2003: Delhomme Rallies Panthers Past Jaguars

The Carolina Panthers and Jacksonville Jaguars, who had come into the NFL together in 1995, started off the 2003 season on September 7 in Charlotte. It was the head coaching debut for Jacksonville’s Jack Del Rio, who had been Carolina’s defensive coordinator the previous year.

The Jaguars were coming off of three straight losing seasons under their original head coach, Tom Coughlin, after having been a playoff team the previous four years. The team was looking to the future, not only by hiring Del Rio, but in drafting QB Byron Leftwich out of Marshall in the first round, although Mark Brunell, nearing his 33^rd birthday, would start the season. Sixth-year RB Fred Taylor was still a key player in the offense, although star WR Jimmy Smith, at age 34, appeared to be on the downside and would miss the first four games of the season due to a drug suspension. The defense was in transition.

Carolina, in its second year under Head Coach John Fox, was on the upswing. A 1-15 team two years earlier, the Panthers were 7-9 in ’02. 37-year-old QB Rodney Peete played well in the conservative offense the previous year, but Jake Delhomme (pictured above) had joined the team after five years as a backup in New Orleans to mount a challenge. RB Stephen Davis arrived from the Redskins to strengthen the ground game and 35-year-old WR Ricky Proehl to bolster the receiving corps. The defense was young and tough, featuring ends Julius Peppers and Mike Rucker up front.

There were 72,134 fans in attendance for opening day at Ericsson Stadium. Stephen Davis took a handoff on the first play from scrimmage of the game and ran for 20 yards, but it would prove to the Carolina’s only first down of the first half. The teams traded punts throughout the opening period until, early in the second quarter, Mark Brunell fumbled and DE Al Wallace recovered for the Panthers at the Jacksonville 31.

However, the punchless offense was unable to capitalize on the turnover, moving backward rather than forward. Peete was sacked for a nine-yard loss on third-and-nine, and Todd Sauerbrun punted for the fifth time. The Jaguars proceeded to drive 80 yards in nine plays. Brunell completed three passes, the longest to WR J.J. Stokes for 22 yards, and the Panthers were penalized twice. FB Marc Edwards ran two yards up the middle for a touchdown to cap the series and, with Seth Marler’s extra point, Jacksonville was ahead by 7-0.

The contest reverted to form until, with 29 seconds left, the Jaguars regained possession at their own 47 following a punt and 12-yard return by WR Jermaine Lewis. Brunell connected with Fred Taylor for 18 yards and, after a false start, tossed two short passes to Stokes before going long to WR Matthew Hatchette for a 33-yard touchdown on the last play of the half. Marler kicked the PAT and the visitors took a 14-0 lead into the intermission.

The Jaguars added more points with their first possession of the third quarter, driving 46 yards in ten plays that concluded with a 40-yard Marler field goal and 17-0 lead. When the Panthers came out for their first series of the second half, Jake Delhomme was at quarterback in place of Rodney Peete. Clearly excited at the opportunity to play, he immediately energized the offense. Davis ran the ball three times for 24 yards and the Panthers got on the board when Delhomme threw to WR Muhsin Muhammad for a 13-yard touchdown. John Kasay’s extra point made it a ten-point game.

Jacksonville had to punt following a short possession and the Panthers again drove to a score. Davis ran three times for 14 yards and caught a pass for another 11, one of two completions for Delhomme. However, after reaching the Jacksonville 20, an offensive pass interference penalty backed the Panthers up and they settled for a Kasay field goal from 49 yards. Still, they were just a touchdown behind at 17-10.

It got worse for the Jaguars, who bogged down in their own territory, thanks to a penalty and a sack. Carolina RB Rod Smart blocked Chris Hanson’s punt, which resulted in a safety and two more points for the Panthers.

WR Steve Smith returned the free kick 38 yards and, with Davis and RB DeShaun Foster running effectively, the Panthers again moved into Jacksonville territory. However, they came up empty this time when a Delhomme pass was intercepted by CB Rashean Mathis. The reprieve was a short one for the Jaguars as they went three-and-out and punted once again, and this time Carolina did not fail to reach the end zone, going 52 yards in seven plays. Delhomme had three more completions, with the last resulting in a 24-yard touchdown to Smith. An attempted two-point conversion failed, but the Panthers were in front by 18-17.

The Jaguars weren’t ready to quit, however, and pulled off a big play in short order as Brunell threw to Lewis for a 65-yard TD. They also failed in their try for a two-point conversion, but were back in the lead at 23-18 with less than six minutes to play.

Delhomme gave up another interception on the next series, this time by LB Akin Ayodele. Playing conservatively, the Jaguars punted the ball back four plays later, and Smith returned the kick 36 yards to give the Panthers good starting field position at their 46 with 3:34 remaining.

Davis ran twice for nine yards and Delhomme gained a yard to convert third down. Passes to Smith and Foster picked up 19 yards and, on a third-and-two play, Davis ran around end for four yards. Reaching the 12 and facing fourth-and-11, Delhomme threw to Ricky Proehl in the left corner of the end zone (pictured at right), who made the catch for the touchdown with a scant 16 seconds left to play. Yet another two-point conversion attempt failed, but Carolina was back in front by a point.

