Jacksonville, Fla. – The Denver Broncos could have used any number of excuses had they played poorly against Jacksonville.
Short week. Long trip. Early start. History in Florida.
They didn’t need any of them.
Jake Plummer threw two touchdown passes to backup offensive lineman Dwayne Carswell, Mike Anderson and Tatum Bell combined for 175 yards rushing, and Denver’s defense harassed Byron Leftwich and Fred Taylor in a 20-7 victory Sunday.
The Broncos (3-1) won their third straight despite a short week that followed a Monday night victory against Kansas City and improved to 3-10 in Florida. They had been 0-2 in Jacksonville.
Denver caught a break with the weather when it rained before and during the game, cooling temperatures and alleviating problems typically caused by heat and humidity.
The Broncos also played well without star cornerback Champ Bailey, whose streak of 99 consecutive starts ended when he was inactive with a hamstring injury. Bailey had started every regular-season game since entering the league in 1999.
Without Bailey, Jimmy Smith burned the Broncos for a 45-yard touchdown reception early in the third quarter, cutting the lead to 14-7. Smith caught a simple slant pass in front of Karl Paymah, slipped between linebacker Al Wilson and safety Nick Ferguson – the defenders collided on the play – eluded John Lynch’s diving tackle and outran Domonique Foxworth to end the end zone.
But the play was the lone highlight for the Jaguars (2-2).
Jacksonville struggled in pass protection and run blocking – an all-too-familiar scene for the team this season. The line also was flagged three times for false starts in the first half.
Leftwich was sacked twice – bringing his season total to 13 – and knocked to the ground a bunch more. He was 20-of-34 for 240 yards with two interceptions.
Taylor carried eight times for 14 yards, and the Jaguars finished with a franchise-low 12 yards rushing. The previous low was 26 yards against Pittsburgh in 2000.
The Broncos were much more effective.
Anderson gained 115 yards on 23 carries, and Bell ran 15 times for 60 yards. The success of the running game – somewhat surprising against Jacksonville’s vaunted front – created play-action pass and bootleg opportunities for Plummer.
The Broncos scored on consecutive long drives in the second quarter.
Plummer directed a 17-play, 80-yard drive – a work of art that featured nine passes and eight runs – and capped it with a 2-yard pass to Carswell. Plummer was 19-of-26 for 136 yards.
A former Pro Bowl tight end from Jacksonville, Carswell moved to the offensive line before this season. He also spent time there in training camp in 2004 but played last season as a backup tight end.
The Jaguars found the 6-foot-3, 290-pounder difficult to defend.
Carswell was wide open on the first touchdown, but linebacker Akin Ayodele was draped all over him for the second one.
Still, Carswell showed good hands while making the 1-yard grab.
His touchdown ended a 64-yard drive.
The final score could have been worse had Jason Elam not missed two field goals in the first quarter. His 41-yard attempt was wide left, and his 47-yarder was blocked by Rashean Mathis.
Elam hit a 33-yarder with about 9 minutes to play that made it 17-7, then added a 42-yarder with 2:42 remaining.
