Week 4 Game Recap: Jacksonville Jaguars 30, Washington Redskins 36

What you need to know

Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jaguars found themselves in a high scoring game in which they featured their passing game to the point where their running game was practically nonexistent. Jacksonville’s running backs had a combined ten rushing attempts for 19 yards, while quarterback Byron Leftwich threw the ball 35 times in this close contest, which was not decided until overtime. Jacksonville attempted to run the ball early, but was unsuccessful, so they turned to their aerial attack, which proved to be productive.

Jacksonville did not muster a running game against a stout Redskins’ defense. The longest run by a Jaguars’ running back was six yards by Fred Taylor, who mustered just ten additional yards on six rushing attempts the remainder of the game. Maurice Jones-Drew was also limited in his rushing opportunities, getting just three carries for three yards. Jones-Drew was able to display his explosiveness on a play where he took a short pass from Leftwich and ran by several Washington defenders on his way to a 51 yard touchdown. Apart from that play, the Jaguars’ running backs were not a factor in this game.

Jaguars quarterback Byron Leftwich showcased his offensive arsenal in this game, making a variety of throws and showing toughness in the face of an aggressive Redskins defense that blitzed him throughout the game. He was helped by several big plays, most notably Jones-Drew turning a short pass into a 51-yard touchdown, and Reggie Williams coming up with several good catches in traffic, including two for touchdowns. Leftwich showed a willingness to wait until his targeted receiver broke open, despite a fierce Redskins’ pass rush. This enabled him to realize several big passing plays, which contributed to his having 289 passing yards on 21 completions in 35 attempts. He also threw for three touchdowns and had one interception. Leftwich and Williams seemed to be on the same page throughout this game, and resulted in Williams posting very good numbers. Williams snared several catches that were accurate, but in traffic, and showed good ability to run after the catch. There were a few other occasions where he was open for substantial gains, but either dropped the pass or had the ball thrown behind or in front of him.

Jacksonville’s defense was unable to penetrate into Washington’s backfield with any frequency. As a result they were unable to stop the Redskins’ rushing attack, which resulted in them giving up 152 rushing yards on 40 carries. As a result of that, the Jaguars’ defense appeared off balance and as a result, gave up several big plays in the passing game, allowing over 300 yards and three passing touchdowns. The defense force a fumble late in the fourth quarter and returned the ball to Washington’s 18 yard line, but an excessive celebration penalty on two members of the defense resulted in the Jaguars getting the ball at the 33 yard line instead. Jacksonville settled for a field goal on the ensuing series, which tied the game at 27.

Washington Redskins

The Redskins’ offense was a very effective balance of good power running and a passing attack that showed some big play capability. They kept Jacksonville’s defense off balance throughout, and as a result were able to score on several big plays. Redskins’ running backs carried the ball 38 times, which opened up their passing game. This was evident in their two trips inside the ten yard line. On their first series inside the ten yard line, they ran Clinton Portis three consecutive times until he scored. On their second such series, they ran Portis on the first two downs, then passed to Santana Moss for a touchdown.

The Redskins ran right at the middle of the Jaguars’ defense, which is considered their strength, and did so successfully. Clinton Portis ran with power between the tackles and attacked defenders who attempted to tackle him. He also showed nice shiftiness and speed on the few occasions he was asked to run outside, but he did most of his work very effectively in the middle of the field, finishing the game with 112 yards on 27 carries, and adding two receptions for 28 yards.

Mark Brunell played well against his former team. Brunell looked sharp and was accurate on most of his throws. He benefited from Santana Moss turning several of his intermediate passes into touchdowns, including the game-winning 68 yard play. Brunell distributed the ball well, and also seemed comfortable throwing to Chris Cooley and Brandon Lloyd, completing several key passes to them throughout the game. He seemed increasingly confident with the offense as the game wore on, and placed the ball where his receivers could make plays after they caught his passes. Brunell finished with 329 yards on 18 of 30 passing, with three touchdowns and one interception.

The Redskins’ defense was up for the challenge of facing the Jaguars. They shut down Jacksonville’s running game, and forced them into being a one-dimensional offense. Although the Jaguars were able to move the ball in the air, the Redskins were very aggressive and applied pressure to Leftwich by blitzing constantly throughout the game. A lot of the Jaguars’ passing yards were more a product of Leftwich hanging in until the last possible moment before releasing the ball, and his receivers making plays after catching the ball, than a lackluster Redskins’ defense.

What you ought to know

QB Byron Leftwich, Pass: 21 - 35 - 289 - 3 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 5 - 14 - 0

Leftwich was under duress from an aggressive Redskins’ pass rush throughout the game, but showed his toughness by standing firm and waiting for his receivers to get open. He showed tremendous confidence in his arm, as he rifled many passes accurately into tight coverage. Leftwich was comfortable throwing the ball to all parts of the field, and displayed very good arm strength in addition to accuracy. Leftwich showed that he can keep his team competitive in games when the running game is ineffective.

RB Fred Taylor, Rush: 7 - 16 - 0, Rec: 1 - 7 - 0 (2 targets)

Taylor was not a factor in this game as Jacksonville abandoned the run early. He was not on the field much in the second half.

RB Maurice Jones-Drew, Rush: 3 - 3 - 0, Rec: 3 - 53 - 1 (3 targets)

Jones-Drew was not a factor running the ball, but showed his explosiveness on a play where he ran a route down the middle of the field, caught a pass from Leftwich and ran by Washington’s defenders for a 51 yard touchdown. Apart from that play and a few kickoff returns where he showed an ability to get away from the first tackler, Jones-Drew’s contributions were minimal. He was not featured much in the game as Leftwich focused more on his wide receivers and tight ends.

