JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) – The Tennessee Titans built a 17-0 halftime lead over the Jacksonville Jaguars in a Monday night game that was shaping up as a matchup of the backup quarterbacks.
Vince Young threw a 23-yard touchdown pass to Kenny Britt on the opening drive, then left the game with a sprained left knee when he fumbled a snap on the next series. Kerry Collins replaced him and led two scoring drives, including a 2-yard TD toss to Bo Scaife.
For the Jaguars, quarterback David Garrard was shaken up on a hit by Will Witherspoon late in the second quarter. Garrard, who had been largely ineffective, was replaced by Trent Edwards.
Edwards led the Jaguars into Titans’ territory for the first time all game on the final drive of the first half.
On second-and-5 from the 15, he hit tight end Marcedes Lewis over the middle at the 10, but Lewis fumbled the ball without being hit and the Titans recovered.
The Jaguars did not disclose the nature of Garrard’s injury, and it was not clear if he would return.
At stake for the winner was joining Indianapolis and Houston, both 4-2, atop the AFC South.
The Jaguars were shut out in the first half for the first time since a 41-0 loss at Seattle last season.
Maurice Jones-Drew managed only 17 yards on 10 carries, and Garrard was 7 of 12 for 49 yards and one interception by Michael Griffin with no receiver near the ball.
The Titans converted that into their second touchdown, with Collins hitting Scaife near the goal line on third-and-2 from the 13, and finding him for the score in the left corner on third-and-goal from the 2.
Defensively, the Titans manhandled Jacksonville. They put constant pressure on Garrard and Edwards, bottled up the running game and rendered the Jaguars useless until the final drive.
The Titans were headed for another touchdown until Collins misfired on two shots in the end zone from inside the 10, and they had to settle for a Rob Bironas field goal from 27 yards.
Young injured his left knee when he fumbled a snap deep in Titans’ territory, recovered and ran into a pile and Terrance Knighton fell on his leg. The Jaguars recovered, although it was overturned when replays showed Young’s knee already was down.
Young was helped off the field and his return was questionable. He was on the sideline, walking with a limp.
For the short time he was in the game, Young found little resistance from the Jaguars’ secondary, especially cornerback David Jones, who lost his starting job two weeks ago but was filling in for the injured Derek Cox.
Young found Britt for a first down on third-and-10 on the opening drive, then followed with a 28-yard completion to Scaife, with no Jaguars within 3 yards of him. After a 15-yard penalty when Rashean Mathis was called for grabbing the earhole of Chris Johnson’s helmet, Young threw his TD pass to Britt.
Jones was beaten badly on the play, and Britt easily broke two tackles as he ran into the end zone.
The Jaguars came into the game ranked 29th in the league in pass defense, which did not go unnoticed by Britt. He was quoted earlier in the week as saying, “It makes everybody smile. Especially the wide receivers room.”
About the only thing the Jaguars had going for them was winning the coin toss – in six previous Monday night games, that team has gone on to win.
On the field, it was a struggle.
Garrard was off target early on, and after picking up two first downs on its second drive, Tiquan Underwood was called for offensive pass interference on a deep throw near the goal line. That led to another Jaguars’ punt.
The last time these teams played, Johnson and Jones-Drew combined for 405 yards rushing and two touchdowns, and the teams set an NFL record with four touchdown plays of at least 50 yards. The Titans won, 30-13.
Johnson had only 21 yards on 10 carries, and Javon Ringer played the final series before halftime for the Titans, picking up 20 yards on six carries.
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