Jaguars’ Victory Taylor Made

Mark Brunell proved he’s still a major factor for the Jacksonville Jaguars. Fred Taylor looks like he’s becoming one.

Taking over for an injured James Stewart, Taylor had a 52-yard touchdown run and finished with 128 yards rushing Sunday to lead Jacksonville to a 24-10 victory over the Baltimore Ravens.

Brunell, who struggled through two mediocre games to open the season, threw for 376 yards and two touchdowns as the Jaguars (3-0) continued to dominate the Ravens (1-2), whom they’ve beaten in all five games between the teams.

Taylor also finished with nine receptions for 85 yards and was key in helping the Jaguars surpass 100 yards rushing for the third consecutive game.

“The coaches just told me to be patient,” Taylor said. “They showed me some tapes of my runs in the preseason. There wasn’t much blocking. I was hesitating. I went back and worked on it. And since the season started, I’ve made progress.”

Jacksonville came out looking for the big play and cashed in often, with 519 yards of total offense.

Jacksonville took a 17-10 lead early in the third quarter when Brunell passed to Jimmy Smith for a 72-yard touchdown.

The Jaguars went ahead, 24-10, on a 14-play, 80-yard drive capped by Brunell’s one-yard touchdown pass to Damon Jones. The score was set up by a 22-yard pass to Reggie Barlow on third and 21 and Taylor’s 11-yard run to the Raven 1.

For the third consecutive game, Baltimore’s Eric Zeier relieved Jim Harbaugh, who has a sore index finger on his throwing hand. Zeier finished 13 for 25 for 189 yards and one touchdown.