In the time remaining, Brunell passed the Jaguars down the field, but a 55-yard field goal try by Marler was blocked by safety Mike Minter and the Carolina celebration began. In dramatic fashion, the Panthers had won by a score of 24-23.

Jacksonville had the edge in total yards (331 to 242) although both teams generated 17 first downs. The Panthers turned the ball over twice, to one suffered by the Jaguars, and Jacksonville had the edge in sacks (five to four), although three of those sacks were of Peete during the first half. There were 17 penalties, divided almost evenly, with Carolina drawing nine and the Jaguars eight.

Jake Delhomme completed 12 of 20 passes for 122 yards and three touchdowns, giving up two interceptions. By comparison, Rodney Peete had been four of ten for 19 yards. Stephen Davis rushed for 111 yards on 22 carries. Steve Smith topped the Carolina receivers with four catches for 44 yards and a TD.

For the Jaguars, Mark Brunell (pictured at left) completed 13 straight passes at one point to tie the franchise record and ended up being successful on 23 of 27 throws for 272 yards and two TDs, with none intercepted. J.J. Stokes had the most catches, with 6 for 42 yards, while Jermaine Lewis gained 90 yards on three receptions, thanks to the long touchdown. Matthew Hatchette contributed 60 yards and a TD on his four catches and, in addition to rushing for 71 yards on 22 attempts, Fred Taylor also had 5 catches for 51 yards.

“We needed to do something to spark our offense and I thought Jake did an outstanding job,” said Coach John Fox. “We are going to enjoy this win and make decisions later.”

The decision was to make Jake Delhomme the starting quarterback, and the Panthers started off the season with five straight wins on the way to an 11-5 finish, NFC South title, and playoff run that made it to the Super Bowl, where they lost to the Patriots. Jacksonville, on the other hand, lost its first four games in going 5-11 and placed fourth in the AFC South.

Delhomme, in his first year as a starting quarterback, threw for 3219 yards and 19 touchdowns. He would remain with the Panthers for another six years. Stephen Davis ran for 1444 yards on 318 carries (4.5 avg.) and eight TDs and was selected to the Pro Bowl.

In what was his last of nine seasons in Jacksonville, Mark Brunell yielded the starting job at quarterback to the rookie Leftwich after three games. He ended up throwing just 82 passes for 484 yards and his two TD passes against the Panthers were his only ones of the year. Overall in Jacksonville, he passed for 25,698 yards and 144 touchdowns and was named to the Pro Bowl three times.

2011: Scobee Kicks Jaguars to Upset of Ravens

The Jacksonville Jaguars were floundering at 1-5 with no relief in sight as they took on the Baltimore Ravens on October 24, 2011. It had been nothing but one defeat after another for Head Coach Jack Del Rio’s team following an opening-week victory over the Titans. While the offense contained a formidable talent in RB Maurice Jones-Drew, scoring points was difficult with QB Blaine Gabbert very much a work in progress and a weak receiving corps. The defense was the far better unit, but could only do so much without more point production.

Meanwhile the Ravens, under Head Coach John Harbaugh, had been to the postseason in each of the previous three seasons and was 4-1 coming into the contest at Jacksonville. Long known for solid defense, Baltimore’s offense featured an outstanding running back of its own in Ray Rice and a skilled, if oft-criticized, quarterback in Joe Flacco.

There was a crowd of 62,976 for the Monday night game at EverBank Field. Neither offense was able to move effectively during the first quarter. The Jaguars got the first break when Rice fumbled (his first in 522 touches) and CB Rashean Mathis recovered at the Baltimore 34. But after a drive that featured Jones-Drew runs of 11 and 12 yards, the star running back fumbled on a first-and-goal play at the three and LB Jameel McClain recovered for the Ravens (originally ruled down by contact, the call was reversed upon replay).

Baltimore couldn’t get beyond its own seven yard line in the ensuing series and Sam Koch’s punt was returned 28 yards by WR Mike Thomas to give the Jaguars good field position at the Ravens’ 33. A nine-yard sack of Gabbert by LB Terrell Suggs in a third-and-four situation moved the ball back to the 36, but Josh Scobee (pictured above) successfully kicked a 54-yard field goal to make it a 3-0 game in favor of Jacksonville.

The defensive struggle continued into the second quarter. Midway through the period, Gabbert started a series for the Jaguars with back-to-back completions of 24 yards to WR Jason Hill and 11 yards to WR Mike Sims-Walker to get to the Baltimore 38. The drive stalled there and once again Gabbert was sacked on third down, but the ensuing punt was nullified when DE Paul Kruger was penalized for running into the kicker. While it was just a five-yard penalty, it led to three more points for the Jaguars as Scobee again connected from 54 yards. Neither of the teams was able to get out of its own territory for the remainder of the period and the score remained 6-0 at halftime. The Ravens had failed to register a first down and gained a total of just 25 yards of offense for the half (as opposed to 85 yards for the home team).

