It took overtime and some heroics by reserve quarterback David Garrard and veteran receiver Jimmy Smith for the Jags to win one they tried hard to lose.
They let a 17-0 lead get away before Garrard led them downfield in the overtime, converting three third-down plays, including the winning pass to Smith.
It meant a 23-17 win over the offensively-challenged Detroit Lions on Sunday at Alltel Stadium. “When that time comes, the playmakers step up,” said Smith. “I’m a playmaker.”
Garrard was filling in for the injured Byron Leftwich and said, “If I get the ball to Jimmy, he takes care of the rest.”
Coach Jack Del Rio shook off questions about questionable coaching in the fourth quarter when Detroit scored all its points, including two touchdowns on punt returns by Eddie Drummond. “We scratched and clawed and got a win,” he said. “I did sneak a peek at the scoreboard and I see that we’re still tied in our division.”
The Jaguars are at 6-3 with a weakened Tennessee coming next Sunday for a 1 p.m. game. Indianapolis has the same division record.
Around the stadium:
• The gloomy weather left the halftime parachute show on the ground and the blimp stayed at Herlong Field until halftime. The pregame jet flyover was one short, too, as only one F-18 made it. The halftime show ended up being the drummer group that bangs away in the South end zone during the games and a big American flag.
• The best hitting may have been in the Bud Zone where a fight broke out at halftime between a man in a Detroit jersey and several Jag fans. About a dozen police were quickly on the scene.
• The new scoreboards had a glitch but it was operator error. The Indianapolis-Houston score was in favor of Indy on the big end zone board and the reverse on the ribbons. The big board was right.
• The attendance wasn’t bad, considering the weather, as an estimated 50,000 were in the stands. The team announces “tickets distributed,” which was 66,431. The attendance at the end of the game, however, was a lot less.
• The maintenance area under the stadium is home to numerous cats and the Jaguar mascot, Jaxson De Ville, found a kitten before the game. He brought it out on the field to show the crowd, then gently returned it to the area under the East stands. Why so many cats? Keeps down the river rat population.
• The weather was in the low 60’s with a strong wind that had almost everyone bundled up. One who braved the elements was Detroit Coach Steve Mariucci, who wore a golf shirt. Del Rio was in a sweatshirt.
• The temperature wasn’t much lower in Detroit, where it was 50 degrees at game time.
• A new sign popped up. ADT has its logo/initials above the Terrace Suite in the South end zone but someone pointed out that some people might not know what that meant. So, the words “Security Services” was added after one logo.
• Some late leavers had a delay getting out after the game. The Army brought a helicopter to display and it had to take off, so 50 or so people were held back while the pilot went through the necessary checks.
• Garrard was the center of attention but he wasn’t planning a big celebration. It was the usual evening after a game: dinner with his family at Dave and Buster’s.
—by Fred Seely