WR Reggie Williams, Rec: 5 - 93 - 2 (8 targets)

Williams had a very good game, and showed an ability to make some exceptional catches in traffic, and run after the reception with elusiveness and power. One of his missed targets came on a play where he was open at the three yard line, but the pass was underthrown, preventing him from having a chance at a third touchdown.

WR Ernest Wilford, Rec: 3 - 30 - 0 (6 targets)

Wilford was used mostly on short and intermediate routes, and capitalized on his opportunities in the second half, when he came up with some clutch catches to keep some drives going. Leftwich seemed comfortable going to him at times when he needed a first down.

WR Matt Jones, Rec: 2 - 13 - 0 (6 targets)

All of Jones’ targets came in the first half. He was tightly covered, and was used mostly on shorter routes, although one of the passes thrown to him was in the end zone, but was off target. He was not a factor later in the game and that could have been because of his groin injury he’d battled all week.

TE George Wrighster, Rec: 5 - 53 - 0 (6 targets)

Wrighster was more involved in the second half, with five of his targets coming in that half. While his numbers were good, he dropped a couple of passes that could have improved his statistics and helped his team even more. However, he did show an ability to run various routes, including some that called for him to run down the sideline and make catches over his shoulder, and he was able to get open consistently.

TE Marcedes Lewis, Rec: 2 - 40 - 0 (2 targets)

Lewis caught both of the passes thrown his way, including one to pick up a crucial first down late in the game to keep a Jacksonville drive alive.

PK Josh Scobee 3 - 3 FG, 3 - 3 XP, 12 points

Scobee was accurate throughout the game, connecting on all three of his point after attempts, and making all three of his field goal attempts, which were from 46, 37 and 43 yards.

JAX Rush Defense

Jacksonville’s rush defense was not effective in this game, giving up a total of 149 yards rushing and a touchdown to Washington’s running backs. They were unable to penetrate into Washington’s backfield to disrupt their running game, and allowed Portis and Ladell Betts to average 3.9 yards per rushing attempt.

JAX Pass Defense

Jacksonville’s pass defense suffered as a result of their rush defense being ineffective. Although they recorded one interception, they were unable to sack a relatively immobile Mark Brunell, and allowed several big plays to Washington’s receivers. Jacksonville’s defense gave up three touchdowns in the air, including two of over 50 yards.

QB Mark Brunell, Pass: 18 - 30 - 329 - 3 TD / 1 INT

Brunell played a smart game, taking what the defense gave him, and putting his receivers in position to make plays. He was accurate with his short and intermediate throws, and typically found the open receiver in situations where they were able to gain significant yards after the catch. He showed a strong command of the offense and took advantage of a strong running game to set up a lot of his passes.

RB Clinton Portis, Rush: 27 - 112 - 1, Rec: 2 - 28 - 0 (3 targets)

Portis turned in a strong performance, amassing 140 yards in total offense against a very good Jaguars’ defense. He ran with vision, quickness and displayed good power on many of his carries, which were up the middle of the field. Portis did not display any affects of his shoulder injury, as he did not shy away from contact, and appeared just as strong late in the game as he did in the beginning.

RB Ladell Betts, Rush: 11 - 37 - 0, Rec: 1 - 4 - 0 (1 targets)

Betts ran well in relief of Portis, showing good quickness into running lanes on a couple of his carries. He averaged just less than 3.5 yards per carry on his 11 carries.

RB Mike Sellers, Rec: 1 - 6 - 0 (1 targets)

Sellers’ contributions were as a blocker for Portis and Betts.

WR Antwaan Randle El, Rush: 2 - 3 - 0, Rec: 2 - 23 - 0 (3 targets)

Randle El made the most of his limited opportunities in the passing game. He also had a reverse for 12 yards called back due to penalty and was called on to throw a pass on another play, but because no one was open, scrambled instead.

WR Santana Moss, Rec: 4 - 138 - 3 (9 targets)

Moss hit the home runs for the Redskins, turning three of his four receptions into scores. Moss showed his quickness and speed on all of the scoring plays, and took advantage on the rare occasions he was not double-covered by Jacksonville’s defenders. Brunell looked for him often throughout this game despite the attention given him.

WR Brandon Lloyd, Rec: 3 - 49 - 0 (4 targets)

Lloyd made the most of his targets, snaring three of the four passes thrown his way. The missed pass was one that was overthrown on a play where he had gotten behind the defense inside the Jacksonville ten yard line. All of Lloyd’s receptions came in the second half.

TE Chris Cooley, Rec: 4 - 70 - 0 (7 targets)

Cooley had a good game, and may have had an even more productive game, had a long reception he made not been called back due to a penalty on him for going out of bounds and coming back in and making a catch. Cooley seemed in sync with Brunell, especially in the second half, when Brunell threw five passes his way.

TE Christian Fauria, Rec: 1 - 11 - 0 (1 targets)

Fauria’s contributions were minimal.

PK John Hall 3 - 3 FG, 3 - 3 XP, 12 points

Hall made all three of his point after attempts as well as all of his field goal attempts, which were from 44, 37 and 37 yards.

WAS Rush Defense

Washington’s run defense was superb. They imposed their will on Jacksonville, and caused them to abandon the running game early in the game, limiting their running backs to ten attempts for a paltry 1.9 yards per carry average.

WAS Pass Defense

Washington’s pass defense blitzed Leftwich throughout the game. Although they allowed close to 300 yards passing and three passing touchdowns, that was more a testament of Leftwich’s resilience and playmaking by some of his receivers. The Redskins sacked Leftwich four times and hurried him on many other occasions, and came close to recording several additional sacks.