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Game 4: Jacksonville Jaguars at Houston Texans

THIS WEEK: Still seeking their first victory of the season under new head coach Jack Del Rio, the Jacksonville Jaguars will travel to Houston to face the Texans at 1:00 p.m. EDT Sunday at Reliant Stadium. The Jaguars are 0-3 this season after losses to Carolina, Buffalo and Indianapolis, all of whom are in first place in their divisions and currently have a combined record of 7-1. The Texans are 1-2, with an opening day victory over Miami followed by losses to New Orleans and Kansas City.

The game is the second of two straight road games against AFC South Division rivals for the Jaguars, who are are off to their first 0-3 start since their inaugural season and are trying to end a five-game losing streak dating back to last season. The Jaguars will close out the month of September having played three of their four games on the road. By contrast, the team will not leave home in October, with three games at ALLTEL Stadium surrounding their open date on October 19. The Jaguars are 40-25 at home in the regular season and 28-38 on the road.

JAGUARS ON THE AIR THIS WEEK:

Monday - Jaguars Reporters, 6:00 p.m., WOKV Radio, with Brian Sexton, Vic Ketchman

Monday - The Jack Del Rio Show, 7:30 p.m., WTEV Ch. 47

Tuesday - The Jack Del Rio Show, 6:00 p.m., WOKV Radio

Wednesday - Jaguars This Week, 6:00 p.m., WOKV Radio

Thursday - THE Jaguars Show, 10:30 p.m., WAWS Ch. 30

Saturday - Jaguars Weekend, 7:30 p.m. and 12:00 a.m,, WTEV Ch. 47

THE OPPONENT: After a five-year absence, NFL football returned to the city of Houston in 2002. An expansion franchise was awarded on October 6, 1999 when the league announced that the 32nd NFL franchise would go to to owner Robert C. McNair. In their first season, the Texans finished 4-12 and in fourth place in the AFC South Division.

THE SERIES:This will be the third game between the Jaguars and Texans. The two teams split the series in 2002. On October 27, the Texans won the second game in franchise history when they defeated the Jaguars 21-19 in Jacksonville. The Jaguars returned the favor three weeks later in Houston with a 24-21 win. The Jaguars own a 3-0 record in Houston, having defeated the old Houston Oilers in 1995 (for their first win ever) and again in 1996.

THE LAST TIME: The Jaguars defeated the Houston Texans 24-21 at Reliant Stadium on November 17, 2002 behind two Mark Brunell touchdown passes and the strong running of Fred Taylor and Stacey Mack. It was the Jaguars' first victory over the expansion Texans and avenged a loss three weeks earlier at home. Brunell threw touchdown passes of two yards to Kyle Brady and 13 yards to Jimmy Smith, and Stacey Mack scored from one yard out on fourth down, as the Jaguars jumped out to a 24-7 lead, scoring two of their touchdowns off Houston's two turnovers. The Texans scored two touchdowns on runs by quarterback David Carr, but the Jaguars' defense came up with two sacks on the Texans' final drive to thwart any chance of a comeback. Taylor rushed for 56 yards and Mack added 54 yards in a tandem effort that kept Houston off balance. Meanwhile, the Jaguars allowed only 78 yards rushing. Jimmy Smith caught six passes for 70 yards and one touchdown and moved into the top 20 on the NFL's all-time receiving list and into 26th place on the career receiving yardage list. He also surpassed 9,000 yards receiving and scored his 50th career touchdown. The win was the team's second in a row and moved them back to .500 at 5-5. It was also their only win in the AFC South all season.

A JAGUARS VICTORY OVER THE TEXANS WOULD: Be their first victory of the season and end a five-game losing streak dating back to last season. It would give them a 1-3 record in 2003 and be their first victory under new head coach Jack Del Rio. It would also give them a 2-1 mark in the series with the Texans.

INJURY UPDATE: The only players injured in the Indianapolis game were QB Mark Brunell (elbow), RB Chris Fuamatu-Ma'afala (hamstring) and DB James Trapp (ankle). Missing the game because of injuries were: LB Keith Mitchell (neck), CB Kiwaukee Thomas (groin), LB Eric Westmoreland (knee) and WR Micah Ross (ankle). The status of all injured players will be updated on Wednesday.

