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Jaguars rally past Steelers

Steelers defenders Troy Polamalu, left, and Ike Taylor, haul down Jaguars running back Fred Taylor. Associated Press (Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)
Vaughn Mcclure Chicago Tribune
Steelers defenders Troy Polamalu, left, and Ike Taylor, haul down Jaguars running back Fred Taylor. Associated Press (Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)

PITTSBURGH – With the season on the line, the ball rested in David Garrard’s hand. Jacksonville wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.

Garrard, the Jaguars’ fast-rising quarterback, made the play that saved his team’s season, dashing 32 yards to set up Josh Scobee’s 25-yard game-winning field goal in a dramatic 31-29 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers in Saturday night’s AFC wild-card playoff game.

As the Jaguars dashed down the tunnel in jubilation, Garrard’s smile nearly reached both sides of the hallway. Members of the Jaguars’ staff chanted, “Ice, ice, baby,” to describe the way Scobee kicked them into a next round date with either New England or Indianapolis. And tiny running back Maurice Jones-Drew, all 5 feet 7 inches of him, exhaled as if he had just finished a marathon.

“I was just upset, angry that we let them back,” said Jones-Drew, who scored two touchdowns and set up another score. “I was just upset and angry that we let them back. But you know what? This just showed how hard we worked.”

The Jaguars lost the 18-point lead they held going into the fourth quarter but had enough resolve not to totally fold. Down 29-28 with 2 minutes 38 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Garrard completed a few passes and then broke off a 32-yard run on a crucial fourth -own play that could have ended the game.

“That’s just David being himself,” Jones-Drew said.

The final drive and score for the Jaguars offset one of the most crucial calls against them in the game. The Steelers were down 28-23 and faced fourth-and goal from their own 1. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger lofted a pass to Hines Ward in the corner of the end zone. As the ball sailed incomplete, cornerback Brian Williams was whistled for pass interference. Replays showed Ward holding Williams by the back of the jersey and the face mask, dragging the helpless Jaguar into the end zone.

The end result of the penalty was Najeh Davenport plunging in for a 1-yard touchdown that gave the Steelers a 29-28 lead.

Decimated by injuries and still reeling from a late-season collapse, the Steelers looked nowhere near a team 23 months removed from a Super Bowl title while committing three first-half turnovers.

The Jaguars became the first team to win at Pittsburgh twice in once season after taking a Dec. 16 meeting between the teams 29-22.

The complexion of Saturday’s night game changed thanks to the ball-hawking skills of Rashean Mathis. The Jaguars cornerback picked off a pair of Roethlisberger passes in the second quarter, taking the first back for a 63-yard score and 14-7 Jaguars lead.

“You can put this loss all on me,” Roethlisberger said.

It was the Steelers who had the momentum at the outset as they marched 80 yards in 10 plays on their initial drive, ending with Davenport’s 1-yard touchdown plunge.

The Steelers’ 7-0 lead was short lived when Jones-Drew returned the ensuing kickoff 96 yards. Only a last-ditch effort by Anthony Madison kept Jones-Drew from reaching the end zone. Fred Taylor finished the job for the Jaguars with a 1-yard touchdown.