Jacksonville got the ball first in the third quarter and put together a long drive of 68 yards in 16 plays, helped along by three costly penalties on the Ravens. Scobee kicked his third field goal of the game from 22 yards to extend the lead for the Jaguars to 9-0.

Baltimore responded with a series that made it to the Jacksonville 27, but on third down Flacco was sacked for a seven-yard loss by FS Dwight Lowery and Billy Cundiff missed a field goal attempt from 52 yards.

Heading into the fourth quarter the teams traded punts until, with 5:22 on the clock, the Ravens put together a long scoring drive. Starting from their 10, Flacco completed five straight passes and, going to the air on every play, went 10 for 13. The last was complete to WR Anquan Boldin for a five-yard touchdown and, with the successful extra point, it was a two-point game at 9-7.

Now with just over two minutes remaining, Baltimore attempted an onside kick, but it was touched by a Raven before going the required distance and Jacksonville took over. Three short carries by Jones-Drew set up a 51-yard field goal attempt by Scobee that was successful. While there was still time for the Ravens to try and win the game, a Flacco pass was intercepted by CB Drew Coleman to nail down the 12-7 win for the Jaguars.

In a game in which neither offense had much success, Jacksonville led in total yards (205 to 146) and first downs (13 to 11). Baltimore’s normally proficient ground game was held to 34 yards while the Jaguars had just 73 net passing yards. The Ravens turned the ball over twice, to one turnover by Jacksonville, and also hurt themselves with 10 penalties.

Maurice Jones-Drew (pictured above) was, not surprisingly, the key to the offense with 105 yards on 30 carries, making him the first running back to reach the 100-yard mark in a game against the Ravens defense in 2011. Blaine Gabbert completed 9 of 20 passes for 93 yards, and while none were for scores, he also threw no interceptions. Jason Hill was the top receiver with 4 catches for 62 yards. Josh Scobee became the sixth NFL placekicker to boot three field goals from over 50 yards in a game.

For the Ravens, Joe Flacco was successful on 21 of 38 throws for 137 yards with a TD and an interception. Ray Rice rushed for just 28 yards on 8 carries but also led the club in receptions with 5 catches for 35 yards. Anquan Boldin gained 40 yards on his four receptions that included the only touchdown of the game.

“It finally feels good to win one after all those losses,” said Maurice Jones-Drew.

“They basically beat us with their defense,” summed up Coach Harbaugh for the Ravens. “I don’t think it was any one thing. It was a lack of execution. It’s almost as bad as you can play on offense.”

“You’ve got to give them (the Jaguars) credit,” added Anquan Boldin. “They played like it was their Super Bowl.”

The Jaguars lost the next week and won just once more before Coach Del Rio was fired. Overall, they ended up with a 5-11 record to finish third in the AFC South. Baltimore recovered to win 8 of their remaining 10 regular season contests and top the AFC North at 12-4. The Ravens advanced to the AFC Championship game before succumbing to the New England Patriots.

Maurice Jones-Drew led the league with 343 carries for 1606 yards and was a consensus first-team All-Pro as well as Pro Bowl selection.

In his eighth season with Jacksonville, Josh Scobee ranked third in field goal percentage (92 %) as he connected on 23 of 25 attempts. He was five of six from 50 or more yards out.

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(NOTE TO READERS: Today's post marks the third anniversary of the launch of Today in Pro Football History. For regular readers, thank you, I hope you have enjoyed it and will continue to do so. For newcomers, I encourage you to take a look at the archived material. Feedback and suggestions are always welcome - there is an e-mail link on my profile page.)

2008: Jaguars Survive Comeback to Beat Steelers in Wild Card Playoff Game

The Pittsburgh Steelers were the hosts for the AFC Wild Card playoff game against the Jacksonville Jaguars on January 5, 2008, yet they were widely considered to be underdogs. For one thing, the Steelers had won the AFC North in 2007 with a 10-6 record while Jacksonville placed second in the AFC South and secured a wild card slot at 11-5. Furthermore, the Jaguars had beaten the Steelers at Heinz Field during the regular season and seemed to have the momentum coming into the game – while Pittsburgh lost three of its last four contests, Jacksonville had won six of the final eight regular season games.

The Steelers, under first-year Head Coach Mike Tomlin, bounced back from a disappointing 8-8 record in 2006, a year after winning the Super Bowl. However, by the time they reached the playoffs, they were without five starters, including RB Willie Parker, who rushed for 1316 yards before suffering a broken leg. Star SS Troy Polamalu was playing, but had suffered through an injury-riddled year and was not in top form. Still, the offense featured QB Ben Roethlisberger, coming off his best year to date in his fourth season, and WR Hines Ward. The defense was as tough and seasoned as usual, and had benefited from the play of LB James Harrison in his breakout year.

Jacksonville was coached by Jack Del Rio and featured a ball-control running game on offense. The one-two running back punch of 31-year-old veteran Fred Taylor (1202 yards, five touchdowns) and 22-year-old Maurice Jones-Drew (768 yards, 9 TDs), in his second season, was potent. QB David Garrard was in his sixth year, but only second as the starter, and while his numbers weren’t overwhelming, he was intercepted only three times while tossing 18 touchdown passes. The defense was tough, especially at linebacker, but was also without tackles John Henderson and Marcus Stroud due to injury.