THE COACHES: Jack Del Rio was named Jaguars head coach on January 17, 2003, becoming the second head coach in Jaguars' history. At 40, Del Rio is the second youngest head coach in the NFL (four months older than Jon Gruden). Del Rio spent 11 years as an NFL linebacker and had a standout college career at the University of Southern California. He previously coached in New Orleans (1997-98), Baltimore (1999-2001), and Carolina (2002). He was the Panthers' defensive coordinator, and in his only season with the club the defense improved from 31st in the NFL to second, the biggest one season defensive improvement in NFL history. Del Rio was the linebackers coach for three seasons in Baltimore, where the Ravens' defense also ranked second each season. He helped the team win Super Bowl XXXV over the New York Giants and coached the Ravens' talented linebackers, overseeing the development of Peter Boulware, Jamie Sharper and Ray Lewis, the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year in 2000 and the MVP of Super Bowl XXXV. Prior to coaching, Del Rio played 11 seasons in the NFL, with New Orleans (1985-86), Kansas City (1987-88), Dallas (1989-1991) and Minnesota (1992-95), playing in the Pro Bowl following the 1994 season. Del Rio was a starter at linebacker for Southern California (1981-84), where he earned All-America honors, was a runner-up for the Lombardi Award and co-MVP of the 1985 Rose Bowl. Del Rio has learned from some of the best coaches in all of football. He was recruited to USC and played for John Robinson, and in the NFL he played under Bum Phillips, Jim Mora, Jimmy Johnson and Dennis Green. As an assistant coach, he has worked for Hall of Famer Mike Ditka and Super Bowl winner Brian Billick, as well as John Fox. Drafted by baseball's Toronto Blue Jays, Del Rio batted .340 while playing catcher on USC's baseball team in 1983 and 1984 with future stars Randy Johnson and Mark McGwire. He was a third-round choice by the New Orleans Saints in 1985 and was named to the NFL's All-Rookie team.

Last season, Dom Capers guided the Houston Texans to a 4-12 record, tied for the second-most victories by an expansion team. The first coach in Texans history, Capers knows how to build an expansion team since it was his Carolina Panthers that set the inaugural expansion record for victories by going 7-9 in 1995. Capers posted a 31-35 record in four seasons as coach of the Panthers (1995-98), including a trip to the 1996 NFC Championship game in the franchise's second season. After their 7-9 record in 1995, the Panthers posted a 12-4 mark and knocked off the defending Super Bowl champion Dallas Cowboys in an NFC Divisional Playoff game before ultimately falling to the Green Bay Packers, a performance that earned Capers Coach of the Year honors. Capers served as Jacksonville's defensive coordinator (1999-2000) before being tabbed to run the NFL's newest franchise. Capers played safety and linebacker at Mount Union College (1971). He started his coaching career at Kent State (1972-1974) before moving on to Hawaii (1975-76), San Jose State (1977), California (1978-79), Tennessee (1980-81) and Ohio State (1982-83). Capers got his NFL coaching start with the New Orleans Saints (1986-1991) prior to being the defensive coordinator for the Pittsburgh Steelers (1992-94). He has an overall record of 35-48.

