayomanor for a 50-yard completion, Ward connected with tight end Daniel Bellinger for a two-yard touchdown pass to make it 13-10 with 5:06 left in the second quarter.
The Jaguars led 16-10 at the half on Little's third field goal of the day.
Another Slye field goal, this one from 54 yards, cut the lead to 16-13 with 12:35 left in the third quarter.
A pair of controversial officiating decisions led to Jacksonville's next touchdown.
First, officials called Titans defensive lineman John Franklin-Myers for roughing the passer on Lawrence, who had just thrown an incompletion on third down. It gave the Jaguars a first down, and later in the drive, Lawrence threw a touchdown pass to tight end Brenton Strange on a fourth-down play that ended with Titans coach Robert Saleh berating officials on what he felt should have been an offensive pass interference penalty because of a pick play.
The non-call gave the Jaguars a 23-13 lead.
On their ensuing drive, the Titans cut the lead to 23-16 on a 50-yard field goal by Slye.
The Jaguars stretched their lead to 30-16 on a 25-yard touchdown pass from Lawrence to Josh Cameron with 9:44 left.
But the Titans answered back quickly, scoring on a 32-yard touchdown pass from Ward to Pollard just over a minute later to make it 30-23.
Another field goal by Little, this one from 40 yards, made it 33-23 with 4:31 left.
Jaguars running back Bhayshui Tuten scored on a six-yard touchdown run with 1:10 left to account for the final score.
The Titans return to action next Sunday in Arlington, Texas, against the Dallas Cowboys.