There was an enthusiastic crowd of 63,629 in attendance on a Saturday night at Heinz Field. They saw the Steelers start off well on the game’s initial series. Pittsburgh went 80 yards in 10 plays, highlighted by Roethlisberger (pictured at right) throwing to Ward for a 31-yard gain in a third-and-four situation and a 15-yard personal foul penalty on the Jaguars on a play in which the quarterback had been sacked. RB Najeh Davenport went up the middle for the final yard and a touchdown that put the Steelers ahead by 7-0.

The Pittsburgh fans were in a frenzy, but it didn’t take Jacksonville long to respond as Jones-Drew returned the ensuing kickoff 96 yards down the middle of the field to the Steelers’ one yard line. Taylor scored on the next play and Josh Scobee’s extra point made it 7-7.

The teams traded punts until CB Rashean Mathis intercepted a Roethlisberger pass and returned it 63 yards for a touchdown. Three plays after the Steelers got the ball back, Mathis picked Roethlisberger off again, and while the return was only for a yard this time, it gave the Jaguars the ball at the Pittsburgh 46 and set up another score. It only took two plays as Jones-Drew caught a swing pass from Garrard and turned it into a 43-yard touchdown.

Following a three-and-out possession by the Steelers, Jacksonville again had good field position following a punt and drove to the Pittsburgh 28. However, Scobee’s 46-yard field goal attempt was wide to the right.

Getting the ball again just before the two-minute warning, the Steelers drove from their 36 to the Jacksonville 21. Roethlisberger completed five passes (one was taken away following a challenge) including 18 yards to Davenport on a third-and-four play. However, backup DT Derek Landri intercepted a pass – the third given up by Roethlisberger – to end the threat and the teams went into halftime with the Jaguars maintaining a 21-7 lead.

The Steelers got a break early in the third quarter when LB James Farrior intercepted a Garrard pass, giving them the ball at the Jacksonville 43. Pittsburgh advanced to the 10 yard line in seven plays and Jeff Reed booted a 28-yard field goal.

The Jaguars came right back with an eight-play, 82-yard drive of their own. Garrard scrambled for 12 yards and a first down in a third-and-two situation from his own 26 and a facemask penalty moved the ball past midfield. Garrard then completed back-to-back passes to WR Ernest Wilford for 20 and 19 yards to the Pittsburgh 10. From there, Jones-Drew ran 10 yards off tackle for a touchdown and Jacksonville led by a daunting 28-10 margin.

That was the score heading into the fourth quarter, but on the first play of the final period Roethlisberger threw to WR Santonio Holmes for a 37-yard touchdown that, with the successful PAT, made it an 11-point game. The Jaguars went three-and-out on their next possession and Pittsburgh, taking over at its 31 yard line following the punt, scored again in ten plays. Roethlisberger completed six passes, three of them to Ward and one for a 14-yard TD to TE Heath Miller. The Steelers went for a two-point conversion and initially appeared to have succeeded when Roethlisberger threw to Ward in the end zone, but it was nullified by a holding penalty and Roethlisberger’s attempt to then run the ball in failed. Still, Jacksonville’s lead was down to just five points at 28-23.

Three plays into the Jaguars’ next series, Garrard was again intercepted, this time by CB Ike Taylor, who returned it 31 yards to the Jacksonville 16. Roethlisberger threw to RB Carey Davis for eight yards and, two plays later, it was first-and-goal at the five. However, after a pass to Ward gained four yards to the one, Roethlisberger threw three straight incompletions. The last was on fourth down, but drew a pass interference penalty and Davenport ran in for the touchdown that put Pittsburgh in the lead by a point. Once more, the Steelers tried for a two-point conversion, and once again it failed as Roethlisberger’s pass intended for WR Nate Washington fell incomplete. Still, Pittsburgh had put together a 19-point run to go in front by 29-28 with 6:21 remaining on the clock.

Jacksonville’s offense had been quiet, but showed signs of life. Taking over at their 22, the Jaguars were moved backward by a penalty but, on a third-and-13 play, Garrard completed a pass to WR Dennis Northcutt for 17 yards and a first down. The drive stalled thereafter, and LB LaMarr Woodley’s sack of Garrard forced a punt. A 53-yard kick by Adam Podlesh, combined with an eight-yard return by WR Cedrick Wilson, had the Steelers taking over at their 22.

Now it was the turn of Pittsburgh’s offense to go three-and-out, and Daniel Sepulveda’s punt and Northcutt’s 16-yard return gave the Jaguars good field position near midfield with 2:38 to go.

Facing a fourth-and-two situation at the Pittsburgh 43, Garrard made the pivotal play of the game as he ran for 32 yards on a quarterback draw to the eleven yard line (pictured at top). After running the clock down to 40 seconds, Scobee came on to kick a 20-yard field goal that put the Jaguars back in front. Following the kickoff, Roethlisberger fumbled when sacked, Jacksonville recovered, and that was it as the Jaguars held on for the 31-29 win.