JACKSONVILLE-HOUSTON CONNECTIONS: Four Texans are former Jaguars: RB Stacey Mack (1999-2002), DT Seth Payne (1997-2001), DE Gary Walker (1999-2001) and OT Jimmy Herndon (1996). Payne is on injured reserve. … The only Jaguar who has played for the Texans is LB Shannon Taylor, who spent this year's preseason in Houston (WR/KR Jermaine Lewis, who played for the Texans in 2002, is on injured reserve). ...Texans head coach Dom Capers was the defensive coordinator for the Jaguars in 1999 and 2000 … Texans offensive coordinator Chris Palmer was the Jaguars' offensive coordinator in 1997 and '98 … Texans with ties to the state of Florida include: WR Jabar Gaffney (Jacksonville, Raines High School, University of Florida), G Milford Brown (Florida State), WR Andre Johnson (Miami, University of Miami), C Chris Lorenti (Port Orange, Central Florida), and RB Stacey Mack (Orlando) … Three Jaguars have ties to the state of Texas: LB Akin Ayodele (Grand Prairie), DE Tony Brackens (Fairfield, University of Texas) and WR Cortez Hankton (Texas Southern) … Players who were college teammates include: Jaguars OT Mike Pearson and Texans WR Jabar Gaffney at Florida; Jaguars OT Sammy Williams and Texans RB James Allen at Oklahoma; Jaguars RB David Allen with Texans CB Demarcus Faggins and TE Justin Swift at Kansas State; Jaguars LB Danny Clark with Texans G Ryan Schau and LB Terrell Washington at Illinois; Jaguars CB Brad Franklin and Texans DB Kyries Herbert at Louisiana-Lafayette…Coaches who shared the same sideline include: Jaguars OL coach Paul Boudreau and Texans offensive coordinator Kipp Brown with the Miami Dolphins (1999) … Jaguars assistant head coach Steve Shafer and offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave with Texans RB coach Chick Harris and assistant OL coach Greg Roman with the Carolina Panthers. … Jaguars head coach Jack Del Rio has a connection to Houston since he was a finalist for the Rotary Lombardi Award in 1984, along with Bill Fralic (Pittsburgh), William Perry (Clemson) and eventual winner Tony Degrate (Texas).

JAGUARS VS. TEXANS: Here are the accumulated statistics for players in the Jaguars-Texans series:

Jaguars QB Mark Brunell - 2 games (1-1 record); 31 of 59 (52.5%) for 426 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT; 3 rushes for 16 yards

Jaguars RB Fred Taylor - 2 games; 38 carries for 140 yards (3.7 avg.), 0 TD; 3 receptions for 22 yards

Jaguars TE Kyle Brady - 2 games; 5 receptions for 54 yards, 1 TD

Texans QB David Carr - 2 games; 33 of 48 (68.8%) for 472 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INTs

Texans WR Corey Bradford - 2 games; 6 receptions for 89 yards, 1 TD

Texans WR Jabar Gaffney - 2 games; 6 receptions for 105 yards, 0 TD

Texans TE Billy Miller - 2 games; 7 receptions for 119 yards, 1 TD

LAST WEEK: The Jaguars lost their third straight game of the season 23-13 to the Indianapolis Colts in the RCA Dome. The Jaguars had a 3-0 lead at halftime but were outscored 17-0 in the third quarter in losing for the fifth time in five games to the Colts. Fred Taylor rushed for 126 yards in the loss, his first 100-yard game of the season. QB Mark Brunell hit on 12 of his first 15 passes, as the Jaguars controlled the first half. But Seth Marler missed two field goals attempts, and a three-point lead that could have been bigger could not hold up in the second half. An elbow injury to Brunell started to bother him in the second half, as he missed on his final eight pass attempts. The Jaguars held Marvin Harrison to four catches for 31 yards, but Reggie Wayne scored two touchdowns for the Colts, leading all receivers with 10 receptions for 141 yards. In the third quarter, the Colts had 131 yards to the Jaguars' 21 yards. Byron Leftwich entered the game with 2:20 to play and led Jacksonville to its only touchdown, hitting Matthew Hatchette from eight yards out.

