jaguars.com Senior Editor Vic Ketchman followed the action live as the Jaguars took on the Bengals in Cincinnati. Here's what he wrote.
Pregame - 9:44AM
Hi, everybody, and welcome to the press box at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati. The weather is spectacular; fall at its finest. Hopefully, the Jaguars will play at a level the equal of the weather. Welcome aboard. The blog begins now.
Pregame - 10:13AM
The Bengals will wear orange jerseys today. They are 7-1 since 2004 in games in which they wore the orange jerseys. I guess you could call this "Battle Orange" Day.
Pregame - 10:41AM
Here's a breakdown on the Bengals uniforms record: orange jerseys and black pants, 3-0; orange and white, 4-1; black and black, 6-5; white and black, 7-9; black and white, 9-14; white and white, 5-9. I think the Bengals are wearing orange jerseys and white pants today. Hey, that's better than orange jerseys and black pants, huh? I was always taught not to wear white pants before Memorial Day or after Labor Day.
Pregame - 11:25AM
The Jaguars are attempting to win their third straight road game for the third time in the last two seasons. As I said in the first blog entry, it's a beautiful day in Cincinnati; a beach kind of day. The field surface is Field Turf and the track is dry and fast.
Pregame - 11:28AM
Jaguars inactives: William James, Omare Lowe, Chauncey Washington, Thomas Williams, Charles Spencer, Mike Walker, Tony McDaniel and Drew Miller.
Pregame - 11:35AM
Bengals inactives: Carson Palmer (third QB), Geoffrey Pope, Andrew Crummey, Nate Lawrie, Andre Caldwell, Jerome Simpson, Orien Harris and Jason Shirley.
Pregame - 12:18PM
What are my expectations for today's game? I expect the Jaguars to be on top of their game. I expect the Jaguars to get their record back to .500 and resurrect their playoff hopes. I'm not saying that's what's going to happen, but those are my expectations.
Pregame - 12:19PM
I'm going to head over to the radio booth for the pregame show. I'll be back for the coin toss.
Pregame - 1:00PM
The Jaguars have won the toss and elected to receive. Enjoy the game, everyone. Thanks for joining me.
Maurice Jones-Drew is back to receive the kickoff.
15:00 left in 1st Qtr -- JAX: 0, CIN: 0
You gotta run, Mo. He was tackled at the Jaguars 17-yard line.
14:53 left in 1st Qtr -- JAX: 0, CIN: 0
David Garrard threw the bomb on the first play. It was a good throw but Johnathan Joseph stayed with Troy Williamson step for step, leaped and knocked the ball away.
13:27 left in 1st Qtr -- JAX: 0, CIN: 0
Bad throw by Garrard. He threw behind Reggie Williams on a deep post. Williams was open.
13:22 left in 1st Qtr -- JAX: 0, CIN: 0
He comes back to Williams with a good throw on second down. It's third and two.
12:36 left in 1st Qtr -- JAX: 0, CIN: 0
Garrard to Dennis Northcutt for a first down. Northcutt had to reach back for the ball and take it away from the defender.
10:27 left in 1st Qtr -- JAX: 0, CIN: 0
Garrard was hit as he threw; incomplete. The Jags have to punt. Garrard was slow in seeing Matt Jones over the middle. He came open quickly. The Bengals take over at their 16. They had a hard rush on the punter.
10:19 left in 1st Qtr -- JAX: 0, CIN: 0
The pressure is on the Jaguars defensive backs against two top receivers, Chad Ocho Cinco and T.J. Houshmandzadeh. A strong pass-rush would help.
10:19 left in 1st Qtr -- JAX: 0, CIN: 0
Ryan Fitzpatrick comes out throwing; gain of eight.
09:14 left in 1st Qtr -- JAX: 0, CIN: 0
Fitzpatrick scrambles for a first down. The whole left side was wide open; gain of 18. There was no pressure.
08:39 left in 1st Qtr -- JAX: 0, CIN: 0
Rashean Mathis nearly picked one off and took it to the house. Fitzpatrick telgraphed his throw to the sideline and Mathis jumped it.
08:34 left in 1st Qtr -- JAX: 0, CIN: 0
Mathis may be the best cornerback at jumping sideline routes I've ever covered.
07:35 left in 1st Qtr -- JAX: 0, CIN: 0
Fitzpatrick to Houshmandzadeh for a first down. He had all day to throw the ball. The coverage was very, very loose.