The Steelers had more total yards (340 to 239) and first downs (24 to 14) than Jacksonville. However, Pittsburgh also turned the ball over four times, to two suffered by the Jaguars, and the quarterback known as “Big Ben” was sacked six times (Garrard was dumped on four occasions). Ultimately, the decision to try for two-point conversions following the last pair of Pittsburgh touchdowns had big consequences in what ended up being a two-point game when they failed. The Steelers were also hurt by the lack of a running attack, particularly after the first quarter, as they gained just 43 yards on 26 attempts (to 135 yards on 29 carries for Jacksonville).

Thanks to the long fourth-down run, David Garrard led the Jaguars in rushing with 58 yards on 5 attempts while completing 9 of 21 passes for 140 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. Fred Taylor was held to 48 yards on 16 carries and Maurice Jones-Drew (pictured below) added 29 yards and a TD on 8 rushes. Jones-Drew also had 43 yards and a score on his lone pass reception while Ernest Wilford caught two passes for 39 yards.


Ben Roethlisberger went to the air 42 times and completed 29 for 337 yards with two TDs and the three first-half interceptions. Hines Ward caught 10 of those passes for 135 yards and Heath Miller contributed 8 receptions for 85 yards and a touchdown. Najeh Davenport led the anemic running game with 25 yards on 16 attempts, although two were good for scores.

“They kind of lost their gaps, they thought pass, I was able to get through there,” said Garrard of his key fourth down carry. “I just wanted to get a first down. I did enough to get into field-goal range and that was all I was thinking about.”

“It's very disappointing, everyone's fired up,” said Pittsburgh LB Clark Haggans. “We fought hard. We came up short. It was a play here, a play there.”

“We fell short,” summed up Mike Tomlin. “Nothing really soothes the feeling we have right now.”

Jacksonville lost the next week in the Divisional round to the undefeated New England Patriots. They dropped to a disappointing 5-11 in ’08. The Steelers, on the other hand, came back to go 12-4 and win the Super Bowl.

2009: Chris Johnson Runs for 228 Yards as Titans Beat Jaguars

The Tennessee Titans were in the midst of a dreadful season coming off of their bye week as they hosted the Jacksonville Jaguars on November 1, 2009 at LP Field. They were 0-6 and Head Coach Jeff Fisher, reportedly under pressure from owner Bud Adams, had decided to bench ineffective veteran QB Kerry Collins in favor of erratic Vince Young. It was a reversal of fortune as Collins had replaced Young following a season-opening loss in ’08 and the team had gone 12-3 the rest of the way to win the AFC South. While they lost to the Ravens in the Divisional playoff round, they had every reason to anticipate further success in 2009. Instead, they regressed on both sides of the ball and in their previous outing had been humiliated by the Patriots by a score of 59-0.

The Jaguars, under Head Coach Jack Del Rio, were 3-3 but all three wins had come in the last four games, including an easy victory over Tennessee. The team had undergone a significant overhaul, and there were several rookies in the starting lineup. Fourth-year veteran RB Maurice Jones-Drew was the key to the offense that was directed by QB David Garrard. The defense was a concern, however, due to a poor pass rush.

The first quarter was quiet, with Tennessee taking a 3-0 lead on a 48-yard field goal by Rob Bironas. On their first possession of the second quarter, the Titans went 54 yards in eight plays highlighted by Young pass completions to WR Nate Washington for 16 yards and 18 yards to TE Bo Scaife. Washington pulled in a six-yard touchdown pass and the score was 10-0.

The Titans got the ball back quickly when CB Rod Hood intercepted a Garrard pass near midfield that he returned to the Jacksonville 35. RB Chris Johnson (pictured at top) promptly took off around end for 22 yards and four plays later Bironas kicked another field goal, this time from 25 yards.

However, the Jaguars struck back in a hurry. On their first play following the kickoff, Jones-Drew ran for an 80-yard touchdown that narrowed Tennessee’s lead to 13-7. The Titans went three-and-out on their next possession, and while Jacksonville held onto the ball for eleven plays, the drive stalled at the Jaguars’ 46 and they were forced to punt. Tennessee held onto the six-point margin at halftime.

Jacksonville received the second half kickoff and once again struck with lightning quickness as Jones-Drew took off on another long scoring run, this time going 79 yards up the middle for the touchdown. The extra point attempt was blocked, but the Jaguars had tied the game at 13-13. It proved to be the high water mark for Jacksonville.

The Titans weren’t long in responding - a seven-play drive ended with Johnson running 52 yards for a TD and 20-13 Tennessee lead. Jacksonville went three-and-out and the Titans put together another scoring drive, with Young completing two passes as Tennessee went 40 yards in seven plays. Bironas booted a 45-yard field goal and the Titans were up by ten points at 23-13.

Following another Jacksonville possession that ended in a punt, the Titans took over at their own five yard line in the last minute of the third quarter. Johnson ran twice for six yards, but started the fourth quarter off with a bang as he ran 89 yards for a touchdown that essentially sealed the game for Tennessee.

