Jaguars Are Back on Track

The Jacksonville Jaguars ended two weeks of frustration with a record-breaking performance on Sunday, courtesy of the bumbling Baltimore Ravens.

The Jaguars took advantage of five Raven turnovers in a 45-19 victory that allowed them to regain sole possession of first place in the AFC Central. The Jaguars (6-2) had lost back-to-back games to Buffalo and Denver but scored a team-record 28 points in the second quarter and had their most points in a game by halftime in taking a 42-13 lead.

“We had a rough couple of weeks and we needed to get back on track,” quarterback Mark Brunell said. “This is just what we were looking for. We needed a fast start to put points up on the board early.”

Brunell was eight for 10 for 186 yards and two touchdowns in the decisive first half, and finished 13 for 20 for 237 yards. Fred Taylor ran for 87 yards and a touchdown, and scored on a 78-yard pass play with Brunell that started a run of 35 Jaguar points.

Jacksonville’s previous franchise record for points was 40, set last season against the New York Giants. That was surpassed with 2:59 left in the second quarter.

The Jaguars didn’t punt until the third quarter and backup quarterback Jamie Martin made his first NFL appearance since 1996 with 12 minutes left.

The Ravens (2-6) had more yardage and held the ball twice as long as the Jaguars in the first half, yet left the field to a chorus of jeers from the disgruntled sellout crowd of 68,915.

“I don’t think we’ve played a worse game than this,” said Raven Coach Ted Marchibroda, whose team has lost four in a row. “I don’t think there is any question that today we hit bottom. Whether we come out of it, I don’t know.”