The hopes for an extended season ended Sunday with a thud for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
With two lesser teams to play, it seemed that the Jags could win a playoff berth if just one thing happened: Baltimore had to lose to Pittsburgh.
That happened, but the Jaguars lost to Houston 21-0 in a dismal Alltel Stadium performance. The playoffs remain a possibility but the chances are dependent on so many scenarios that your last look this year likely will be this Sunday’s television game at Oakland.
“I’m shocked and disappointed,” said Coach Jack Del Rio. “It’s hard to understand.”
From the chilly start under leaden skies to a warming finish under a clear sky, it wasn’t to be. The Jaguars were outgained by 333 yards to 126, had only six first downs and rarely even exhibited a glimmer of skill.
“It was very poor,” said quarterback Byron Leftwich. “We sure didn’t see it coming. We had a good week of practice and we all thought we’d have a good game.”
The day started poorly when running back Fred Taylor’s knee didn’t respond to treatment and he was kept out of the game, and then the first quarter was a disaster. The Jaguars netted only eight yards, had three penalties and almost lost their quarterback when Leftwich fumbled by hitting the ball against his leg and then got kicked in the head while he was trying to recover it. All this against a team which came into the game with a defense that was better than only three of the league’s 32 teams.
The second quarter wasn’t any better and even the lone big play, a 31-yard run by Chris Fuamatu-Ma’afala was brought back because of a holding penalty. At one point, the team had a first down with 30 yards to go.
And on it went, effectively ending the team’s late charge to a playoff spot. Baltimore’s 20-7 loss to Pittsburgh opened the door but it’s now almost closed. It would take losses by three teams and a Jag win to keep the season going.
“It was not a good day for a bad game,” said Del Rio.
• • •
The “tickets distributed” count was 66,227 but an actual attendance count would be about 45,000 at the start. The stands cleared when linebacker Antwan Peek ran a fumble back 66 yards for a touchdown with 3:11 left.
• • •
If indeed the Jaguars don’t make the playoffs, they can blame their effort against Houston. They lost both games and didn’t score a touchdown in either.
“That’s hard to imagine,” said Del Rio.