NOTES FROM THE COLTS GAME: The Jaguars had fewer first downs (15 to 17), fewer yards (266 to 289) and less time of possession (23:48 to 36:12). Jacksonville had the ball for only 6:25 in the second half. … Each team had one turnover, leaving the Jaguars at plus-one for the season. … The Jaguars converted 5 of 13 third downs (38 percent), while the Colts were 7 of 14 (50 percent). … The Jaguars held the Colts to 73 yards rushing, with Edgerrin James rushing 27 times for 76 yards (2.8 average). … QB Mark Brunell finished the game 12 of 23 for 90 yards, 0 TD and 0 INT. He is one of only three NFL starting quarterbacks without an interception. … Byron Leftwich was 4 of 5 for 32 yards and one TD. … Taylor's 100-yard rushing game was the 24th of his career and first since 12/8/02 vs. Cleveland. The Jaguars are 15-9 when he rushes for 100 yards. The Colts had gone 14 consecutive games without allowing a 100-yard rusher, the longest streak in the league. … Matthew Hatchette led the team with four receptions for 45 yards and one TD, followed by J.J. Stokes and Fred Taylor with three catches apiece. … Chris Hanson punted four times for a 38.8-yard average, with no touchbacks, one inside the 20, and a long of 51. He had three kicks returned for 35 yards and a net average of 30.0. … The Jaguars had no sacks for the second straight game and allowed two sacks. … MLB Mike Peterson led the team with 11 tackles (5 solo), followed by DT Marcus Stroud with 9 tackles (7 solo). … DB James Trapp played in his first game as a Jaguar and had an interception, his ninth in 11 seasons. … Every player who dressed saw action except CB Brad Franklin and G/OT Leander Jordan. The inactive players were: CB Kiwaukee Thomas, LB Eric Westmoreland, LB Keith Mitchell, OT/G Sammy Williams, OL Marques Ogden, WR Micah Ross and QB David Garrard (third QB). … Jaguars captains were: C Brad Meester, MLB Mike Peterson and LB T.J. Slaughter.

FROM COACH JACK DEL RIO ON THE COLTS GAME: "My assessment of the game is that we didn't make enough plays to win. Our approach is to go back to work tomorrow and correct those things. We've had two road games where we've come out early in the game when you're most concerned and played well. Certainly, in the opener at Carolina and again today we had opportunities to do more with our success early and we came away with three points. And in the second half of both of those games we did not play well enough to win on the road. I felt like we played a solid first half. However, I didn't feel good about it because I felt like we had some opportunities to do some damage to them and we're sitting there with a 3-0 game."

(on missed opportunities) "The Colts are good players and they are a good team but it wasn't about them. It hasn't been about the opponent thus far. In three games it's been about us. We just have to get better."

(on what the team needs to do to get a win) "We need to make enough plays to win a game. Right now we are making enough plays to lose games. It's as simple as that."

(on the quarterback change in the fourth quarter) "It was something we were thinking about because it looked to me like Mark was struggling with his elbow. I appreciate the courage he showed, but it appeared that he was misfiring quite a bit. At that point, we hoped to get the ball back sooner and let Byron (Leftwich) have a shot at it."

(on Fred Taylor) "I've said all along that I think Fred is a terrific running back. We knew that giving them a dose of Fred was good for two reasons. One, we would get our own offense going, and two, we would keep theirs on the sideline. We were able to work that and work it well, so Fred had a nice game for us."

FROM QB MARK BRUNELL: "The second half they came out and took the first drive and went down and scored and the momentum shifted. We got the ball and didn't respond and it seemed to steamroll after that. They started moving the ball, and defensively they were shutting us down, so you have to give them credit."

(on possible frustration in the game) "It was not possible frustration - it was definite frustration. We had some opportunities, but we still are losing games, we are not taking advantage of the opportunities that we have. It's in all aspects of the game - offense, defense and special teams. We have to come together as a team and keep working hard. Hopefully, soon we can turn this thing around."

FROM TE KYLE BRADY: (on the game) "It's real frustrating. We have to play consistent football for 60 minutes. We played a decent first half, we moved the ball and the defense shut down a good Colts offense, but it has to be for four quarters."

(on frustration at not scoring enough) "It's really frustrating, especially when you are moving the ball. If you're going three-and-out every series that's one thing, but when you're moving the ball and taking chunks of time off the clock but you're not getting into the end zone that makes it a little more frustrating."

(on this team needing leaders) "Yeah, I think so. Sometimes there is only so much cheerleading you can do. When you see the stunned look on everyone's face, someone needs to go up and down and try to wipe it off and get back on track."

FROM RB FRED TAYLOR: (on losing despite having a good game) "It's tough. Everything else gets overshadowed, but the one positive thing out of this is we have 13 more games. We can keep grinding. We're not out of it."

