Against Browns, Jaguars’ Victory Is Taylor-Made

While Fred Taylor keeps breaking records for the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Cleveland Browns are setting new marks for ineptitude.

Taylor broke the Jaguars’ career rushing record Sunday, running for 181 yards and scoring three touchdowns in Jacksonville’s 48-0 victory over the Browns.

It was the largest margin of victory for the Jaguars (6-7) in a regular-season game. It also matched Cleveland’s biggest defeat ever.

Taylor surpassed 100 yards for the seventh consecutive game, tying him for the fourth-longest string in NFL history. He has 3,055 career yards, passing James Stewart for the top spot in Jacksonville’s six-year-old record book.

The third-year running back’s performances are the most encouraging thing about this upsetting season. Despite their third consecutive victory, the Jaguars slipped to the edge of playoff elimination when Denver and the New York Jets won. A New England victory over Kansas City tonight will officially drop the Jaguars out of the postseason race.

The Browns (3-11) are a demoralized group being quarterbacked by rookie Spergon Wynn. They managed 53 yards in offense and never made it past the 50. It was their second-lowest offensive output ever, only 13 yards better than their effort in last season’s opener against the Steelers, a 43-0 loss.

The low moment came with 5:27 to play when Tom Coughlin kept his offense on the field on fourth and goal from the three, knowing a field goal in that situation would have been more humbling to Cleveland than a straight-ahead run.

Still, the Browns couldn’t stop Shyrone Stith. He scored, and the Browns equaled a pair of 30-plus-year-old humiliations: A 55-7 loss to Green Bay in 1967, and a 51-3 loss to Minnesota in 1969.

Wynn completed five of 16 passes for 17 yards in his first start, while the Jaguars recorded their second shutout of the season.