Miracle Kick Rescues Jaguars from Manning Magic

In a totally stunning and improbable ending to an absolute thriller of a game, the Jaguars’ Josh Scobee booted a 51-yard game-winning field goal that gave Jacksonville a 23-21 victory in Indianapolis.  Scobee’s kick and the desperate, last-minute drive which preceded it, negated a dose of Manning magic, which certainly seemed to all the world to have given the Colts the game with a little over a minute remaining.  The Jaguars were rescued by a heaven-sent Colts pass interference penalty on 4th and 1.  This allowed David Garrard, with only 0:25 remaining, to command the Jags down the field, covering 27 yards with three efficient passes, and earning a chance for Scobee to win it with his foot from the outside edge of his range.

Scobee’s field goal capped an unexpected reversal in a game where Peyton Manning had seemingly stolen victory from the Jaguars with a “final” drive of his own.  Manning was handed the ball with a 6-point deficit and 2:27 to play and did what Manning does, rendering the Jags secondary powerless with a flurry of passes, most key among them a bold 27-yard bomb to Marvin Harrison whentheir backs were against the wall on 4th and 2.  That stunning pass was followed by a 12-yard Manning scramble and a 20-yard strike to Reggie Wayne at the Jaguars 3 yard line, which appeared to be the backbreaker.   After Addaipunched it in for a TD, there was only 1:07 left for Garrard to trump Manning with some magic of his own.

The eventual Jaguar victory was a just reward for a Jacksonville team that had built their late 6-point lead (before Manning’s magic) on a brilliantly executed ball control game plan.  Just as I implored them to do, the Jaguars rushed early and often, and their commitment to the run paid off with over a hundred yards each for the tandem of Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew.  This commitment was evident on rushing play calls in 2nd and 8 and 2nd and 11 situations, and in the fact that the Jags were not afraid to go with the run on consecutive plays at any point in the game. Overall, the Jaguars more than doubled up on the Colts on time of possession, with 41:35, compared to 18:25 for Indy.

The key running play for the Jaguars was a 34-yard scamper by Fred Taylor at the endof the third quarter that you will likely see on Sports Center at some point tonight or tomorrow.  Taylor was trapped behind the line of scrimmage, reversed direction, and then broke three tackles in his streak inside the 10 yard line.  (Jones-Drew then punched it in for the Jags only offensive TD a couple of plays later).  Taylor’s epic run was the type of breakthrough against a tired defense that is the payoff for committingto the run over the long haul of a game.  Taylor definitely contributed to this goal with his workmanlike efforts all game, fighting for yards, initiating contact, and even knocking the helmet off a defender in one great symbolic moment. Andthe one-two punch certainly worked to perfection with Maurice Jones-Drew as a slashing change of pace to Taylor’s power running.

The dedication to the running game also opened up holes for MJD on effective screen passes.  However the star of the passing game was Matt Jones, who had a breakthrough game.  Jones was brilliant on 3rd down, allowing the Jaguars to move the chains all four times he was thrown to in that situation.  I loved the Jags game plan to maximize Jones’s height advantage over the opposing secondary a yard or two in front of the marker, allowing him to get the ball and fight his way for the first down.  I also must praise the Jaguars offensive line for excellent protection of Garrard on these passes to Jones, on obvious passing downs of 3rd and 7 or 3rd and 5.  On the day Garrard did not get sacked once - kudos to the O-line for that.

The defense bailed out Garrard big time after a potentially damaging third quarter interception, when he forced an ill advised short pass right into traffic.  Only two plays later came a big pick by Brian Williams on the Jags goal line, as Manning was looking to score from the Jag 35.  This “double reversal” of momentum really kept the Jaguars in the game.  An equally huge contribution from the Jags secondary came in the first half, when corner Rashean Mathis jumped a route when the receiver slipped and streaked 61 yards for a huge pick-6.  This kept the Jags in the game and allowed them to roll out the dominating running that kept the ball in their hands virtually the entire third quarter.

Overall, the Jaguars defense I thought played very well, despite some breakdowns in the secondary against the passing of Manning.  The pressure on Manning was a continual influence, and, some damaging long passes notwithstanding, they were able to limit the future Hall of Famer to a 59 QB rating on the day.  Obviously the two huge interceptions were a big part of that.  The Jags only had one sack but the pressure did create a lot of incomplete passes andthrowaways.  There were also some moments where the Colts running game, with Joseph Addai, was effective, however the ball control strategy took Addai out of the game in the second half (he only saw the ball three times).

So even though Garrard threw the big interception again, after being so efficient protecting the ball last year (only 3 INTs in ‘07), and even though the game-winning drive almost petered out before they could get a single first down, that HUGE pass interference penalty on 4th and 1 changed everything and allowed Garrard to play the hero after all.  Hey, that’s football, sometimes you need a little luck to open the door for big plays.  And once luck intervened, Garrard was at his best with three consecutive completions with zero margin for error.  And that’s not to say Garrard wasn’t brilliant on some plays throughout the game which kept the Jags in it.  I appreciated Garrard’s improvisation on his shovel pass to fullback Greg Jones in the third; Garrard was totally trapped and somehow found the way to get the first down the only way he could. 

Ultimately, the Jaguars running game won the contest for them.  Yes there was some poor Colt tackling, yes there was a miracle penalty and yes that was a great boot from the foot of Scobee.  But none of that happens without the smashmouth efforts of Taylor and the fleet scampering of Jones-Drew.

After the game a giddy Garrard spoke of a “20,000 pound weight” being removed from the Jaguars shoulders after they earned their first victory of the season.  The fact that they basically had the game won, then blew it, and then miraculously snatched victory from the jaws of defeat, increases the emotional impact of the win exponentially.  In a game of attitude and confidence, a little luck can change the tide for a team dramatically.  What I’m saying is, this win strikes me as the type of victory that can change the outlook for a team from top to bottom, and turn an entire season around.  Will the 4th-and-1 pass interference penalty be the ultimate turning point for an eventual playoff run for the Jaguars??? Tune in to find out!

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