Garrard Fills Void for Jaguars

David Garrard’s most memorable victory had been in college, when his East Carolina team upset the Miami Hurricanes in 1999.

This one easily topped that.

Garrard threw two touchdown passes in the second start of his career, including a 36-yarder to Jimmy Smith in overtime, to lead the Jacksonville Jaguars to a 23-17 victory over the Detroit Lions on Sunday in Jacksonville, Fla.

Making his first start in nearly two years, Garrard proved he’s more than just a career backup or a scrambling quarterback.

“It feels like a dream right now,” he said. “I’m still living in the moment. I can’t put my thoughts together right now, but it feels good. I hope it’s just one more step for me on my quarterbacking resume.”

Garrard finished 19 for 36 for 198 yards and added 42 yards rushing. He was at his best in overtime, hooking up with Smith three times and going four for seven for 75 yards.

They connected for gains of 17 and 16 yards before the game-winner.

Fred Taylor had a season-high 144 yards rushing as the Lions (4-5) were pounded on the ground for a second consecutive week and lost their third straight game. Detroit had gone 13 straight games without allowing a 100-yard rusher before Washington’s Clinton Portis ran for 147 yards last week.

The Lions were even worse against Jacksonville (6-3), giving up 239 yards on the ground. But they managed to send it to overtime after Eddie Drummond returned two punts for touchdowns in the fourth quarter.

Drummond’s second return, an 83-yarder with 46 seconds left, tied the game.

Joey Harrington was 11 for 33 for 121 yards with an interception. His streak of games with at least one touchdown pass ended at eight.

New Orleans 27, Kansas City 20 -- The Saints recovered from an early 10-point deficit and then scored a late touchdown to beat the Chiefs at home.

Aaron Brooks threw a 42-yard touchdown pass to Joe Horn midway through the fourth quarter. He completed 15 of 27 passes for 259 yards despite being sacked four times.

New Orleans (4-5), which has been outscored, 54-0 in the first quarter in the last seven games, trailed, 10-0, after one quarter against the Chiefs. But for a change the Saints were able to rally.

With the score tied at 20-20, the Saints drove 72 yards to take the lead with 5:35 left. The Chiefs (3-6) responded by driving to the Saints’ 17, but running back Derrick Blaylock could not handle a pass from Trent Green and linebacker Orlando Ruff grabbed it to preserve the victory.

The Chiefs gained 497 yards, and Green threw for 311 yards. He completed 22 of 33 passes, and was intercepted twice.

Blaylock, playing for injured Priest Holmes, had 33 carries for 186 yards and a touchdown.

Cincinnati 17, Washington 10 -- Carson Palmer completed 24 of 39 passes for 217 yards against the league’s top-ranked defense, leading the Bengals to a victory in Landover, Md.

Rudi Johnson added 102 yards in 31 carries for the Bengals (4-5), who broke a six-game road losing streak.

Redskin Coach Joe Gibbs ended his steadfast loyalty to quarterback Mark Brunell, whose season-long struggles prompted Gibbs to put backup Patrick Ramsey in the game to thunderous cheers in the second quarter.

Brunell left the game one for eight for six yards and an interception for a quarterback rating of 0.0. Ramsey finished 18 for 37 for 210 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. The Redskins are 3-6.