Fitzpatrick to T.J. for four. Folks, please permit me to refer to you know who as T.J. from now on, please. It would help mel vowel rationing. Thanks.
05:52 left in 1st Qtr -- JAX: 0, CIN: 0
Cedric Benson bounces off a tackler to get the first down. They had him stopped on the first surge.
05:17 left in 1st Qtr -- JAX: 0, CIN: 0
Benson bursts off the right side for seven. The ball is at the Jaguars 24. This is discouraging.
05:17 left in 1st Qtr -- JAX: 0, CIN: 0
Fitzpatrick scrambles straight ahead to the 12 for a first down. The Bengals look powerful.
03:16 left in 1st Qtr -- JAX: 0, CIN: 0
Fitzpatrick to Ocho Cinco; it's third and three at the five.
02:47 left in 1st Qtr -- JAX: 0, CIN: 0
I was just told that I should refer to Ocho Cinco as Johnson. I guess I can call him Johnson.
02:28 left in 1st Qtr -- JAX: 0, CIN: 6
Touchdown! Fitzpatrick to Johnson in the back-left corner of the end zone. It was a lovely throw. Mathis was in coverage.
02:28 left in 1st Qtr -- JAX: 0, CIN: 7
Don't ask me about the Ocho Cinco thing. It has something to do with jerseys. I don't care. If they tell me to refer to him as Sarah Palin, I'll do that.
02:28 left in 1st Qtr -- JAX: 0, CIN: 7
Fitzpatrick was seven of eight for 48 yards and one touchdown in the drive. He had two runs for 30 yards. He's a good-looking player. I had been told by others who had seen him play that he was impressive, in streaks.
02:22 left in 1st Qtr -- JAX: 0, CIN: 7
Fred Taylor has two yards on two carries. He needs 17 yards to reach 11,000 in his career.
02:22 left in 1st Qtr -- JAX: 0, CIN: 7
Garrard scrambles for eight. The Jags need a yard for a first down.
00:54 left in 1st Qtr -- JAX: 0, CIN: 7
Jones-Drew didn't get it. The Jags have to punt. This is a terrible start to this game. The Jags need a good punt and a stop on defense to get this thing turned around.
00:07 left in 1st Qtr -- JAX: 0, CIN: 7
They got the good punt and a block in the back. The Bengals are going to be backed up to their 11-yard line. It's time for this defense to start playing.
15:00 left in 2nd Qtr -- JAX: 0, CIN: 7
Benson blows through a hole on the right side for eight yards. The Bengals may have found something on their right side they like. That's the end of the first quarter.
15:00 left in 2nd Qtr -- JAX: 0, CIN: 7
Neutral zone infraction. That's the second one that's allowed a first down. The Jaguars are jumpy up front.
14:55 left in 2nd Qtr -- JAX: 0, CIN: 7
The Bengals got Fitzpatrick off waivers. Wow! What a find.
14:55 left in 2nd Qtr -- JAX: 0, CIN: 7
Pass interference against Drayton Florence. It's a good thing because Chris Henry had him beat deep. First down at the 50.
14:22 left in 2nd Qtr -- JAX: 0, CIN: 7
Fitzpatrick overthrew Henry in the end zone. He had Florence beaten again. It was slightly overthrown.
14:14 left in 2nd Qtr -- JAX: 0, CIN: 7
Fitzpatrick picks up the blitz beautifully and hits the check down. The kid's from Harvard.
13:34 left in 2nd Qtr -- JAX: 0, CIN: 7
Fitzpatrick to Chris Perry for a first down; great throw.
12:55 left in 2nd Qtr -- JAX: 0, CIN: 7
He scrambles all the way to the 15. The kid is doing it all. He's 10 of 13 and he's rushed for 52 yards.
10:44 left in 2nd Qtr -- JAX: 0, CIN: 13
Touchdown! Fitzpatrick just threw the most beautiful touch pass you'll ever see. Wow! This guy can play. Johnson caught it and did a great job of getting his feet down.
10:44 left in 2nd Qtr -- JAX: 0, CIN: 14
Jack Del Rio thought of challenging the call, but it was good that he didn't. I just saw the replay and Johnson got a knee and an elbow down in bounds, which would be the equivalent of four feet.
10:44 left in 2nd Qtr -- JAX: 0, CIN: 14
Dennis Norman is in at left tackle for Khalif Barnes. I have no report of an injury.