NEXT WEEK: The Jaguars will return home to host the San Diego Chargers at 1:00 p.m. EDT Sunday, October 5 at ALLTEL Stadium. It will be the first meeting ever between the two teams, since the Chargers are the only NFL team the Jaguars have not faced in their nine-year history. This season, the Chargers are 0-3 and in fourth place in the AFC West Division. They are coached by Marty Schottenheimer, who has an 0-2 record against the Jaguars (losing in 1997 and '98 when he coached the Kansas City Chiefs). San Diego is led by running back LaDainian Tomlinson, who rushed for 2,919 yards in his first two seasons.

QUARTERBACKS IN THEIR FIRST START AS A JAGUAR: Here's a recap of the first start of the eight players who have started at quarterback for the Jaguars since 1995.

Steve Beuerlein, September 3, 1995 vs. Houston Oilers - Led Jaguars to a competitive 10-3 loss in their first game ever. Completed 7 of 17 passes for 54 yards.

Mark Brunell, September 17, 1995 at New York Jets - Starting for an injured Beuerlein on his 25th birthday, completed 15 of 33 passes for 138 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT in a 27-10 loss.

Rob Johnson, August 31, 1997 at Baltimore Ravens - In his only start for the Jaguars, Johnson completed 20 of 24 passes for 294 yards and 2 TDs and also ran for a touchdown, as the Jaguars won their season opener 28-27. His 83.3 completion percentage was the best ever for a quarterback making his first start since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger. A year later, he was traded to Buffalo for first-and fourth-round draft picks (the former used to obtain RB Fred Taylor).

Steve Matthews, September 7, 1997 vs. N.Y. Giants - A week after Johnson replaced Brunell, Matthews took over for an injured Johnson and led the Jaguars to a 40-13 victory, at the time the most points ever scored by a Jacksonville team. In his only NFL start ever, Matthews completed 23 of 35 passes for 252 yards. A year later, he was out of football.

Jamie Martin, December 13, 1998 vs. Tennessee Titans - The previous week, Martin took over for an injured Brunell (who was hurt on the first series) and led the team to a win over Detroit. In his only start as a Jaguar, Martin led the team to a 10-10 tie but was injured just before halftime on a scramble and lost for the season. For the game, he was 6 of 11 for 71 yards, and Jacksonville lost to Tennessee 16-13. Martin played for Cleveland in 1999, then returned to Jacksonville for one season in 2000.

Jonathan Quinn, December 20, 1998 at Minnesota Vikings - A fourth-round draft choice, he had the most difficult start of any Jaguars player. The team clinched the AFC Central championship during the afternoon, then was soundly defeated by the Vikings that night 50-10. Quinn was under pressure all game, completing 12 of 27 passes for 88 yards. Quinn was a Jaguars backup for four seasons; his only other start was a week later, a victory over Pittsburgh on "Monday Night Football."

Jay Fiedler, January 2, 2000 vs. Cincinnati Bengals - Fiedler started the 1999 season finale for an injured Brunell and completed 28 of 39 passes for 317 yards and one TD - the only 300-yard game for a first-time Jaguars starter - as the Jaguars won 24-7 to finish the regular season 14-2. The next year he signed with Miami and has started for the Dolphins ever since.

David Garrard, December 29, 2002 at Indianapolis Colts - Started the season finale for an injured Brunell and completed 13 of 26 for 135 yards and ran for 44 yards in a 20-13 loss to the Colts. The game would mark Tom Coughlin's last as the team's head coach.

THE EUROPEAN CONNECTION: Two Jaguars players who spent the spring playing in the NFL Europe League are already making their presence felt.

WR Matthew Hatchette, who led the NFL Europe League in receptions in the spring, is the Jaguars' top wide receiver through three games, with 10 catches for 117 yards and a team-high two touchdowns (tied for seventh in the AFC).

KR David Allen, who was the NFLEL's Special Teams Player of the Year in the spring (breaking the league's kickoff return yardage record with 915 yards), played in his first NFL game last Sunday at Indianapolis, returning two kickoffs for 84 yards, including a 61-yarder that set up the team's only touchdown.

