Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Jaguars snap 9-game losing streak against Browns

Denard Robinson

Phelan Ebenhack / AP

Jacksonville Jaguars running back Denard Robinson, right, runs for a touchdown against the Cleveland Browns as teammate quarterback Blake Bortles looks on during the second half of an NFL game in Jacksonville, Fla., Sunday, Oct. 19, 2014.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jacksonville Jaguars are winless no more.

Denard Robinson ran for a career-high 127 yards and a touchdown, Jacksonville's defense came up big in the red zone, and the Jaguars snapped a nine-game losing streak with a 24-6 victory against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.

Jacksonville (1-6) won for the first time since beating Houston on Dec. 15, 2013.

Blake Bortles connected with fellow rookie Allen Robinson for a 31-yard score and the game's first touchdown. It was really all the Jaguars needed on a day in which coach Gus Bradley's defense delivered time and time again.

The Browns (3-3) settled for field goals in two trips inside the 20-yard line and failed to convert on fourth-and-1 at the 24.

Cleveland, which entered the game with the league's third-best rushing attack, was held in check most of the day. The Browns ran 30 times for 69 yards, including 36 by Ben Tate.

Jacksonville ran 35 times for 185 yards, the team's most in Bradley's two seasons.

Robinson's 8-yard TD run in the fourth quarter provided some cushion, and rookie Storm Johnson added a 4-yard scoring run a few minutes later — the exclamation point in Jacksonville's third home victory in the last three seasons.

Jordan Poyer fumbled a punt return with about six minutes remaining, and Jacksonville's LaRoy Reynolds recovered for the team's best field position of the day. Robinson scored on the next play.

Poyer probably shouldn't have been trying to catch the punt inside the 10-yard line, but his bigger mistake was letting it hit his facemask. It was one of many errors by the Browns.

Brian Hoyer lost a fumble that led to a field goal in the third quarter and threw an interception in the fourth.

He completed 16 of 41 passes for 215 yards, perhaps rekindling debate about how long first-round draft pick Johnny Manziel will stay on the sideline. Hoyer had been solid all season, but that was with a dynamic running game.

The Browns made two changes along their offensive line in an effort to replace Pro Bowl center Alex Mack. Mack broke his left leg last week and had season-ending surgery. Right guard John Greco slid to center, and Paul McQuistan, who was with Seattle last season, stepped in at guard.

The Jaguars took advantage of the change, getting steady pressure up the middle from Sen'Derrick Marks.

Jacksonville seized momentum late in the second quarter with a fourth-down stop at the 24-yard line. The Browns oddly opted to throw on fourth-and-1. Red Bryant pressured Hoyer, who floated the ball to tight end Jordan Cameron. He couldn't come down with it, and Jacksonville needed just three plays to go 76 yards the other way.

Bortles found Robinson for a 16-yard gain, and then hit Clay Harbor all alone near the right sideline. Harbor cut inside a defender and gained 24 yards before strangely sliding. It didn't matter. Bortles connected with Robinson again on the next play, and the rookie from Penn State put his hand on the ground to avoid a tackle, then ran the final 20 yards for his first career touchdown.

So instead of heading into the locker room up 9-0 or maybe 13-0, the Browns trailed 7-6.

Equally big for the Jaguars were two other red-zone stands in the first half in which they held Cleveland to field goals.

Join the Discussion:

Check this out for a full explanation of our conversion to the LiveFyre commenting system and instructions on how to sign up for an account.

Full comments policy