Jack Del Rio talked about “finding a way to scratch out a win,” and when the Jaguars were all done scratching, they had bloodied the Jets into one of the worst losses in franchise history.

The Jaguars were expecting a hard-fought battle. What they got was a 41-0 win that wasn't as close as the final score would indicate. The Jaguars scored touchdowns in four of their first five possessions, intercepted Chad Pennington three times and left what had been the fourth-rated passer in the league with a 28.9 passer rating.

Want some more numbers? How about 45 net yards passing for the Jets, six sacks by the Jaguars and a 1.9 average gain per pass play by the visitors at Alltel Stadium on Sunday? How about the worst loss by the Jets in 20 years?

It's not that the Jaguars were all that great on offense. They didn't have to be. The Jaguars' average drive starting position was their 40-yard line. They started drives at the Jets' eight, 23 and 24-yard lines.

There's more. The Jaguars' first six running plays went for five, seven, six, nine, 14 and 13 yards. The Jaguars ran the ball up the gut as though they were running behind a snow plow.

“It showed what all three phases (can do) when they come together,” Del Rio said, referring to offense, defense and special teams. “It's nice to go into the bye week with a little positive momentum.”

Positive momentum? The Jaguars' momentum is so positive that the only concern is the team might get a big head. Paul Spicer said that won't happen.

“We have to take care of business. We have our work cut out for us. After this week, we got Houston,” Spicer said.

The Jaguars and Colts each head into their bye weeks with the 5-0 Colts holding a two-game lead over the 3-2 Jaguars in the AFC South Division title race. Can the Jaguars close the gap? It's the question on the lips of every Jaguars fan.

“There's no can we? We have to. I feel like we're in it. They're 5-0 and we're 3-2. When we meet with those boys in December, we have to take care of business,” Spicer said.

Taking care of business was an obvious theme among the Jaguars following the previous Sunday's overtime loss in Washington. It was a game that left the Jaguars' proud defense embarrassed to have allowed 36 points. So what did the defense do on this Sunday? Score the first back-to-back home shutouts in team history.

“We've got a proud defensive unit. We got stung last week. We had a renewed commitment that made us good on defense,” Del Rio said.

“Execute the scheme,” Rashean Mathis said of what the Jaguars did against the Jets that they didn't do in Washington. “We played poorly last week. This week we played Jaguars football.

“We were bashing ourselves,” Mathis added. “We know we can play. The resolve is already there.”

The next order of business for the Jaguars is to heal. Marcus Stroud's consecutive games-played streak ended at 84, as he got a head start on a full recovery from the ankle sprain that's dogged him since the start of the season. Matt Jones also sat this one out. On the down side, Mike Peterson sustained a pectoral muscle strain that forced him to leave the game in the first half and not return.

“We want to get healed up. That's the biggest thing,” Del Rio said.

“They got a pretty good stretch coming up that'll test them,” Del Rio added of the Colts' schedule following the bye week. “We'll play it out. Right now, they're in front.”

So this is the bye week. The Jaguars will take a break, then resume the season with an 11-game dash to what they hope will be a playoffs berth. Are they good enough to go all the way?

“If you don't think that, you don't need to be playing football,” Deon Grant said. “I feel this is definitely the kind of group that can go deep into the playoffs.”

LANDOVER, MD—The Jaguars' offense almost saved the day. That surprised everyone, except, of course, Byron Leftwich.

Leftwich was so good in his homecoming game at FedEx Field on Sunday that he almost overcame the worst day of defense in Jack Del Rio's four years as coach. Leftwich rallied the Jaguars from a 10-point, fourth-quarter deficit to take the Jaguars into overtime, but it was Mark Brunell who struck the decisive blow, a 68-yard touchdown pass to Santana Moss on just the fourth play of the overtime period. The Redskins won a shootout, 36-30.

“For those who like offensive showdowns, you saw a good one tonight. Our offense kept us in the game. In the end, (the Redskins) made one play. They threw into double coverage, (Moss) made two people miss and he scored a touchdown,” Del Rio said of the game-winning play.