The Jaguars were unable to move the ball effectively in their last three possessions, which resulted in an interception and two punts, and Tennessee came away with a convincing 30-13 win.

The Titans controlled the ball for far more plays (67 to 49) and longer time of possession (39:43 to 20:17) as they outgained the Jaguars (430 yards to 330) and had more first downs (20 to 12). 305 of those yards came on the ground and Tennessee didn’t turn the ball over at all, while Jacksonville did so twice. The Titans also sacked Garrard four times, while Young was not dumped at all by the Jaguars.

Chris Johnson set a franchise record by rushing for 228 yards on 24 carries that included two touchdowns, both of over 50 yards. Vince Young played conservatively but effectively as he completed 15 of 18 passes for 125 yards and a TD; he also added to the rushing total by gaining 30 on 12 carries (including two kneel-downs at the end). Bo Scaife caught four passes for 27 yards while WR Justin Gage gained 41 yards on his three receptions.


Overshadowed for the Jaguars in this game of big plays was Maurice Jones-Drew (pictured above), who rushed for 177 yards on just eight attempts that included two long scoring carries. He averaged 22.1 yards per attempt and became the third player in league history to have two scoring runs of 75 yards or longer in a game. Indeed, between Johnson and Jones-Drew, it was the first NFL game with four rushing touchdowns of 50 or more yards.

The other statistics for Jacksonville were far less impressive. David Garrard was successful on just 14 of 27 passes for 139 yards with no TDs and two interceptions. WR Mike Thomas was the leading receiver with four catches for 55 yards.

“He looked all right out there,” Bud Adams said of Vince Young. “I think he's coming around a lot. I think there's some things that happened to him early in his career that didn't let him concentrate on football. I think he realized he needed to work at it hard. And he has shown that.”

“It's just one week at a time now we got the first win,” Coach Jeff Fisher said, looking ahead after the team’s first win of the season. “Unfortunately, it took us a little bit too long. Now we're going to take it and just move on.”

The Titans moved on in surprising fashion as the win over Jacksonville was the first of five straight. Two losses in the last five contests kept them from qualifying for the playoffs, but as it was Tennessee finished at 8-8 and third in the AFC South. Behind them was Jacksonville at 7-9.

Chris Johnson played a major role in the second half surge and ended up as the NFL’s leading rusher while joining the exclusive two thousand-yard rushing club (2006 on 358 carries for a 5.6-yard average with 14 touchdowns). Adding on two pass receiving TDs, he had 16, which tied for second in the league with Maurice Jones-Drew. Jones-Drew ranked fourth among the league’s runners with 1391 yards on 312 attempts with 15 rushing touchdowns.

Vince Young (pictured below) went on to complete 58.7 percent of his passes (152 of 259) for 1879 yards with 10 TDs and 7 interceptions. He also rushed for 281 yards and was named to the Pro Bowl. It was a high point in a decidedly up-and-down career in Tennessee that ultimately ended badly – by the conclusion of the 2010 season, the Titans formally cut ties with the talented but drama-prone and inconsistent quarterback.

2004: Jaguars Overcome Cold and Favre to Beat Packers

It was frigid at Green Bay’s Lambeau Field on December 19, 2004, with temperatures in the single digits and a wind chill of minus 12. Such conditions often proved too much for visiting teams from warm-weather parts of the country, and the Packers’ opponent on this day was the Jacksonville Jaguars. Moreover, Green Bay was 31-3 in home games after December 1 with Brett Favre at quarterback.

The Packers, under Head Coach Mike Sherman, were 8-5 coming into the game, and had won seven of their last eight. The key to the offense was the 35-year-old Favre, as had been the case since he took over as starting quarterback in 1992. WR Javon Walker provided a productive target for the veteran passer to throw to while RB Ahman Green was a solid runner, although occasionally fumble-prone and nicked by injuries. Defense was a nagging problem.

Head Coach Jack Del Rio’s Jaguars came into the contest at 7-6. They had gotten off to a 5-2 start but then lost four of five before beating the Bears at home the week before. Jacksonville had a second-year starting quarterback in big (6’5”, 245 pounds) Byron Leftwich, and he had an outstanding veteran target in WR Jimmy Smith. Explosive seventh-year RB Fred Taylor (pictured above) handled the bulk of the rushing. The team had run into problems with scoring, however – in the six previous games, they had reached 20 points in only two of them.

The Jaguars quickly scored first in the opening period. On the second play from scrimmage, Taylor ran 46 yards to the Green Bay 31 yard line, and from there Leftwich threw a touchdown pass to Smith.

Neither team was able to move the ball effectively for the remainder of the first quarter, but early in the second quarter Ryan Longwell put the Packers on the board with a 35-yard field goal. It was Longwell’s 45th consecutive field goal from within 40 yards, but the string was broken on the next Green Bay possession when, following an 11-play drive, the placekicker missed from 31 yards.

Green Bay went ahead thanks to a heads-up defensive play by safety Darren Sharper. Having been sacked on the previous play, Leftwich was hit and fumbled, but several players on both sides thought it was an incomplete pass and didn’t try to recover the ball. Jacksonville G Vic Manuwai picked it up, but Sharper alertly knocked it out of his hand, recovered, and ran 15 yards for a touchdown. The Packers took a 10-7 lead.

