Some additional thoughts on the Tennessee Titans following their 21-13 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in Jacksonville:

Successful homecoming: Running back and returner Leon Washington grew up right near EverBank Field. He has played way more than I expected he would on offense this season, to the point I’d say he’s a Ken Whisenhunt favorite. He was a key part of the success the Titans did have on Thursday.

Washington caught an 8-yard pass from Charlie Whitehurst for the Titans' touchdown.

The third-down back got more action than usual, in part because Dexter McCluster was placed on injured reserve with a fractured kneecap earlier in the day.

The Titans looked to Washington seven times on third down, with three handoffs and four passes. He converted five of his seven chances, finishing with a team-high seven catches for 62 yards.

Third down: The Titans own the worst third-down offense in the league but converted seven of 15 chances, thanks in large part to Washington's efforts. It was the second-best third-down game for the team this season and the best since Week 5 against Cleveland. It wasn't enough to stop the team's losing streak, though.

Fourth-quarter run defense: The Titans came into the game having allowed a league-high 147 carries in the fourth quarter for 495 yards. That’s what happens to teams that trail as often as the Titans do.

Jacksonville picked up on that and was able to run in the final quarter to build and sit on its lead. Jordan Todman went for a 62-yard touchdown to grow the Jacksonville lead to 21-10 with 9:13 left in the game. The Jags ran 10 times for 92 yards and four first downs in the final period.

Beaten by the rookie: Blake Bortles went without throwing an interception for just the second time all season. The rookie quarterback also had his second-best running game of the season, with five carries for 50 yards.

Bortles converted a third-and-9 and a third-and-14 with runs, and the Jags turned both drives into touchdowns.

The third-and-14 play resulted in a 12-yard run, but Titans inside linebacker Avery Williamson was flagged for defensive holding of Marcedes Lewis. The play gave the Jaguars a first-and-goal at the Titans' 1-yard line, from where Toby Gerhart scored to give Jacksonville its first lead, 14-10.

Even a ground attack ranked 25th in the NFL had its way with Tennessee.

Mic’d Up: Receiver Nate Washington wore a microphone for NFL Network. He told the offense, “Just because we scored on the first drive doesn’t make us great; we play a full 60 minutes.”

Unfortunately for the Titans, the remainder of those 60 minutes produced two Ryan Succop field goals, a 50-yarder and a 23-yarder.