Jaguars 24, Chargers 17: Jack Del Rio and His Big Brass Ones

Filed under: Chargers, Jaguars, AFC South, AFC West, San Diego, Breaking News

Click here for final game stats from AOL Sports.

Field goals are not enough for Jack Del Rio. No. He demands a touchdown, and dammit, you Jaguars better give him one.

That was pretty much what Del Rio said on Jacksonville’s second drive. After the Jaguars only got close enough for a 48-yard field goal — welcome back, Josh Scobee — on their opening drive, Del Rio found his offense with a 4th down & 1 on the San Diego Chargers’ 11 yard line. He would not let Scobee on to the field. He told the offense to get the first down. And David Garrard got it on the sneak.

Three plays later, Del Rio found his offense with 4th & goal at the Chargers’ 1 yard line. Again, Scobee was ordered to stay on the sideline. Maurice Jones-Drew got the call, and he pushed and shoved his way into the end zone. The Jaguars ended the first quarter with a 10-0 lead. Dominance had been established. This would not be the Chargers’ day.

Yes, Jack Del Rio has a pair. This week, he also had his starting quarterback back, and that made a huge difference.

David Garrard showed no rust from missing the last three games with a high ankle sprain. He completed 15 of 24 for 189 yards and two touchdowns, and he showed a knack for burning the San Diego secondary at key moments in the game. Of course, it helped that he had all day to throw back there. He stood in the pocket for, oh, about three minutes before he found Reggie Williams on a 2nd quarter touchdown that put Jacksonville up 17-3.

As you might expect, though, the Chargers didn’t disappear in the second half. LaDainian Tomlinson gained most of the yardage on San Diego’s opening drive of the 2nd half, and his touchdown put the Chargers within 7. Tomlinson finished the day with 155 total yards, most of them on short passes that became long gains, thanks to some moves straight out of Madden 08.

Alas, the Chargers couldn’t escape the quarter that close. Garrard’s passing powered a 5-play, 87-yard drive near the end of the 3rd quarter, hitting Mercedes Lewis on a play-action touchdown that made the score 24-10. The Chargers bit hard on the fake to Jones-Drew. Someone may have chipped a tooth.

Then the defense took over in the fourth quarter, taking advantage of Philip Rivers’ propensity to overthrow his targets. That led to two 4th-quarter interceptions, one by Reggie Nelson with 9:44 left and one more that Sammy Knight juggled but didn’t let drop that ended the Chargers’ final drive and the ball game.

The Jags’ offense let up a bit in the 4th quarter, but it had already scored enough to win it. Jacksonville remains just one game behind Indianapolis in the AFC South and continues to control its own destiny for a playoff spot. San Diego, meanwhile, falls to 5-5, but they might retain in first place in the AFC West, depending on what happens Monday night when the Titans (6-3) play the Broncos (4-5) in Denver.

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