BRADY RANKS NO. 5 AMONG TIGHT ENDS: In the last five seasons, the Jaguars' Kyle Brady has the fifth most receptions of active tight ends. Here are the NFL's top receiving tight ends since 1999:

DOUGLAS IS EIGHTH-LEADING ACTIVE SACKER: Jaguars DE Hugh Douglas ranks eighth among active players in sacks. Here's the list:

TAYLOR HAS SEVENTH-MOST TOUCHDOWNS LAST FIVE YEARS: Despite missing 24 full games and parts of nine others, Jaguars RB Fred Taylor is tied with the seventh-most touchdowns over the last six seasons among active players.

MORE TOUCHDOWNS THAN INTERCEPTIONS: Jaguars QB Mark Brunell has the fifth best ratio of touchdown passes to interceptions in NFL history. In 11 seasons, Brunell has 144 TD passes and only 86 interceptions (none this season). The quarterbacks with the best career touchdown-to-interception ratio (minimum of 100 TD passes):

BRUNELL HAS 12TH-BEST WINNING PERCENTAGE: Jaguars QB Mark Brunell has the 12th-best career winning percentage of active quarterbacks (minimum 20 wins). In the last nine seasons, he has the most victories of any quarterback other than Green Bay's Brett Favre.

NEW FACES: There are 25 new faces among the 52 players on the Jaguars' current roster. Here is the breakdown.

Unrestricted Free Agents (4) - DE Hugh Douglas, FB Marc Edwards, LB Keith Mitchell, LB Mike Peterson

Veteran Free Agents (10) - DE Lionel Barnes, S Deke Cooper, RB Chris Fuamatu-Ma'afala, WR Matthew Hatchette, G Jamar Nesbit, S Nick Sorenson, WR J.J. Stokes, LB Shannon Taylor, CB James Trapp, OT/G Sammy Williams

First-year free agents (1) - RB/KR David Allen

Trade (1) - S Anthony Mitchell

Waivers (1) - CB Brad Franklin

Draft Choices (6) - QB Byron Leftwich, DB Rashean Mathis, G Vince Manuwai, TE George Wrighster, RB LaBrandon Toefield, OT Marques Ogden

Undrafted Rookies (2) - WR Cortez Hankton, PK Seth Marler

JAGUARS ROOKIE STARTERS ON OPENING DAY: Two members of this year's draft class started the season opener, becoming the 11th and 12th rookies to start for the Jaguars on opening day.

1995 - OT Brian DeMarco, TE Pete Mitchell, RB James Stewart

1996 - LB Kevin Hardy

1997 - None

1998 - S Donovin Darius

1999 - CB Fernando Bryant

2000 - G Brad Meester, DB Kiwaukee Thomas

2001 - S Marlon McCree, OT Maurice Williams

2002 - None

2003 - G Vince Manuwai, S Rashean Mathis

JAGUARS IN THE COMMUNITY: Each Tuesday during the NFL season, Jaguars players are involved in the community making visits to schools and other non-profit agencies. Here are some visits for this week:

-- Tuesday - First-year players C Brett Romberg, CB Chris Brown, RB Joe Smith, QB Byron Leftwich, OL Marques Ogden and DE Brandon Green will visit Wolfson Children's Hospital from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon.

-- P Chris Hanson and LB T.J. Slaughter will participate in an employee appreciation luncheon at AOL, meeting with employees, signing autographs and taking pictures from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.

-- QB David Garrard will sign autographs at Dick and Jane's Sportscards (1819 Dean Road) from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m.

