Jaguars Dominate Wobbly Seahawks

Linebacker Mike Peterson grabbed the football, took two steps and heaved it as far as he could. His toss fell a few feet short of the stands.

It was the most noticeable thing the Jacksonville Jaguars did wrong in the season opener.

Jimmy Smith caught seven passes for 130 yards and two touchdowns, Fred Taylor ran strong in his return from a serious knee injury and the Jaguars beat the Seattle Seahawks, 26-14, in draining heat and humidity Sunday.

Smith, 36, showed he hasn’t lost a step. Taylor broke tackles, took hard hits and gained 76 yards despite a bulky brace on his left knee. And quarterback-turned-receiver Matt Jones emerged as a triple threat in Jacksonville’s new offense.

The defense returned too.

After giving up consecutive 100-yard rushers to end last season, the unit vowed to not let Shaun Alexander loose. He ran 14 times for 73 yards.

The defense also intercepted three passes and forced a fumble. Special teams forced a fumble on the opening kickoff that led to a field goal.

“Today wasn’t our day, that’s for sure,” Seattle Coach Mike Holmgren said. “When you play a team like that on the road, you can’t turn the ball over. That’s an overused term, but it’s appropriate today. That was probably the story of the game.”

Jacksonville’s Byron Leftwich was sacked three times, but finished 17 for 31 for 252 yards with two touchdowns.

The Jaguars unveiled several trick plays and some long passes. They took advantage of four- and five-receiver sets, used Jones at quarterback and on running plays, and had one formation with Pro Bowl defensive tackles Marcus Stroud and John Henderson at tight end.

First-round pick Jones ran twice for 28 yards, completed a six-yard pass and caught two passes for 22 yards.