Jacksonville Jaguars brought a five-game losing streak to an end after Maurice Jones-Drew ran for 105 yards to help secure a 12-7 win over Baltimore Ravens.
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Josh Scobee kicked four field goals for Jacksonville, whose defence held the Ravens to their worst ever performance of 16 yards in the first half and did not allow a first down until almost 40 minutes into the contest.
Baltimore finally scored with just over two minutes remaining as quarterback Joe Flacco capped a 90-yard drive with a five-yard touchdown pass to Anquan Boldin.
That allowed the Ravens to avoid their first shut-out since 2002.
But they then failed to recover an onside kick when the ball bounced short of the required 10 yards.
Scobee followed up with a 51-yard field goal, his fourth of the night and his third of more than 50 yards.
The Ravens had one last possession, but Jaguars defender Drew Coleman intercepted Flacco’s final pass.
Flacco, under pressure most of the night, completed 21 of 38 passes for 137 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
If he was uninspiring, plenty of his teammates were downright inept.
Baltimore running back Ray Rice gained just 28 yards on eight carries with one fumble. Boldin did not catch a pass until late in the third quarter, while the Ravens’ offensive line allowed three sacks and several other hits on Flacco.
Penalties were costly for the Ravens, including a penalty for running into the kicker in the first half and an unnecessary roughness penalty that prolonged the Jaguars’ first drive of the second half.
Baltimore linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo was ejected for striking Jaguars offensive tackle Guy Whimper in the helmet.
Baltimore’s miscues opened the door for a Jaguars team whose offence ranks last in the NFL.
Jacksonville’s rookie quarterback Blaine Gabbert completed just nine of 20 passes for 93 yards, but Jones-Drew lifted the Jaguars offence with 30 carries in his stand-out performance.
“It finally feels good to win one after all those losses,” said Jones-Drew, who became the first player since last December to run for 100 yards against the Ravens. “It was nice to show the world what we’re about. We beat a very good team.”
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