Who is the Jaguars' Greatest Rival?

The Jacksonville Jaguars have faced plenty of rival franchises in their short history.

Whether the old days of the AFC Central, their playoff bouts vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers, or the modern era battles with the AFC South, the Jaguars have seen enough emotional and pivotal contests in their time to develop some key rivalries.

Sports Illustrated recently took a look at the biggest rivals for every AFC franchise, and the pick for the Jaguars should create little surprise: the Tennessee Titans.

"The Jaguars are one of the newer franchises in the NFL, as are the remodeled Titans, who showed up in Nashville after the 1996 season," Sports Illustrated's Matt Verderame said.

"The two teams have formed an intense rivalry, starting in the old AFC Central and continuing after the 2002 realignment, which placed both in the AFC South. The apex of their animosity came in 1999, when the Jaguars went 14–2 and lost in the AFC title game. All three losses came to Tennessee."

While the highlights of the rivalry happened before this century, the two franchises have still has season-defining games in recent years.

In 2022, the Jaguars defeated the Titans at home in the final game of the regular season to win their second AFC South title under owner Shad Khan.

In 2023, the Titans kicked the Jaguars out of an AFC South title and playoff spot by defeating them in Nashville in Week 18, triggering a series of events that would eventually lead to the 2024 firing of head coach Doug Pederson.

The Jaguars and Titans each fell on hard times in 2024, leading to a lowlight year in terms of what is otherwise a normally heated and stake-filled battle twice a year.

With the Titans drafting Miami Hurricanes quarterback Cam Ward with the No. 1 pick of the 2025 NFL Draft and the Jaguars then following it up at No. 2 with Travis Hunter, each franchise has made the investments to turn around their fortunes for the 2025 season and beyond.

If each team is proven right by Ward and Hunter on the field, then we could soon see the Jaguars' best rivalry pick up some steam in the near future.