Buffalo struggled to take down Fred Taylor, who had a 50-yard touchdown gallop among his season-high 104 yards rushing.
(Phil Coale/Associated Press)
Jaguars 36, Bills 14
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Fred Taylor turned his head and stared down two defenders as he strolled into the end zone.
It was the last time he looked back yesterday.
Taylor ran for a season-high 104 yards and a touchdown, Josh Scobee kicked five field goals, and the Jacksonville Jaguars thumped Buffalo, 36-14, yesterday in a game more lopsided than the final score indicated.
Taylor and the Jaguars (8-3) wasted little time reflecting on this one. They quickly turned their attention to next week's game at Indianapolis, which could be Jacksonville's last chance to win the AFC South.
"We know what's in front of us," Taylor said. "We know what's at stake."
The Jaguars' third consecutive victory gave them extra confidence heading into next week's second meeting with the Colts. Indy won the first game, 29-7, Oct. 22.
"We're really rolling right now," Jaguars linebacker Clint Ingram said. "We're steady building. Everybody is taking a step forward and we're not really taking any steps back. Not to toot our own horn right now too much, but everybody's got the same goal and we're moving toward it.
"We're ready for the Colts now."
The Bills (5-6), meanwhile, were left to deal with back-to-back blowouts. They were hoping to rebound from a 56-10 drubbing against the Patriots. Instead, they took another beating, which clinched the AFC East for New England before it hosted Philadelphia last night.
David Garrard hooked up with Reggie Williams for a 59-yard score that put Jacksonville ahead, 29-14, with 2:39 remaining, then Maurice Jones-Drew added a 17-yard scoring run with 1:43 to play.
The two plays turned an 8-point lead into a rout.
"To give up two crucial big plays, that was key to the game," Bills safety George Wilson said. "That's what this game is about: making big plays and stopping big plays. They made more plays than we did and they got the win."
Jacksonville's struggles in the red zone allowed Buffalo to keep it close early.
The Bills actually had a chance to tie the score in the fourth quarter. They trailed, 22-14, and had the ball in Jacksonville territory. But J.P. Losman threw an interception, his third turnover of the game.
His latest mistakes may have been his last for the Bills.
Losman acknowledged earlier in the week this was a make-or-break game for him, knowing another poor performance or loss might prompt coach Dick Jauron to turn the offense over to rookie Trent Edwards.
Losman finished 27 of 40 for 211 yards, with a touchdown, two interceptions, and a fumble. Jauron declined to address his quarterback situation, saying no personnel changes will be made until Wednesday. Losman said he wasn't thinking about a demotion, either.
"As a player, you're just reevaluating what happened out there," Losman said. "What could I have done better out there, learning from your mistakes, trying to imbed in your head not to do that again. So that's pretty much where my head's at."
Garrard was much better. He was 23 of 37 for a career-high 296 yards and set a team record for consecutive passes without an interception (209).
The Jaguars also got plenty of help from the Bills, including an illegal participation penalty on fourth down - Buffalo had 12 defenders on the field - that gave Jacksonville a first down in the first quarter. Taylor found a huge hole on the next play and ran untouched for a 50-yard touchdown. He looked back at Terrence McGee and Wilson as he strutted the final 15 yards into the end zone.
© Copyright 2007 Globe Newspaper Company.
