December 3, 2008
Jaguars Pasted by Ketchup Pants
by Keith Weiland
Keith@IntheBullseye.com

The Texans hosted Monday Night Football for the first time in franchise history, and they whipped out the Battle Red jerseys and matching ketchup pants to get the job dun-dun-dun-dun... dundun... dundunnnnnn... okay, I'll stop now. In front of a national (basic cable) audience, the Texans manhandled a disinterested Jaguars team for a 30-17 victory.

The game showcased the team's brightest stars. Receiver Andre Johnson opened the scoring when he caught a deep pass from Sage Rosenfels then juked his man to score a diving 31-yard touchdown. Johnson finished the game with seven catches and 75 yards, most of which came in the first half as the Texans built their lead.

Defensively, Mario Williams had another outstanding prime time performance in the all-red uniforms, collecting three sacks and adding a forced fumble. In last year's prime time game, Williams had a similar standout performance with 3.5 sacks against the Broncos.

Perhaps the game's most stellar performance came courtesy of the team's newest star, running back Steve Slaton. His second touchdown, a 40-yard run, answered the Jaguars' first touchdown and officially put the game out of reach, 30-10, with less than three minutes to play.

Key Play

As good of a result as this was for the Texans, the truth is that the Jaguars were a mess, self-capitulating at the first sign of adversity, willing to mail it in even in front of a national (basic cable) audience.

Just five minutes into the game, after snagging an interception off of Texans quarterback Sage Rosenfels, the Jaguars had to feel like they had a little momentum. Their next play from scrimmage? An interception of their own, nabbed by Jacques Reeves, the two picks essentially netting +6 yards of offense and a first down for the Texans offense.

The Texans converted a field goal on the drive to go up by ten. Derailed, Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew lost a fumble on the next possession, and the life just washed away from their game.

Game Balls

While the primetime game made expected stars of Johnson and Williams, it was Slaton's night to shine. As the story goes, the rookie running back pleaded with head coach Gary Kubiak during halftime to feed him the ball more in the second half. Kubiak listened, and Slaton amassed 130 yards on the ground with a pair of scores on 21 carries. He also added two receptions for another 52 yards.

Key Stat

+1 leather jacket

As worn by Jack Del Rio, the leather jacket was just smarmy enough for the football gods to smile upon the Texans. Other than winning the turnover battle 3-1, the Jaguars actually produced the better stats. They had more possession (33:03) despite trailing from their first offensive snap. They also had more yards, more first downs, and better efficiency on third and fourth downs than the Texans.

So what gives? Sure, the turnovers helped. And the Jags were penalized for 30 more yards, but the visitors lacked a passion for teamwork. They lacked the emotion needed to win on the Monday Night stage, something the Texans proved to have in abundance.

It's not the first time Del Rio's Jaguars have mailed it in against the Texans, and there's no telling why they keep doing it. But one thing remains constant, right, Jack?

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