10:01 left in 2nd Qtr -- JAX: 0, CIN: 14
Jones-Drew rushes twice and gains a first down. Both runs were to the right.
07:50 left in 2nd Qtr -- JAX: 0, CIN: 14
Sacked on third and three. The Jags only had a couple of receivers out on the route. It's punt time.
07:11 left in 2nd Qtr -- JAX: 0, CIN: 14
Nice punt by Adam Podlesh. The Bengals start at their 17. It's not as though they've had good field position. Their touchdown drives were 84 and 88 yards.
06:28 left in 2nd Qtr -- JAX: 0, CIN: 14
The guy's on target with everything and he's getting great protection. This is inexplicable.
05:52 left in 2nd Qtr -- JAX: 0, CIN: 14
The Jags hold on third and one. Yeah! That's the first third-down play the Bengals didn't covert. Frankly, it was a lousy run by Benson.
05:52 left in 2nd Qtr -- JAX: 0, CIN: 14
The Jags have great field position at the 50. Barnes is back in the game.
05:24 left in 2nd Qtr -- JAX: 0, CIN: 14
They've got a nice crowd here for 0-8.
05:12 left in 2nd Qtr -- JAX: 0, CIN: 14
I'm really lost on why the Jags only have a couple of receivers out on the routes. This is strange.
05:04 left in 2nd Qtr -- JAX: 0, CIN: 14
A screen to Jones-Drew gets a first down at the Bengals 33.
03:35 left in 2nd Qtr -- JAX: 0, CIN: 14
Right in his hands. Garrard to Marcedes Lewis at about the 10; knocked away. It's third and 11.
03:14 left in 2nd Qtr -- JAX: 0, CIN: 14
Incomplete; it was for Matt Jones. He was double-covered and not open. Josh Scobee is attempting a 52-yard field goal. It's good.
03:03 left in 2nd Qtr -- JAX: 3, CIN: 14
Scobee saved the day on that drive. The Jags had to get points on the board. I'm struggling for analysis on offense. Early in the game, the receivers were open and Garrard missed them on a couple of occasions. Now, I'm not seeing anyone open and I'm not seeing a lot of receivers in the route-tree.
03:03 left in 2nd Qtr -- JAX: 3, CIN: 14
Benson nearly went 80 yards. He blew threw a hole in the middle and was tripped up at the Bengals 40; gain of 20.
02:00 left in 2nd Qtr -- JAX: 3, CIN: 14
Draw for seven; the Bengals are punching holes in the Jags' front. We're at the two-minute warning.
01:08 left in 2nd Qtr -- JAX: 3, CIN: 14
Time out, Bengals. That's number two. They're trying to move into field goal range. Fitzpatrick is throwing a lot of short passes. The ball is at the Jaguars 40, third and six.
00:59 left in 2nd Qtr -- JAX: 3, CIN: 14
They threw short of the sticks; it's fourth and four. I expect them to go for it.
00:59 left in 2nd Qtr -- JAX: 3, CIN: 14
They did the long count thing and then called time out. Just when they were about to stop being the Bengals, they kept being the Bengals. They called time out. Now they're going to punt. You gotta be kidding.
00:03 left in 2nd Qtr -- JAX: 3, CIN: 14
That's the end of the half, I think. They didn't even have to run a play and they did.Why?
Halftime
Garrard is six of 12 for 53 yards and a 62.2 passer rating. Jones-Drew has rushed seven times for 25 yards. Neither is good enough to win, but the real blame in this game falls on the defense. Fitzpatrick is 16 of 19 for 100 yards, two touchdowns and a 123.7 passer rating. He's also rushed for 52 yards. The Bengals have a real find in this guy.
15:00 left in 3rd Qtr -- JAX: 3, CIN: 14
Here we go. This is a second half that will likely define this season. It starts with the Jags kicking the ball out of bounds.
14:42 left in 3rd Qtr -- JAX: 3, CIN: 14
Fitz picks up right where he left off. It's as though the Jags are playing against Johnny Unitas.
13:39 left in 3rd Qtr -- JAX: 3, CIN: 14
Just off Johnson's fingertips at the five-yard line. It's fourth down. Northcutt is back to receive. The punt is killed at the 10.
13:26 left in 3rd Qtr -- JAX: 3, CIN: 14
Off Matt Jones' fingerips. He had a guy in his face over the middle.
