Byron Leftwich threw for two touchdowns, Fred Taylor ran for a season-high 132 yards and the Jaguars
made a huge stop in the closing minutes to hand the Bengals their first
loss of the season, 23-20.
"This shows how good of a team we have," said Jags receiver Ernest Wilford, who caught an 11-yard touchdown pass in the third
quarter.
The Bengals started 4-0 for the first time since 1988 -- the franchise's
last Super Bowl season -- and entered the game as one of the last two
undefeated teams in the league.
But the Jaguars (3-2) took advantage of good field position early and
had two key stops in the fourth quarter that left AFC South rival
Indianapolis as the lone unbeaten.
"This was huge," Jags cornerback Rashean Mathis said. "There's a big difference between 3-2 and
2-3. It means a great deal."
Josh Scobee kicked three field goals, including a 51-yarder in
the second period and a 53-yarder with 9:45 to play that gave the
Jaguars a 10-point lead.
Jacksonville's defense held on from there -- barely -- and kept Palmer
from engineering a dramatic comeback.
Bobby McCray knocked the ball out of Palmer's hand at the
Jacksonville 45-yard line with 1:28 to play. Akin
Ayodele, who dropped a possible interception the play before,
recovered it.
The Jags ran out the clock from there.
The defense's other key stop came on fourth-and-1 at the Jags 39-yard
line with 14:30 remaining. Rudi Johnson
ran up the middle, and John Henderson
and Marcus Stroud stuffed him for no
gain. The Jags then drove 26 yards to set up Scobee's final field goal,
which tied his previous career long and the franchise record.
The Bengals used two long passes from Palmer to rookie Chris Henry to cut the lead to 23-20 with 5:16 remaining. Palmer hit
Henry down the sideline for a 47-yard gain, then hit the third-round
draft pick across the middle two plays later for a 25-yard score.
Aside from the final drive, nearly everything went right for the Bengals
late. Very little went right for them early.
Cincinnati fell behind 13-0 before Chad Johnson caught a 14-yard TD pass
from Palmer. Cincinnati had a 69-yard punt nullified by penalty, dropped
an interception, shanked a punt and had another one blocked -- all in
the first half.
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Carson Palmer and the Bengals had a tough time against the pesky Jaguars.
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The Jaguars had great field possession following the miscues, helping
them score a touchdown and a field goal.
"We dug ourselves a hole with field possession in the first half,"
Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said. "We didn't play very well at the
beginning of the game and we were playing up hill."
Leftwich found George Wrighster for a
26-yard score after gaining about 40 yards when Kyle Larson 's long punt was brought back because of an illegal
touching. Wrighster caught the pass in the flat, hurdled Deltha O'Neal at the 5 and trotted into the end zone.
When Cincinnati put together a decent drive Johnson turned the wrong way
on Palmer's deep pass and couldn't get to it. But Johnson and Palmer got
into it on the sideline, and Lewis had to separate them.
Larson's next punt was blocked, and the Jags got the ball at the Bengals
33. Scobee's 32-yard field goal made it 10-0.
Scobee followed with the 51-yard field goal that made it 13-0.
Palmer and Johnson, having worked things out, hooked up three times on
the next drive, including the 14-yarder for a touchdown.
But Johnson complained after the game that Palmer wasn't trying hard
enough to get him the ball.
"They didn't get it to me period!" said Johnson, who had five receptions
for 52 yards. "They doubled me the whole game. That happens every week.
Does that mean that when a team doubles me that I'm through? It's not
too hard to get it to (Terrell Owens) or Randy Moss."
Johnson made good on his promise of having something special planned if
he scored during Cincinnati's lone appearance in prime time this season.
He beat Mathis in the corner of the end zone, then performed CPR on the
football. He pretended to give it mouth-to-mouth and three chest
compressions.
"We need to win these," Johnson said. "I'm not satisfied with 4-1. The
Bengals of old might have been OK keeping it close. We're not supposed
to be close anymore."
Notes:
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The Jaguars extended the NFL's longest streak of not scoring at least
30 points to 54 games.
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The Bengals were without three starters: WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh
(hand), S Madieu Williams (shoulder) and C Rich Braham (knee).
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Taylor's last 100-yard game came last December, when he tore two knee
ligaments against Green Bay.