Defense dominates Kansas City

Alan Schmadtke | Sentinel Staff Writer

October 8, 2007

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - In the end, rain pummeled a few passionate souls still seated at Arrowhead Stadium. And their final cheer was for a strange but telling announcement by the public-address announcer:

"There will be no shutout at Arrowhead today!"

So Jacksonville allowed Kansas City to keep one piece of its pride Sunday. The Jaguars took everything else.

Jacksonville's defense failed to get its first shutout of 2007, but it delivered more evidence at Arrowhead that it's growing teeth and starting to enjoy using them.

The Jags thumped Kansas City 17-7 before a sellout Chiefs crowd that spent as much time booing Larry Johnson and Damon Huard as the two of them spent on the field.

"It's our second challenge in a row against the AFC West and I'm really proud of our football team," said Jags Coach Jack Del Rio, whose team is 2-0 on the road this year. "We thought that it was imperative that we were able to run the football and be able to slow them down in the run game. We were able to get that done."

And how.

The Jags (3-1), suddenly winners of three in a row, held Johnson to 12 yards rushing. Overall, they held the Chiefs to 10 yards on the ground, Kansas City's fewest rushing yards since 1965.

At times, Jacksonville's front four simply shoved Kansas City's blockers into the backfield, tackling Johnson before he came close to the line of scrimmage. It happened enough -- and early enough -- that the Chiefs (3-2) simply gave up on the run. They attempted only 10 rushing plays, the franchise low for Jags opponents.

"I was [upset] we didn't get the shutout. People don't realize how hard those are to get in this league," linebacker Mike Peterson said. "But at the same time, we did what we came here to do. We shut down their running, dominated the line of scrimmage and won the game. Now we move on."

They do so with a quarterback who's learning to stretch his limitations and discovering the nuances of Dirk Koetter's offense.

David Garrard became the second quarterback in franchise history to produce a streak of three 100-point ratings.

Without getting too technical, it means he's finding most of his open receivers, getting them the ball and not making many major mistakes. He has yet to throw an interception, the only player in Jags history who can say that after the first four games of a season.

"All that is good. I like that," Garrard said. "But this is about winning games."

Winning Sunday required Garrard being good on third down, and he was. In the first half he converted on third-and-7, third-and-15, third-and-10, third-and-8.

The Jags built a 10-0 lead on the strength of an 18-play drive for a field goal and a 52-yard home run by Maurice Jones-Drew. Those came after the Chiefs gave them a lift on the opening drive, botching a 31-yard field-goal attempt.

"We're kind of turning into that kind of an offense where we can control the clock," said Garrard, who completed 20 of 27 passes for 218 yards and a touchdown. "The more we can do that, the more we can keep our defense off the field, and the more we can keep them off the field, the fresher they will be. They're playing really well right now."

As for the drama of the Chiefs being shut out at Arrowhead, it has only happened twice -- against Pittsburgh in 1976 and Oakland in 2002. The Jags were one play away from adding a third.

To his credit, Chiefs Coach Herm Edwards declined the chance to kick a short field goal on the final play, a kick whose sole purpose would have been to avoid the embarrassing zero. He chose to give backup quarterback Brody Croyle -- possibly the new starter, given Huard's late-game shoulder injury -- two-minute drill experience.

Croyle found Samie Parker open in the back corner of the end zone on the final play, a 13-yard score. Jags Pro Bowl cornerback Rashean Mathis thought he was in position in front of Parker but misplayed the wet, wobbly ball.

"I thought it was going to float right to me," Mathis said, "but it just kept floating."

Alan Schmadtke can be reached at aschmadtke@orlandosentinel.com.

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