Garrard to Jerry Porter for a big gain down the right sideline; gain of 31.
11:21 left in 3rd Qtr -- JAX: 3, CIN: 14
Garrard throws to Matt Jones for eight and a first down at the Bengals 39. This is a big drive.
11:21 left in 3rd Qtr -- JAX: 3, CIN: 14
Holding against Tutan Reyes is going to push this drive back to the Bengals 49.
09:59 left in 3rd Qtr -- JAX: 3, CIN: 14
Interception by linebacker Dhani Jones. It was a bad throw all the way around by Garrard. He threw the slant too many times. That's the big problem. The Bengals dropped their linebacker on that side into the slant zone and it was an easy pick. Jones-Drew got hit with a low block on the return and the Bengals are at the Jaguars 37. Garrard had gone 166 passes without an interception.
09:59 left in 3rd Qtr -- JAX: 3, CIN: 14
The pass was for Matt Jones. It was the same route he had run to start the drive when the ball glanced off his fingertips. They've got to get off the slant route for awhile.
09:59 left in 3rd Qtr -- JAX: 3, CIN: 14
Benson bursts through the middle of the line all the way to the Jaguars seven. It was a 30-yard run.
09:15 left in 3rd Qtr -- JAX: 3, CIN: 20
Touchdown! Nobody touched him. Right up the gut.
09:15 left in 3rd Qtr -- JAX: 3, CIN: 21
Benson has 84 yards rushing. The Bengals are averaging 8.1 yards per rush.
09:09 left in 3rd Qtr -- JAX: 3, CIN: 21
There's no one open. Garrard is sacked for a loss of two.
08:24 left in 3rd Qtr -- JAX: 3, CIN: 21
They're pouring in on him. Two blockers completely whiffed. Garrard escaped to gain two yards.
07:38 left in 3rd Qtr -- JAX: 3, CIN: 21
Northcutt was double-covered; incomplete. It's as though every receiver is double-covered and eight guys are rushing.
07:14 left in 3rd Qtr -- JAX: 3, CIN: 21
Derrick Harvey was offside, nullifying an interception by Reggie Nelson.
05:34 left in 3rd Qtr -- JAX: 3, CIN: 21
Finally! Brian Williams intercepts a sideline pass. Just as Garrard had gone too many times over the middle, Fitzpatrick had gone too many times to the sideline. The Jags have it at their 47.
05:34 left in 3rd Qtr -- JAX: 3, CIN: 21
On the Nelson nullified interception, Fitzpatrick knew Harvey was offside so he went deep.
05:27 left in 3rd Qtr -- JAX: 3, CIN: 21
Garrard went deep for Williamson. He had two guys on him step for step and one of them knocked it away in the end zone. Holding on Uche Nwaneri.
04:33 left in 3rd Qtr -- JAX: 3, CIN: 21
Garard to Reggie Williams but Joseph clobbered him after the catch. Third and 16.
03:50 left in 3rd Qtr -- JAX: 3, CIN: 21
Holding again. This one is on Norman and there's also ineligible downfield on Brad Meester. The Bengals declined them both because all Garrard could do is throw it away.
03:32 left in 3rd Qtr -- JAX: 3, CIN: 21
The Bengals secondary is covering the Jaguars' wide receivers like the proverbial blanket. I don't have an explanation for it. Early in the game, they were open. Not now.
03:32 left in 3rd Qtr -- JAX: 3, CIN: 21
Benson is now over 100. If something doesn't happen soon, this one could become a rout.
02:33 left in 3rd Qtr -- JAX: 3, CIN: 21
We got a major fight between John Henderson and Andrew Whitworth. It actually started on the previous play when Henderson uppercut Whitworth, who put a little extra effort into his next block. After the completion downfield, Henderson went after Whitworth. There are three fouls, two on Henderson and one on Whitworth. Both players are ejected.
02:33 left in 3rd Qtr -- JAX: 3, CIN: 21
The long completion is nullified by the penalties. The Jags get a break on that one.
02:14 left in 3rd Qtr -- JAX: 3, CIN: 21
The Bengals have to punt. The Jags have it at their 38.
01:24 left in 3rd Qtr -- JAX: 3, CIN: 21
That's a drop by Porter.
00:45 left in 3rd Qtr -- JAX: 3, CIN: 21
Garrard scrambles for a first down.
Due to technical difficulties, Vic's blog is unable to continue. Please check back after game for full coverage on jaguars.com
