The 10 Most Memorable Jaguars Moments
It's been a tough year for Jaguars fans but the team appears to be headed in the right direction. In the meantime, Metro Jacksonville has something to cheer you up. Here's some of the most memorable moments in Jacksonville Jaguar history.
10. 2010 Josh Scobee 59 yard Field Goal
The Jags 2010 game against the Indianapolis Colts came down to less than 30 seconds with a tied score of 28-28. The Jags were able to complete two huge plays to put kicker Josh Scobee in place for a field goal attempt. Scobee kicked a 59 yard field goal to win the game—breaking his previous record of 53 yards and setting a new franchise record.
9. Mike Thomas’s “Hail Mary” Catch
Image courtesy of SIKids.com.
The Jag’s 2011 game against the Houston Texans would prove to be an important career day for wide receiver Mike Thomas. The score was tied up 24-24 with 3 seconds left on the clock when Jag’s QB David Garrard heaved the ball from the 50 yard line towards the end zone. Houston’s defensive back Glover Quin attempted to swat the ball away from the Jag’s intended target, tight end Marcedes Lewis. Quin did successfully swat the ball—right into the hands of Jag’s wide receiver Mike Thomas. Thomas caught the pass at the one yard line and stepped into the end zone—giving the Jags a 31-24 victory over the Texans.
8. First Home Playoff Win
Image courtesy of Zimbo.com.
The Jags 1998 game over the New England Patriots was an incredible one—and would result in the Jags first home playoff win of the franchise. The Jags were facing an injured team, as the Patriots were without starting QB Drew Bledsoe, receiver Terry Glenn, and linebacker Ted Johnson. The Jags took advantage of this, starting the game with two field goals. While the Patriots didn't score at all in the first half, they came back ready to fight in the third quarter, as they quickly began to catch up on the Jags 12 point lead. 162 yards from Fred Taylor, and two fumbles by the Patriots, would halt this-- leading the Jags to victory.
7. ‘99 Season Loss to Tennessee in the AFC Championship
This moment is memorable for the sheer fact that it was the end to one of the Jag’s best seasons in the NFL. In 1999 the Jags were one of the best teams in the NFL, with a record of 14-2— both losses coming from their AFC opponents, the Titans. The Titans would force six turnovers and a safety, before beating the Jags 33-14.
6. 2007 Win Over Pittsburgh in the Wild Card Round
Image courtesy of Spokeo.
The Jags 2007 Wildcard game was an exciting one. While the Jags only gained 239 yards of offense, the defense managed to sack Steeler’s QB Ben Roethlisberger six times, intercept three passes, and force a fumble on the final drive of the game.
This was a big game for Maurice Jones-Drew, who returned the first kickoff to the Jags 96 yards to the 1 yard line. This run would become the longest play in NFL postseason history that did not result in a touchdown. However, Fred Taylor would score the touchdown on the next play.
The other big play that would happen would be from QB David Garrad. The Jags had one timeout remaining with a little over two minutes on the clock. Three plays later, the Jags were fourth and 2. Garrard dropped back to pass but ran back to the line and ran for a 32 yard gain—making it possible for the Jags field goal that won the game.
5. First Monday Night Game Win
Image courtesy of https://thumbs3.ebaystatic.com/d/l225/m/mySiNG8PHbWQGqd75HV9Uew.jpg
The Jags faced off against the Pittsburgh Steelers on September 22, 1997—their first regular season, Monday night Football game. Not only would the Jags win this game, but it also still stands as one of the craziest endings in MNF’s history. The Jaguars were up by 2 with practically no times left. The Steelers tried for a field goal, which the Jags blocked, and Chris Hudson would return for a touchdown. As Hudson ran down the sidelines, the Steelers’ head coach cocked his fist back as if he was going to punch Hudson out of anger. The extra point was kicked and the Jags won—nearly 15 minutes after ABC stopped airing the game.
4. ‘96 Season Wild Card Round Win at Buffalo
Image courtesy of BuffaloDown.com.
This game was the Jag’s first playoff win of the ’96 season—they forced four turnovers, had 3 sacks, and outgained the Bills by 100 yards. Jag’s cornerback Aaron Beasley recovered a fumble on the 42-yard line that QB Mark Brunnell would toss to Jimmy Smith for a touchdown that sealed the final score of the game.
The Jags and the Bills went back and forth scoring for a majority of the game. Other big plays for the Jags in this game included defensive end Clyde Simmons’s intercepted pass that tied the game up in the first half; Brunnell completing a pass to Natrone Means, who ran for a 30 yard touchdown; and Keenan McCardell’s 27 yard catch for a touchdown, that ended an 11 play run by the Jags.