The Redskins' 481 total net yards was the most allowed by the Jaguars since a loss in Indianapolis early in the 2000 season. Brunell began the day by having his first pass intercepted by Rashean Mathis, but Brunell finished with 18 completions in 30 attempts for 329 yards, three touchdowns and a 117.2 passer rating.

It was a game billed as a clash of the past and present. Brunell, of course, was the Jaguars' starting quarterback in the team's first eight seasons. He was replaced by Leftwich in 2003, when Del Rio became the Jaguars' head coach and the team made Leftwich the seventh pick of that year's draft.

Brunell produced only slightly better statistics than Leftwich did on Sunday. Leftwich was 21 of 35 for 289 yards, three touchdowns, one interception and a 103.2 passer rating.

The performance of Leftwich and the offense in the fourth quarter was especially satisfying. After the Redskins took a 27-17 lead early in the fourth quarter, Leftwich responded with a four-play, 82-yard touchdown drive that moved in chunks of 35, 31 and 25 yards. Reggie Williams made his second touchdown catch, holding onto the ball after having his helmet knocked off his head by the force of a vicious blow from safety Sean Taylor.

Josh Scobee tied the game with a 43-yard field goal following a Redskins fumble that was recovered by Deon Grant in Redskins territory.

After the Redskins marched to a field goal that gave them a 30-27 lead with 1:55 to play, Leftwich brought the Jaguars right down the field to a 41-yard, game-tying field goal by Scobee with six seconds to play.

“I thought Byron did a great job bringing us back. Scobee made a couple of close kicks,” Del Rio said.

“For some reason, you believe we can't do this,” Leftwich said to reporters, referring to the Jaguars offense's ability to strike quickly. “We can do it. Sometimes 30 (points) isn't needed. Sometimes it's nine.”

The Jaguars passing game lagged in the previous week's loss in Indianapolis, but it was the star of the show against the Redskins. The Jaguars defense wasn't able to stop the Redskins on the ground or in the air, and the Jaguars running game produced only 33 yards. Leftwich and the passing game provided the only chance of winning.

“They allowed us to attack downfield and make some plays. We started attempting to make big plays. We did a better job of staying aggressive,” Leftwich said.

Reggie Williams further established himself as the Jaguars' number one receiver, catching five passes for 93 yards and two touchdowns. George Wrighster grabbed five for 53, rookie running back Maurice Jones-Drew caught a short pass over the middle and turned it into a 51-yard catch-and-run touchdown, and first-round draft choice Marcedes Lewis enjoyed his coming-out party with two catches for 40 yards, one of which went for 31 yards during the Jaguars' rally.

“It's hard for me to find something special in a loss. What could I have done in the second quarter? Hopefully, we will get better from this,” Leftwich said.

Del Rio was left to lament the defense's inability to cover Moss.

“It was right in front of me,” Del Rio said of Moss' game-winning catch and run. “When they brought in 89 (Moss), we were going to double him. I think the safety thought he could intercept the ball. When the defense didn't do a good job of tackling, the explosive players took off.”

Moss caught four passes for 138 yards and three touchdowns. Running back Clinton Portis carried 27 times for 112 yards and a touchdown. It marked only the second time the Jaguars have allowed a running back to rush for 100 yards or more in the last 12 games.

The big problem caused by the loss is that the Jaguars fell two games behind the Colts in the AFC South title race. At 2-2, the Jaguars will host the Jets next Sunday, while the Colts host the 0-4 Titans.

“We'll bounce back. If you're not mad, there's something wrong with you,” middle linebacker Mike Peterson said.

“You tell us our offense is going to score 30 points and we'll tell you we'll win every game. There will be days like this,” Mathis said.

Few thought the Jaguars had an offense capable of keeping it close on days like this. Leftwich and company proved their critics wrong.

INDIANAPOLIS—There was no changing of the guard. The Indianapolis Colts denied the Jaguars passage, again, in the Jags' pursuit of the AFC South lead.

This most recent defeat at the hands of the Colts, 21-14, makes it three straight and leaves the Jaguars a game behind the Colts in the AFC South title race. Early in Sunday's game, however, it looked like the two teams were going to reverse roles.

