The Jaguars played tough last Saturday Night but it wasn’t enough to win the game.  David Garrard had a good game as he completed 22 of 33 passes for 278 yards with 2 TD passes and 1 interception.  He also carried the ball 3 times for 14 yards (4.7 ypc).  Fred Taylor didn’t find much running room against the Patriots as he rushed for 47 yards on 13 carries (3.6 ypc).  Maurice Jones-Drew only rushed for 19 yards on 6 carries (3.2 ypc) but he also caught 6 passes for 49 yards (8.2 avg).  Mercedes Lewis (4 rec, 74 yards), Matt Jones (3 rec, 48 yards, TD) and Ernest Wilford (2 rec, 21 yards, TD) all played well in the passing game for the Jaguars.  The Jaguars finished up with 80 yards rushing on 22 carries (3.6 ypc) and they also completed 22 of 33 passes for 270 yards.

The defense (which didn’t play well) was led by linebacker Daryl Smith (14 tackles) and defensive tackle John Henderson (8 tackles, sack).  The Patriots finished up with 145 yards rushing on 29 carries (5.0 ypc) and they also completed 26 of 28 passes for 258 yards.

What a football game this was.  The Jaguars rolled to a 28-7 lead after three quarters only to see the Steelers score three unanswered TDs to take the lead in this game.  The game all came down to a 4th and 2 play with not much time left when David Garrard had a nice long run to move the chains for the Jags and set up Josh Scobee to hit the eventual game winning field goal.  Garrard almost was the goat for the Jags in this game as his two 4th quarter interceptions really put the team behind the 8-ball but he came up big when the team really needed it.  Garrard completed 9 of 21 passes for 140 yards with 1 TD pass and 2 interceptions.  He also carried the football 5 times for 58 yards (11.6 ypc) to lead the Jags in rushing.  Fred Taylor found the Steelers defense a little tougher than the last time they played as he carried the football 16 times for 48 yards (3.0 ypc) with a TD run.  Maurice Jones-Drew was the biggest thorn in the Steelers side in this game.  Drew returned a kickoff 96-yards in the first quarter to set Fred Taylor up for a 1-yard TD plunge.  This deflated the crowd a bit at Heinz Field as it answered a long Steelers TD drive on their first series of the game.  Drew carried the ball 8 times for 29 yards (3.6 ypc) with a TD run and he also caught one pass…..a 43-yard TD!  The Jaguars finished up with 135 yards rushing on 29 carries (4.7 ypc) and they also completed 9 of 21 passes for 104 yards.

Sammy Knight (13 tackles) and James Durant (12 tackles) were the busiest players on the defense for the Jags.  But it was Rashean Mathis and Derek Landri who were the real stars of this game for the Jags.  Rashean Mathis only had 2 tackles but he picked “Big Ben” off two times including one that he returned 63-yards for a TD.  Reserve defense tackle Derek Landri was all over the place despite only making one tackle in this game.  That’s because Landri also had a sack, an interception and he recovered the fumble to end the Steelers last possession of the game.  The Steelers finished up with only 43 yards rushing on 26 carries (1.7 ypc) and they also completed 29 of 42 passes for 297 yards.

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The Jaguars didn’t play any of their regulars and they still played a good game and could have won it if they didn’t let Andre’ Davis of the Texans to return two long kickoffs covering 201 yards for TDs.  Quinn Gray had the best game of his NFL career as he completed 25 of 39 passes for 302 yards with 4 TD passes.  Greg Jones led the Jaguars in rushing with 71 yards rushing on 14 carries (5.1 ypc) and he also caught 3 passes for 27 yards (9.0 avg).  LaBrandon Toefield also got some work in as he rushed for 15 yards on 7 carries (2.1 ypc).  Matt Jones had the best game of his NFL career as he caught 8 passes for 138 yards (17.3 avg) with a TD grab.  Ernest Wilford also had an outstanding game as he caught 6 passes for 58 yards (9.7 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  The Jaguars finished up with 96 yards rushing on 23 carries (4.2 ypc) and they also completed 25 of 39 passes for 285 yards.

Linebacker Brian Iwuh led the way on defense for the Jaguars with 7 tackles.  The Texans finished up with 170 yards rushing on 34 carries (5.0 ypc) and they also completed 11 of 18 passes for 120 yards.

The Jaguars knew that all they had to do was beat the Raiders to make the playoffs and they came out with fire in their eyes.  David Garrard had a really solid all-around game as he completed 11 of 18 passes for 199 yards with 2 TD passes and 1 interception.  He also carried the ball 4 times for 19 yards (4.8 ypc) with a TD run.  Quinn Gray finished up in garbage time and he played well also.  Gray completed 5 of 8 passes for 54 yards with 2 TD passes.  He also carried the ball 2 times for 16 yards (8.0 ypc).  Fred Taylor had a short, but very productive day as he carried the ball 7 times for 111 yards (15.9 ypc) with a TD run.  Maurice Drew also had a good game as he carried the ball 10 times for 44 yards (4.4 ypc) with a TD run and he also caught 6 passes for 96 yards (16.0 avg).  Reggie Williams, Matt Jones, Richard Angulo and Greg Jones each caught 1 TD pass apiece.  The Jaguars finished up with 201 yards rushing on 28 carries (7.2 ypc) and they also completed 16 of 26 passes for 236 yards.

Rookie linebacker Justin Durant (8 tackles, sack) and veteran safety Sammy Knight (8 tackles) led the way for the Jags defense.  The Raiders finished up with 110 yards rushing on 30 carries (3.7 ypc) and they also completed 13 of 31 passes for 105 yards.

The weather was really cold in Pittsburgh but it didn’t stop the Jaguars from punching the Steelers in the mouth.  The Jaguars dominated the clock holding the ball for 37:39 and they also out-yarded the Steelers 421-217!  David Garrard had a solid game as he completed 17 of 33 passes for 197 yards with 3 TD passes and 1 interception.  Fred Taylor shredded the Steelers defense with 147 yards rushing on 25 carries (5.9 ypc) and he had a TD run.  Maurice Drew also had a solid game with 12 carries for 69 yards (5.8 ypc) and he also caught 5 passes for 30 yards (6.0 avg).  Dennis Northcutt had a outstanding game as he caught 4 passes for 81 yards (20.3 avg) with a TD grab.  Ernest Wilford and Reggie Williams each added a TD grab.  The Jaguars finished up with 224 yards rushing on 42 carries (5.3 ypc) and they also completed 17 of 33 passes for 197 yards.

Rookie linebacker Justin Durant led the way for the Jags defense with 10 tackles.  The Steelers finished up with 111 yards rushing on 17 carries (6.5 ypc) and they also completed 16 of 33 passes for 106 yards.

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