JAGUARS AMONG THE LEAGUE LEADERS: The Jaguars rank 19th in the NFL in total offense (14th rushing, 21st passing), and they are 12th in defense (9th rushing and 21st passing). They have allowed 85 points, the second-highest total in the AFC. … The offense is tied for ninth in the AFC with 52 first downs and is ninth in the conference in third-down percentage (13 of 40, 32.5 percent). The defense is 10th in allowing 54 first downs and is tied for 14th in the AFC in opponent's third-down conversions (19 of 42, 45.2 percent). … The Jaguars are plus-1 on the turnover table, tied for eighth in the AFC. … The Jaguars are tied for third in the AFC with a 66.7 percent rate on scoring touchdowns inside the red zone (4 of 6). Defensively, the Jaguars are tied for 12th in the AFC with opponents scoring touchdowns on 66.7 percent of red zone opportunities (6 of 9). … QB Mark Brunell is second in the AFC in passing with a 89.7 passer rating. … WR Matthew Hatchette is tied for seventh in the AFC among non-kickers with 12 points (2 TDs). … PK Seth Marler is 10th in the AFC with 17 points (5 of 5 PATS, 4 of 8 FGAs). … RB Fred Taylor ranks fourth in the AFC with 268 rushing yards and is tied for 13th in the AFC with 13 receptions. He ranks fourth in the conference with 340 yards from scrimmage. … Chris Hanson is fifth in the AFC with a 43.9 gross punting average, but he ranks 15th with a 30.3 net average. … LaBrandon Toefield is eighth in the AFC with a 22.9 average on kickoff returns. … DE Tony Brackens is tied for fourth in the AFC with two sacks.

STATS AND SUCH: The Jaguars have had only two lineup changes so far, and a total of 20 players have started every game this season (10 on both offense and defense): WR Matthew Hatchette, OTs Mike Pearson and Maurice Williams, Gs Vince Manuwai and Chris Naeole, C Brad Meester, TE Kyle Brady, QB Mark Brunell, RB Fred Taylor, FB Marc Edwards, DEs Tony Brackens and Hugh Douglas, DTs Marcus Stroud and John Henderson, LBs Mike Peterson and Akin Ayodele, CBs Fernando Bryant and Jason Craft, and Ss Donovin Darius and Rashean Mathis.

The Jaguars have had three plays of 30 or more yards in 2003. They had only 16 plays of 30-plus yards in 2002, 11 in 2001, 26 in 2000, 23 in 1999, 29 in 1998, 22 in 1997, 26 in 1996 and 12 in 1995. The Jaguars have allowed four 30-plus plays this season… Of the Jaguars' 65 completed passes, 30 have been to wide receivers, 12 to tight ends and 23 to running backs. … The Jaguars are 3 for 4 on fourth-down conversions; their opponents are 2 for 3. … On six drives inside the opponent's 20, the Jaguars have scored four touchdowns and one field goal. Their opponents have had nine trips inside the red zone and have come away with six touchdowns and three field goal. … Jaguars opponents have begun four possessions inside their own 20 and scored on one of those drives (TD), while the Jaguars have begun seven possessions inside their own 20 and scored on one of those drives (TD). … In nine seasons, the Jaguars are 17 for 27 on two-point conversions (0 for 1 in 2003), while their opponents are 7 for 25 (0 for 2 in 2003). … In nine seasons, the Jaguars have a .500-or-better record in every month except October (they are .500 in January). They are 1-0 in August, 16-16 in September, 13-19 in October, 19-12 in November, 18-15 in December and 1-1 in January. … In 2003, the Jaguars have outscored their opponents in the second quarter (24-7), and have been outscored in the first quarter (0-14), third quarter (6-38) and fourth quarter (23-26).

Mark Brunell is 63-54 in 117 regular-season starts, 67-58 overall. … WR Jimmy Smith has played in 127 of the 131 games in Jaguars history. Of the current players, next are QB Mark Brunell (120) and DE Tony Brackens (95). … The longest streak of consecutive starts is held by C Brad Meester (51), followed by TE Kyle Brady (49). … Seven players have played in 100 or more games during their careers: CB James Trapp (145), WR Jimmy Smith (134), TE Kyle Brady (127), QB Mark Brunell (122), WR J.J. Stokes (114), DE Hugh Douglas (109) and WR/KR Jermaine Lewis (102). FB Marc Edwards will play in his 100th game on Sunday. … Brady leads with 121 career starts, followed by Brunell (117) and Smith (106).

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