Why Titans-Jaguars fights got so heated: 'He said he would kill me'

Jeffery Simmons and Julius Chestnut can add two more hot-button moments to the ever-growing bulletin board that encompasses the Tennessee Titans vs Jacksonville Jaguars rivalry.

The Jaguars blew out the Titans 25-3 on Nov. 30 at Nissan Stadium, sending the Titans into December with a 1-11 record and in the pole position to earn the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. The game was sloppy, and that's a charitable reading of the events. The Titans were penalized 10 times, including four personal fouls. The Jaguars were penalized 13 times, including two personal fouls. This was the first game in the NFL all season where both teams were penalized 10 or more times and both teams were assessed more than 80 penalty yards.

The Titans caught the brunt of most severe penalties, with safety Mike Brown being ejected after a fourth quarter fight on a punt return. Simmons was flagged for a roughing the passer penalty earlier in the game and Chestnut seemed to trigger the fight on the punt when he tangled with several players, including Jaguars punter Logan Cooke.

According to the Titans in question, their Jaguars opponents had some fairly nasty things to say in the moment.

Simmons explained his penalty came when a Jaguars offensive lineman stood over him while making a vulgar remark.

“It is what it is,” Simmons said. “Yeah, the ref said he thought I grabbed his facemask but I didn’t. It is what it is.”

"He said he would kill me," Chestnut said of his interaction with Cooke. "That’s what he said. He came up to me and said he’d kill me. Never heard that one before. That was strange. Especially a punter, you know. It was strange."

Chestnut said he doesn't know what could've caused the anger from Jacksonville's players. He says he made a block on Cooke a few plays earlier and that could've contributed to the animosity, but said he doesn't think anything more happened.

Several Titans spoke after the game about frustration levels being higher in a 1-11 season, but others attributed the chippiness to the intensity of playing an AFC South opponent.

The Titans and Jaguars (8-4) will face off again in Jacksonville to end the season in Week 18. Days and times have not yet been announced for that contest.

Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at [email protected]. Follow Nick on X @nicksuss. Subscribe to the Talkin’ Titans newsletter for updates sent directly to your inbox.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Titans-Jaguars boils over in fights: 'He said he would kill me'