NFL Recap (Cincinnati-Jacksonville)
Posted: Sun November 8, 1998 at 6:11 p.m. EST
JACKSONVILLE 24, CINCINNATI 11
JACKSONVILLE, Florida (Ticker) -- Mark Brunell threw for 111
yards and a touchdown in the first half before leaving with a strained
groin and the Jacksonville
Jaguars maintained first place in the AFC Central with a 24-11 victory
over the Cincinnati
Bengals.
Jacksonville (7-2) has rebounded from consecutive losses by winning
its last two games. The Jaguars improved to 4-0 on the year at home and
against divisional opponents and have won three of the last four meetings
with Cincinnati.
Brunell, who was 5-of-12 with no interceptions, connected with Jimmy Smith for an 18-yard
scoring strike to give Jacksonville a 17-0 lead 1:49 into the second
quarter. He did not return after halftime for precautionary reasons.
"We just felt that we didn't want to take a chance and that it would
be in our best interests to hold him back because he was sore," said
Jaguars coach Tom Coughlin of his decision to bench Brunell.
"I could have played with a groin strain," said Brunell. "Because of
the score, we were up a bit and coach wanted to be careful. So he chose to
go with Jamie (Martin) in the second half."
Cincinnati (2-7) lost its fourth straight game and is 1-4 on the road
and against the AFC Central. The Bengals are off to yet another poor
record following 1-7, 1-6, 3-6, 0-8, 0-10, 2-5 and 0-8 starts dating back
to the 1991 campaign.
"I didn't have too much to say to the team," said Bengals coach Bruce
Coslet. "We can't fall down on a long pass play, we can't allow a blocked
punt again and we can't fumble the football. So I gave Jacksonville
credit. That's it."
The Jaguars got on the board on their second possession of the
contest, a five-play, 67-yard drive. Alvis Whitted hauled in a
55-yard pass from Brunell to the Bengals 2 before Fred Taylor plunged in two
plays later with 10:13 to go.
Taylor rushed 27 times for 118 yards and now has 611 on the season to
break James Stewart's
rookie record of 525 set in 1995. Taylor personally outrushed Cincinnati,
which had 116 yards.
Mike Hollis'
39-yard field goal extended Jacksonville's lead with 1:37 left and capped a
16-play drive, which tied a club record. Taylor had five carries for 33
yards in the 59-yard scoring jaunt.
Following a 10-yard punt to midfield by Cincinnati's Lee Johnson, the Jaguars
needed just four plays to get in the end zone. Taylor recorded runs of 17
and two yards and Brunell had a 13-yard pass to Smith and another from 18
yards out 1:49 into the second period for a 17-point lead.
The Bengals punted again, but Brunell fumbled on the third play and
rookie cornerback Artrell
Hawkins returned the recovery 25 yards to the Jaguars 15. Offensive
tackle Tony Boselli
came out of nowhere to down Hawkins and prevent a touchdown.
"That was huge," added Coughlin about Boselli's tackle. "You're
looking at a legitimate corner in this league who had the opportunity to go
all the way. Tony took the proper angle and showed his athleticism and his
quickness and made the tackle. That was a huge play."
Cincinnati reached the 4, but defensive end Joel Smeenge stripped
Dillon on a run around right end and cornerback Aaron Beasley raced 90
yards to make it 24-0 with 8 1/2 minutes to play in the half.
It was the longest defensive return in franchise history, breaking
safety Donovin Darius'
83-yard fumble return for a TD last week at Baltimore.
Cincinnati entered the red zone again on its next series, reaching the
6 on an eight-yard run by fullback Brian Milne. Dillon rushed
for three yards, but Neil
O'Donnell had a pair of incompletions and then was stuffed for no gain
on 4th down.
"We had some big plays on defense, like Beasley's pickup of the fumble
and scoring," said Coughlin. "That was a huge play. We did a nice job
defensively in the tight red area, twice turning them away. I thought
those were the keys to the game."
The Bengals finally scored 6:44 into the third quarter on Doug Pelfrey's 50-yard
field goal, his second of the season and seventh of his career. They added
a garbage-time nine-yard touchdown from backup Paul Justin to Damon
Gibson with 1:55 remaining plus a two-point conversion run by Justin.
Martin, appearing in his second game of the year, went 4-of-9 for 35
yards in the second half.
"We did not try to go ultra-conservative on purpose in the second
half, but it turned out that way," added Coughlin. "We wanted some
opportunities for Jamie
Martin to get some playing time. But we didn't get any continuity
going and I am disappointed in that."
O'Donnell finished 17-of-30 for 128 yards and threw his first
interception in 239 attempts, the longest streak in the NFL. Dillon rushed
16 times for 76 yards.
"We couldn't find any rhythm out there," said O'Donnell. "Early in
the game, we were 3rd-and-10, 3rd-and-13 and even 3rd-and-short. We have
to stick together. I like the guys in this locker room, so I am going to
continue to work with them."
Each team played without a starting wide receiver. Jacksonville's Keenan McCardell, who
entered the day tied for second in the AFC with 42 catches for 524 yards,
did not suit up due to a sprained right shoulder. It was his first game
missed since 1994.
Cincinnati's Darnay
Scott missed his second straight game with an Achilles injury.
© 1998 Sportsticker Enterprises, LP
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