The Jaguars came right back, however, going 68 yards in four plays that culminated in Leftwich again tossing a TD pass to Smith, this time of 16 yards. Green Bay had an opportunity to score again before halftime, but after driving to the Jacksonville 23, Favre fumbled and LB Daryl Smith recovered to snuff out the threat. The Jaguars held a 14-10 lead at the intermission.

The Packers put together a six-play, 76-yard drive to start the third quarter that ended with Favre tossing a 32-yard touchdown pass to WR Donald Driver. But once again Jacksonville responded in kind as Taylor ran 37 yards for a TD that put the Jaguars back in front at 21-17.

Favre completed four passes in the next Green Bay drive, but after getting to the Jacksonville three he was intercepted by CB Rashean Mathis in the end zone. Again the teams traded punts, but in the fourth quarter, the Jaguars culminated a 10-play drive that covered 58 yards with RB Greg Jones scoring from a yard out on a fourth-and-goal play to increase the lead to 28-17.

Favre was intercepted twice more, including once deep in Jacksonville territory, before finally hitting WR Antonio Chatman for a seven-yard TD. The Packers narrowed the Jaguar lead to three points by successfully tacking on a two-point conversion on a Favre-to-Driver pass. But there was now just over a minute left to play, and an attempted onside kick was recovered by Jacksonville safety Nick Sorensen; the Jaguars were able to run out the clock and came away with a 28-25 upset win.

Green Bay outgained the Jaguars (444 yards to 312) and had 26 first downs to Jacksonville’s 19. But they were undone by five turnovers (to two by the Jaguars) and 12 penalties that cost 101 yards, as opposed to 7 for 85 yards against the visitors.

Both quarterbacks came away battered, although they made it all the way through, and there was a scary moment in the fourth quarter when Green Bay WR Robert Ferguson was clotheslined by Jaguars safety Donovin Darius (who was ejected) and suffered a sprained neck.

Jacksonville ran the ball especially well, gaining 197 yards overall on the ground. Fred Taylor led the way with 165 yards on 22 carries and a touchdown. Byron Leftwich completed 9 of 20 passes for 121 yards with two TDs and no interceptions. Jimmy Smith caught 4 passes for 87 yards and both scoring passes.

Brett Favre (pictured below) filled the air with passes, throwing 44 times and completing 30 for 367 yards. However, while two of them were good for touchdowns, three were intercepted (two by Rashean Mathis). Javon Walker caught 11 passes for 152 yards while Donald Driver had 4 receptions for 74 yards and a TD and Antonio Chatman also pulled in 4 passes, for 48 yards and a score. Ahman Green ran for 94 yards on 17 attempts.


“A team that plays in Florida in the 80s and 70s, you just can't condition your body for the temperatures you are going to feel,” Coach Del Rio said afterward. “But you can condition your mind and I felt we were ready from that standpoint.”

Mike Sherman complimented the Jaguars by saying, “They have the talent to play in any conditions.”

Despite falling to 8-6, the Packers clinched a spot in the postseason because the Bears, Cowboys, Panthers, and Giants all lost on the same weekend. Green Bay finished strong to win the NFC North with a 10-6 record, but lost to Minnesota in the Wild Card playoff. Jacksonville lost the following week and ended up at 9-7; it was an improvement and good enough for second place in the AFC South, but the Jaguars failed to qualify for the playoffs.

Fred Taylor rushed for over a thousand yards for the third straight year, and the fifth of an eventual seven seasons. He gained 1224 yards on 260 carries (4.7 avg.) with two touchdowns and caught 36 passes for another 345 yards and a TD. However, he missed the last two games in ’04 due to a knee injury that required arthroscopic surgery.

Brett Favre ranked fifth in the NFL with 4088 yards passing and fourth with 30 touchdown passes. He also tied for fifth by tossing 17 interceptions.


Favre wasn’t selected to the Pro Bowl for the first time in four years, but Javon Walker (pictured at left) was after catching 89 passes for 1382 yards (third in the NFL) and 12 touchdowns. However, he appeared in only one game in 2005 before going on injured reserve with a knee injury and ended an acrimonious relationship with the team when dealt to Denver in ’06.

2003: Fred Taylor Runs for 152 Yards as Jaguars Upset Colts

The Jacksonville Jaguars were a dreadful 1-7 as they hosted the 7-1 Indianapolis Colts at ALLTEL Stadium on November 9, 2003. Jacksonville was coming off of three straight losing seasons and was struggling under first-year Head Coach Jack Del Rio. Veteran QB Mark Brunell, anticipated to be on his way out after eight seasons with the club, was injured and had been replaced by rookie first-round draft pick Byron Leftwich, who was experiencing typical growing pains. Moreover, the Jaguars had never beaten the Colts in five meetings (they had only just become members of the same division as a result of the NFL’s realignment the previous year).

