New England at Jacksonville


Taylor-made offense helps Jags run over Pats


Jaguars get Hardy defensive effort


Jags break Law on game-winner

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Mark Brunell on one leg was better than Scott Zolak on two.

	Mark Brunell fumbled this snap, but he had everything else under control in the win over the Patriots.

This we know after the Jacksonville Jaguars beat the New England Patriots 25-10 on Sunday.

Brunell, slowed by a sprained left ankle that still hasn't completely healed, threw for 161 yards to propel the Jaguars to the AFC divisional playoffs next Sunday against the New York Jets in the Meadowlands.

Brunell wasn't the scrambling presence he usually is, but with his quarterbacking counterpart, Drew Bledsoe, sitting out with a broken finger, he was enough.

"I knew it would be a little sore, but I felt I could do enough to get the job done," said Brunell, whose calling card is usually his mobility. "I couldn't do all the things I normally do, but I think it'll feel a lot better and I'll be able to do more things next week."

At halftime, after Brunell completed only 11 of 25 passes for 97 yards, he had to convince his coach to leave him in.

Tom Coughlin was thinking of going with backup Jonathan Quinn in the second half, especially after Brunell tweaked the ankle late in the second quarter.

	NEW STORY vs. NEW ENGLAND
	Two years ago, New England ended Jacksonville's playoff run. This time around, it was a whole different story for Jacksonville:
	1996 playoffs AFC Championship		1998 playoffs AFC wild card
	Points	6	25
	Turnovers	4	0
	Rush yds.	101	160*
	*162 yards rushing by Fred Taylor

"I wasn't feeling all that great," Brunell said. "But I told Tom I wanted to stay in there. We didn't get into an argument. I just encouraged him to keep me in there."

Coughlin's lack of a move was the right move. Two minutes into the fourth quarter, with the Jaguars clinging to a 12-10 lead, Brunell made the game's pivotal play, hitting a streaking Jimmy Smith in the end zone with a 37-yard touchdown pass.

In an otherwise unsightly game, the throw and catch were beautiful as Smith outran Patriots defensive back Ty Law and then dived for the Brunell pass.

"That was a big play," Brunell said. "They were moving the ball and putting some points on the board, and we knew we'd have to answer."

They did. Brunell answered the question of how effective he would be on his bum wheel -- just good enough.

"He wasn't able to move that well, but he was playing smart," Coughlin said. "He'll be a lot sharper as he gains confidence and after he played his way through this game. He's going to be real sore, but hopefully we can get that under control so he can have a solid week of practice. That's what he really needs."

Brunell will have to be at his best if the Jaguars are to beat the Jets.

"I don't think I'll have any problems next week," he said. "But the whole team will have to be sharper. Each week we have to get better and better. As the playoffs go on, you have to improve."

(Randy Holtz writes for the Rocky Mountain News in Denver.)