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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) -- A crazy bounce, a play nobody had ever seen before.
|  | | Mark Brunell had a token, 6-for-9 outing, then watched as the Jags won. |
Even in the exhibition season, an NFL game can provide a memory
to last a lifetime.
Brandon Christenson, a fourth-string tight end, recovered a
fumble in the end zone with seven seconds remaining to lift the
Jacksonville Jaguars to a 16-13 victory over the New York Giants on
Friday night.
It was one fantastic finish to close an otherwise routine preseason game.
Trying to force a pass into the end zone during a late,
desperation drive, Jonathan Quinn threw an interception to Giants rookie cornerback Fred Lewis, who was standing just outside the end
zone.
Lewis' momentum brought him into the end zone, but he stepped
just outside the goal line again. That's where teammate Jack
Golden, another rookie, tried to tackle him, hoping Lewis would go
down and essentially end the game. But Golden's hit popped the ball
loose, it squirted to the back of the end zone and Christenson
recovered for the score.
Nobody in either locker room could remember anything like it.
"It was the most amazing play I've ever been involved in," said Christenson, who thus far had done little to distinguish himself at training camp. "It just shows that you should keep playing, keep playing and see what happens. I'll take whatever I can get. I need all the help I can get."
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Taylor injured yet again
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It was an achingly familiar pose for Fred Taylor -- standing by his locker, waiting to limp out of the
stadium on crutches.
The Jaguars running back left Friday night's game against the
after the second play with a strained ligament in his left knee. Coach Tom Coughlin said he would miss three to four weeks.
"I have nothing to say," Taylor said.
Coughlin said it appeared a Giants defender fell on Taylor's
knee after he had gone down following a 6-yard gain, his only run
of the night.
Thus, another disappointment for Taylor, the back with tons of
potential who just can't seem to stay healthy.
"It's bad luck," Coughlin said. "I don't know what else you
can say."
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Quinn finished 8-for-23 for 94 yards and struggled, except for
the late drive in which he converted two 4th-and-longs before his
"game-winning" interception.
"It was a weird feeling," he said. "But any way you look at
it, it's a win."
And suddenly, Joe Pisarcik -- author of the most memorable bobble
in Giants history -- has at least a little company.
"All week, coach stressed being smart and making smart plays,"
Golden said. "I saw Freddie catch the ball and my first instinct
was to get him down. I made a mistake. I plan on bouncing back from it."
"It was just a stupid play by me," Lewis said. "Just a bad play by two rookies."
NFL director of officials Jerry Seeman was at the game and said
referees got the call right. Ross' momentum after the interception
took him into the end zone, but he came back out into the field of
play before Golden hit him.
"Once he came out, he was on his own," Seeman said. "They got
it right."
So, for the second straight week, the Giants (0-2) outplayed their opponent, but came up with a loss. Last week, they lost 20-8 to Chicago despite gaining 401 yards.
It probably didn't dim the performance put in by Tiki Barber.
Playing more like an every-down back than a third-down
specialist, Barber accounted for 110 yards -- all in the first half
-- to help the Giants to an early 10-0 lead.
Kerry Collins had his second strong game, throwing for 110 yards
and a touchdown in the first half.
Ron Dayne put in his second straight up-and-down performance. The Heisman-winning first-round draft pick rushed for 66 yards on 17 carries, with most of his success coming against second teamers.
He's averaging 3.4 yards on 34 carries this preseason.
Meanwhile, the Jaguars regressed even though they won.
Their first-team defense looked like it could use rush lineman
Tony Brackens, who reported to camp earlier in the day, but watched the game from the press box. The Giants gained 203 yards in the first half.
On offense, Jacksonville's injury-ravaged line struggled against
the Giants, who were bigger and more powerful than the reserves the
Jaguars faced against Carolina in a 34-14 win last week.
"The good thing about this game is we kept on playing," coach
Tom Coughlin said. "It certainly isn't the way you would draw it
up, but I give credit to Brandon for being the right man at the
right spot at the right time."
Fred Taylor cannot say the same. He left on the second play of
the game with a sprained medial collateral ligament in his left
knee. Coughlin said he could miss three to four weeks.
Jaguars quarterback Mark Brunell threw most of his nine passes off three-step drops and rollouts, trying to avoid injuries behind
a line with no proven veterans.
Brunell went 6-for-9 for 67 yards and led the Jaguars on one
nice drive in a little more than a quarter. It resulted in Mike Hollis' 39-yard field goal.
The Giants came out with only one significant injury. Backup
middle linebacker Pete Monty fractured his right thumb.
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ALSO SEE
NFL Scoreboard
NY Giants Clubhouse
Jacksonville Clubhouse
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