3. First Home Win
Image courtesy of Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
The Jags played their first game in their new Jacksonville Municipal Stadium against the Houston Oilers in September of 1995. Unfortunately, this game would be a loss for Jacksonville, in front of 72,000 eager fans. The Jags would lose their next three home games, too. Finally, in October, the Jags would have their first home win against the Pittsburgh Steelers 20-16. This would be the first time ever that an expansion team would defeat a team that would eventually play in the Super Bowl in the same season.
2. ‘99 Season Divisional Round Win over Miami
Image courtesy of TaylorBlitzTimes.com.
This game is considered to be the most lopsided, postseason game since the Chicago Bears defeated the Redskins 73-0 in the 1940 NFL Championship. The Jacksonville defense would force seen turnovers and would hold the Dolphins to a measly 131 yards, while scoring 38 points in the first quarter, over 60 points total in the game, brining the Jags a win of 62-7.
The biggest play of the game came from Fred Taylor, who ran down the right sideline for 90 yards to the end zone for a touchdown. This was an NFL playoff record. Taylor would rush for over 135 yards in the game, total, with 18 carries.
Other notable stats from the game came from QB Mark Brunell, who played with braces on both knees and still completed 5 of 9 passes for 102 yards and 2 touchdowns. Jay Fielder took over for Brunell in the second quarter, completing 7 of 11 completions for 72 yards with 2 touchdowns as well. Cornerback Aaron Beasley intercepted Dolphin QB Dan Marino’s first pass of the game, setting up a Jags field goal. The final touchdown was scored by Chris Howard off of an interception. Marino would retire after the game.
1. ‘96 Season Divisional Round Win at Denver
Image courtesy of Gators Gone Pro.
1996 was the Jag’s second year in the NFL. The Jags significantly improved from their inaugural season, winning six of their final seven games of ’96 and finishing with a 9-7 record.
The Jag’s would play their final game of the regular season against the Atlanta Falcons and would need to snag a win in order to earn a playoff berth. In the final few minutes of the game, the Jags got some luck, as Falcon’s kicker Morten Andersen missed a 30-yard field goal that would have given the Falcons the lead. As a result, the Jags would clinch the fifth seed in the AFC playoffs.
The Jag’s first franchise playoff game would occur on the road against the Buffalo Bills and end in a stunning victory by the Jags. Their next game was on the road against the Denver Broncos, whose 13-3 record earned them the top seed. The Jags primarily dominated in the second half, and a late touchdown pass from QB Mark Brunell to wide receiver Jimmy Smith gave the Jags a 30-20 lead. The Jags held on and ended the game with a 30-27 victory over the Broncos.
Article by Kristen Pickrell and Steve Congro
The Jags 2010 game against the Indianapolis Colts came down to less than 30 seconds with a tied score of 28-28. The Jags were able to complete two huge plays to put kicker Josh Scobee in place for a field goal attempt. Scobee kicked a 59 yard field goal to win the game—breaking his previous record of 53 yards and setting a new franchise record.
9. Mike Thomas’s “Hail Mary” Catch
Image courtesy of SIKids.com.
The Jag’s 2011 game against the Houston Texans would prove to be an important career day for wide receiver Mike Thomas. The score was tied up 24-24 with 3 seconds left on the clock when Jag’s QB David Garrard heaved the ball from the 50 yard line towards the end zone. Houston’s defensive back Glover Quin attempted to swat the ball away from the Jag’s intended target, tight end Marcedes Lewis. Quin did successfully swat the ball—right into the hands of Jag’s wide receiver Mike Thomas. Thomas caught the pass at the one yard line and stepped into the end zone—giving the Jags a 31-24 victory over the Texans.
8. First Home Playoff Win
Image courtesy of Zimbo.com.
The Jags 1998 game over the New England Patriots was an incredible one—and would result in the Jags first home playoff win of the franchise. The Jags were facing an injured team, as the Patriots were without starting QB Drew Bledsoe, receiver Terry Glenn, and linebacker Ted Johnson. The Jags took advantage of this, starting the game with two field goals. While the Patriots didn't score at all in the first half, they came back ready to fight in the third quarter, as they quickly began to catch up on the Jags 12 point lead. 162 yards from Fred Taylor, and two fumbles by the Patriots, would halt this-- leading the Jags to victory.
7. ‘99 Season Loss to Tennessee in the AFC Championship
This moment is memorable for the sheer fact that it was the end to one of the Jag’s best seasons in the NFL. In 1999 the Jags were one of the best teams in the NFL, with a record of 14-2— both losses coming from their AFC opponents, the Titans. The Titans would force six turnovers and a safety, before beating the Jags 33-14.
6. 2007 Win Over Pittsburgh in the Wild Card Round
Image courtesy of Spokeo.
The Jags 2007 Wildcard game was an exciting one. While the Jags only gained 239 yards of offense, the defense managed to sack Steeler’s QB Ben Roethlisberger six times, intercept three passes, and force a fumble on the final drive of the game.