The Jaguars were leading, 7-0, and were dominating the action. They were pushing the Colts up and down the field when Terrence Wilkins returned a punt 82 yards for a touchdown that tied the game.

“We tip our hat to the Colts. They were the better team today. They held serve at home. We'll see them later in the year,” Jaguars head coach Jack Del Rio said.

Del Rio remained supportive of his players, despite a rash of mistakes that snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.

“I told our team that if you all stick together, when we look back at the end of the season you'll like the results. We'll hold our heads high as we walk out of here,” Del Rio said.

There's also a chance the Jaguars will regret what happened at the RCA Dome on Sunday. It's a game they know they should've won. The statistics are proof.

The Jaguars won the first down, total net yards and third-down conversion categories, and thoroughly overwhelmed the Colts in rushing yardage (191-63) and time of possession (39:24-20:36). This is a loss that will be even more difficult for Del Rio and his players to accept when they study the game tape.

“You can paint it a lot of different ways. You get a win or loss as a football team,” Del Rio said.

Byron Leftwich had an off day. He was 16 of 28 for 107 yards, a touchdown, two interceptions and a 47.8 passer rating. He overthrew George Wrighster early in the game, resulting in an interception when an accurate throw would've left the Jaguars with nothing worse than goal to go.

Josh Scobee missed on field goal attempts of 24 and 49 yards. The Jaguars kicker is struggling with field goal accuracy and could be at a critical juncture in his career.

Reggie Williams and Vince Manuwai each hurt the Jaguars by being flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct. The officials could be blamed for overreacting, but referee Pete Morelli's crew was very kind to the Jaguars on a couple of long pass attempts by the Colts.

“A dogfight,” Jaguars middle linebacker Mike Peterson called the game. “We didn't get it done. I felt like we had control of the ballgame. They took advantage of our mistakes.”

Leftwich didn't make excuses for the offense's failure to score points.

“When you have the ball that long, that much time of possession, you have to come away with more than seven points,” Leftwich said.

Rookie running back Maurice Jones-Drew was the star of the game, becoming the seventh player in Jaguars history to rush for 100 yards in a game. Jones-Drew gained 103 yards on 13 carries. He also led the Jaguars with four catches for 32 yards and a touchdown.

Colts quarterback Peyton Manning completed less than 50 percent of his passes and posted only a 79.9 passer rating. Manning had to carry the Colts offense, however, because the running game was nearly non-existent.

The Colts took a 14-7 lead in the third quarter when Manning found tight end Dallas Clark for a 30-yard touchdown. Manning saw Clark waving his arms near the right-front corner of the end zone. When he caught the pass, all he had to do was step across the goal line. Obviously, the Jaguars had blown a pass-coverage assignment.

Midway through the fourth quarter, Manning scored the eventual game-winner when he capped a 61-yard drive with a two-yard play-action bootleg run that completely fooled the Jaguars defense.

Leftwich rallied the Jaguars with a 49-yard touchdown drive and got the ball back near midfield with a minute to play, but his long pass for Reggie Williams was intercepted by safety Mike Doss.

The Jaguars travel to Washington next weekend for a critical game. The Colts play the Jets.

They held the Steelers' running game to 26 yards, the lowest in Bill Cowher's 15 years as coach. The Jaguars beat up Ben Roethlisberger, intercepted him twice and forced him into the worst game of his professional football career.

“The new bullies,” was the tag middle linebacker Mike Peterson selected for the Jaguars.

Who could argue with Peterson after the thrashing the Jaguars gave the Super Bowl-champion Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday night? In losing 9-0 to the Jaguars at Alltel Stadium, the Steelers only crossed midfield once and their deepest penetration of the game was the Jacksonville 46-yard line.

“We've been a good defense. We're trying to get in that great category,” Peterson said.

Defensive Coordinator Mike Smith was presented the game ball by head coach Jack Del Rio. “He was magnificent,” Del Rio said of Smith.