It hardly seemed likely that the Jaguars would have better luck this time against Head Coach Tony Dungy’s Colts. With significant playmakers on offense that included QB Peyton Manning, WR Marvin Harrison, and RB Edgerrin James and a tough defense anchored by DE Dwight Freeney, the Colts were playing like a championship contender and had pulled out some impressive wins along the way.

Jaguars RB Fred Taylor (pictured above) set the tone in the lead-up to the game as he complained about excessively rough play by Colts rookie SS Mike Doss in the previous meeting of the two teams earlier in the season and said, “I'm going to punish him. If he hits me, fine, but if I catch him, believe me, I'm going to get the better shot.” The veteran running back, one of the key players on the offense, was both healthy and motivated, and ultimately, the team gained a lift as a result.

It was Indianapolis getting on the board first, though, as Manning connected with Harrison for a 30-yard touchdown. Jacksonville responded with a seven-play, 43-yard drive later in the first quarter that ended with Taylor running for a five-yard touchdown. But the second quarter was all Colts as Mike Vanderjagt kicked field goals of 27 and 26 yards and TE Marcus Pollard scored a touchdown on a 13-yard pass from Manning just before the end of the half. Indianapolis had a seemingly-secure 20-7 lead at the intermission. However, they had lost Harrison for the remainder of the game due to a strained hamstring.

The Jaguars, who had been held to 85 total yards in the first half, opened the third quarter with an 80-yard drive in 13 plays that resulted in Leftwich running for a four-yard touchdown. Then, early in the fourth quarter, Leftwich completed a 28-yard pass to TE George Wrighster that bounced off of at least three Colts defenders before the tight end pulled it in. Leftwich followed up with a 43-yard touchdown pass to veteran WR Jimmy Smith, and with the successful extra point, Jacksonville was in the lead at 21-20.

The Colts came right back as Manning completed a pass to Pollard for a 70-yard gain to the Jaguars’ nine yard line, but an apparent touchdown throw to WR Troy Walters was nullified because Walters had stepped out of bounds prior to making the catch. The Colts settled for a 27-yard field goal by Vanderjagt to retake the lead, 23-21, with 5:16 left on the clock.

Jacksonville responded by driving to the Indianapolis 11, but an attempted field goal was botched when holder Mark Royals couldn’t handle the snap and, tossing a desperation pass, was intercepted by LB David Thornton.

There were just over two minutes remaining, but the Colts were unable to gain a first down that would have allowed them to run out the clock and had to punt. The short kick was returned 27 yards by Jacksonville RB David Allen to the Indianapolis 31. Two plays later, and after losing a yard, Taylor broke three tackles (including one by Doss) and ran 32 yards for a touchdown.

The Jaguars had a five-point lead, but the Colts still had one last opportunity with a timeout remaining. However, with 11 seconds left safety Deke Cooper picked off a Manning pass to seal the stunning 28-23 win for the Jaguars.

Jacksonville dominated the second half, gaining 268 of 353 total yards and successfully converting seven of eight third down situations. The Colts outgained the Jaguars overall with 394 yards, but the fact that the yardage total ended up being so close and that the clubs were even with 20 first downs apiece testified to Jacksonville’s strong second half surge after being dominated for the first two quarters.


Fred Taylor had his best game of the season, gaining 152 yards on 28 carries with two touchdowns; he also caught two passes for another 32 yards. Byron Leftwich (pictured at left) had his strongest performance to date, completing 12 of 22 passes for 179 yards with a TD and none intercepted. Jimmy Smith led the receivers with four catches for 87 yards and a score.

For the Colts, Peyton Manning was successful on 28 of 45 passes for 347 yards with two touchdowns, but also two interceptions. Edgerrin James led the rushers with just 44 yards on 15 carries – he went largely unused during much of the second half and was replaced by Ricky Williams, considered the better receiver out of the backfield, although he was co-leader for the Colts with six pass receptions (for 26 yards). WR Reggie Wayne also caught six passes, for 46 yards, while Marcus Pollard gained 92 yards and scored a TD on his three receptions.

A frustrated James complained in the locker room afterward, “Maybe I'm not good enough, but I don't make those decisions. I don't know why we had so many screens called. That's not my call. I just do my job.” However, all was well the next week as he ran for 127 yards, Manning passed for 401, and the Colts defeated the Jets. Indianapolis ended the regular season atop the AFC South with a 12-4 record and won two playoff games before succumbing to New England in the AFC Championship game.

A happy Fred Taylor said afterward, “I probably should have just taken the silent approach, but sometimes things happen, so I just put it out there, and my teammates backed me up.” The Jaguars crashed back to earth at Tennessee the next week in a 10-3 loss, but won three more games the rest of the way to finish at 5-11, the same as the Texans, at the bottom of the division.

Taylor ranked sixth in the NFL with a career-high 1572 yards on 345 carries (4.6 avg.) with six touchdowns. In 11 seasons with Jacksonville, he gained 11,271 yards on the ground.

While his career with the Jaguars was ultimately disappointing, Byron Leftwich had a decent rookie season in which he completed 57.2 % of his passes and averaged a healthy 11.8 yards on 239 completions. He threw 14 touchdown passes, against 16 interceptions.