This was a big game for Maurice Jones-Drew, who returned the first kickoff to the Jags 96 yards to the 1 yard line. This run would become the longest play in NFL postseason history that did not result in a touchdown. However, Fred Taylor would score the touchdown on the next play.
The other big play that would happen would be from QB David Garrad. The Jags had one timeout remaining with a little over two minutes on the clock. Three plays later, the Jags were fourth and 2. Garrard dropped back to pass but ran back to the line and ran for a 32 yard gain—making it possible for the Jags field goal that won the game.
5. First Monday Night Game Win
Image courtesy of https://thumbs3.ebaystatic.com/d/l225/m/mySiNG8PHbWQGqd75HV9Uew.jpg
The Jags faced off against the Pittsburgh Steelers on September 22, 1997—their first regular season, Monday night Football game. Not only would the Jags win this game, but it also still stands as one of the craziest endings in MNF’s history. The Jaguars were up by 2 with practically no times left. The Steelers tried for a field goal, which the Jags blocked, and Chris Hudson would return for a touchdown. As Hudson ran down the sidelines, the Steelers’ head coach cocked his fist back as if he was going to punch Hudson out of anger. The extra point was kicked and the Jags won—nearly 15 minutes after ABC stopped airing the game.
4. ‘96 Season Wild Card Round Win at Buffalo
Image courtesy of BuffaloDown.com.
This game was the Jag’s first playoff win of the ’96 season—they forced four turnovers, had 3 sacks, and outgained the Bills by 100 yards. Jag’s cornerback Aaron Beasley recovered a fumble on the 42-yard line that QB Mark Brunnell would toss to Jimmy Smith for a touchdown that sealed the final score of the game.
The Jags and the Bills went back and forth scoring for a majority of the game. Other big plays for the Jags in this game included defensive end Clyde Simmons’s intercepted pass that tied the game up in the first half; Brunnell completing a pass to Natrone Means, who ran for a 30 yard touchdown; and Keenan McCardell’s 27 yard catch for a touchdown, that ended an 11 play run by the Jags.
3. First Home Win
Image courtesy of Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
The Jags played their first game in their new Jacksonville Municipal Stadium against the Houston Oilers in September of 1995. Unfortunately, this game would be a loss for Jacksonville, in front of 72,000 eager fans. The Jags would lose their next three home games, too. Finally, in October, the Jags would have their first home win against the Pittsburgh Steelers 20-16. This would be the first time ever that an expansion team would defeat a team that would eventually play in the Super Bowl in the same season.
2. ‘99 Season Divisional Round Win over Miami
Image courtesy of TaylorBlitzTimes.com.
This game is considered to be the most lopsided, postseason game since the Chicago Bears defeated the Redskins 73-0 in the 1940 NFL Championship. The Jacksonville defense would force seen turnovers and would hold the Dolphins to a measly 131 yards, while scoring 38 points in the first quarter, over 60 points total in the game, brining the Jags a win of 62-7.
The biggest play of the game came from Fred Taylor, who ran down the right sideline for 90 yards to the end zone for a touchdown. This was an NFL playoff record. Taylor would rush for over 135 yards in the game, total, with 18 carries.
Other notable stats from the game came from QB Mark Brunell, who played with braces on both knees and still completed 5 of 9 passes for 102 yards and 2 touchdowns. Jay Fielder took over for Brunell in the second quarter, completing 7 of 11 completions for 72 yards with 2 touchdowns as well. Cornerback Aaron Beasley intercepted Dolphin QB Dan Marino’s first pass of the game, setting up a Jags field goal. The final touchdown was scored by Chris Howard off of an interception. Marino would retire after the game.
1. ‘96 Season Divisional Round Win at Denver
Image courtesy of Gators Gone Pro.
1996 was the Jag’s second year in the NFL. The Jags significantly improved from their inaugural season, winning six of their final seven games of ’96 and finishing with a 9-7 record.
The Jag’s would play their final game of the regular season against the Atlanta Falcons and would need to snag a win in order to earn a playoff berth. In the final few minutes of the game, the Jags got some luck, as Falcon’s kicker Morten Andersen missed a 30-yard field goal that would have given the Falcons the lead. As a result, the Jags would clinch the fifth seed in the AFC playoffs.
The Jag’s first franchise playoff game would occur on the road against the Buffalo Bills and end in a stunning victory by the Jags. Their next game was on the road against the Denver Broncos, whose 13-3 record earned them the top seed. The Jags primarily dominated in the second half, and a late touchdown pass from QB Mark Brunell to wide receiver Jimmy Smith gave the Jags a 30-20 lead. The Jags held on and ended the game with a 30-27 victory over the Broncos.
Article by Kristen Pickrell and Steve Congro