Whatever the Steelers attempted, the Jaguars were there to stop it, beginning with holding running back Willie Parker to 20 yards in 11 carries. Parker's long run was eight yards.

“We know it starts there. You know you have to start with the run game when you play the Pittsburgh Steelers,” Del Rio said. “Good football player and good design; they go hand in hand.”

Roethlisberger was making his season debut and played the whole game just 15 days after undergoing appendectomy surgery. He played only 43 snaps in the preseason. He was, clearly, not himself.

“He's a tough guy to tackle. He's very good. We had to get pressure on him and not let him feel comfortable and I thought we were able to do that,” Del Rio said of a defensive performance that sent Roethlisberger back to Pittsburgh with a 38.7 passer rating.

Offensively, the Jaguars failed to score a touchdown but quarterback Byron Leftwich managed the game and, aside from one interception, was accurate with his passes. Fred Taylor ran for 92 yards and helped take control of the game in the second half when it appeared the Steelers began to run out of gas.

“We saw those guys getting tired a little but I don't think it had anything to do with the outcome of this football game,” Leftwich said.

Special teams played a big part in the win. The Steelers' average drive-start position was their 18-yard line. The Jaguars began their drives, on average, at their 35.

It was a field-position game for two-and-a-half quarters, until Josh Scobee booted a 31-yard field goal with 5:28 to play in the third quarter. His kick capped a 60-yard drive that gave the Jaguars a 3-0 lead. Scobee also kicked field goals of 32 and 42 yards in the fourth quarter.

 thought Byron … really was sharp. He got rid of the ball on time. I think you saw him mature and do some things tonight and that has to give everybody here confidence,” Del Rio said.

Leftwich was good on third down, especially in critical conversion situations in the second half. Reggie Williams had a career-high eight catches and Matt Jones caught six passes in a possession passing game that utilized the Jaguars' receivers height and size advantage.

“It gets exposure for our team but it changes nothing for us. I was taking a knee and I was thinking we got Indy next week,” said Leftwich, who was 26 of 39 for 260 yards, an interception and a 74.7 passer rating.

Offense, however, was not the star of this game. It was the lowest-scoring game in Monday Night Football history.

“The part I'm most proud of is we pitched a shutout,” Del Rio said. It was the first shutout of a defending Super Bowl champion since it happened to the Raiders in 1981.

“They played a heck of a football game. We couldn't make any plays on offense and they made enough on defense to win the game,” Steelers coach Bill Cowher said.

“It's nice to have nice things said about you but it can turn quickly. I'm not going to break my arm patting myself on the back,” Del Rio said.

 Aug 31 2006 10:17PM
(big play) Gray to Sharon on third down. Gain of 26. Big night for Sharon. He had to have earned something. Nearing the two-minute warning, that should do it.

Final	1	2	3	4	T
Jacksonville  (3-1-0) «	0	10	3	7	20
Atlanta (2-2-0)	7	0	0	10	17

JAC: Q. Gray (8-12, 129), C. Hankton (3-62) ATL: D. Shockley (9-15, 94), M. Jackson (17-89)   2006 Preseason Date Opponent Time/Result Aug 12 @Miami Won 31-26 Aug 19 Carolina Lost 10-17 Aug 26 Tampa Bay Won 29-18 Aug 31 @Atlanta Won 20-17     2006 Schedule Date Opponent Time/Result Sep 10 Dallas  4:15pm Sep 18 Pittsburgh  8:30pm Sep 24 @Indianapolis 1:00pm Oct 1 @Washington  4:15pm Oct 8 N.Y. Jets 4:05pm Week 6 BYE Oct 22 @Houston 1:00pm Oct 29 @Philadelphia 1:00pm Nov 5 Tennessee 1:00pm Nov 12 Houston  1:00pm Nov 20 N.Y. Giants 8:30pm Nov 26 @Buffalo 1:00pm Dec 3 @Miami 1:00pm Dec 10 Indianapolis 1:00pm Dec 17 @Tennessee 1:00pm Dec 24 New England 1:00pm Dec 31 @Kansas City 1:00pm All times are Eastern