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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) -- Jon Kitna, comeback king? Seattle
Seahawks, big-play defense?
|  | | A pass interference call against Seattle's Reggie Tongue gave the Jags one more shot at the end zone, but they failed to score as the Seahawks held on. |
It looked that way Sunday as Seattle stopped Jacksonville at the
1-yard line with no time remaining to hang onto a 28-21 victory.
The final stop came just moments after Kitna threw a 4-yard pass
to Ricky Watters with 2:01 left for the capper to a rally from 14
points behind.
In a crazy ending to a back-and-forth game, Seahawks safety
Reggie Tongue got called for pass interference in the end zone with
no time left. That brought the ball to the 1 and extended the game
by one play.
Mark Brunell looked for Alvis Whitted, but the two got their
signals crossed after Brunell audibled on what was supposed to be a
quarterback sneak. The ball fell harmlessly, giving Seattle (4-7)
the victory.
"Somebody had to make the great plays and had to make a
goal-line stand," Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren said. "And today
they did it. I'm very proud of them."
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TOM DONAHOE'S BREAKDOWN |
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Question on the Seahawks: Should Mike Holmgren have stayed with Jon Kitna as his quarterback all
along?
Donahoe: Coach Holmgren has been determined to find out if, between
Kitna and Brock Huard, he has
a starting quarterback. He has bounced back and forth between the two,
giving each an opportunity. Kitna is back in there because Huard, with his
concussion, is not ready to play. It appears that Holmgren's biggest
question with Kitna has been his decision-making, but Jon looked very sharp
today. He moved the football, threw three touchdown passes and put 28 points
on the board. I still think Huard will be back in as the starter when he's
healthy, and then Holmgren will have to evaluate whether he has a
starting-caliber quarterback on the Seahawks.
Question on the Jaguars: What is it going to take to fix the
Jaguars?
Donahoe: The Jaguars were optimistic coming off their bye week and
were trying to build on a win over Dallas, so the loss at home today is a
disappointing one. Now it is almost impossible for the Jags to get
straightened out this year and make a playoff run. The main thing that has
hurt the Jags this year has been injuries. It started back in training camp
with Carnell Lake and
continued on the offensive and defensive lines. There's no question that
coach Tom Coughlin will have the Jags playing hard the rest of the season.
But the best fix may be getting their injured players back healthy and ready
for next season.
Tom Donahoe, ESPN.com's NFL analyst, was formerly the Steelers' director
of football operations.
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The Jaguars (3-7) saw any hopes of salvaging their season end in
a mistake-prone game. The players weren't the only ones to blame.
On the last play, the Jaguars had Whitted in a spot where Pro
Bowler Jimmy Smith should have been.
"It was not Alvis' fault," Jaguars coach Tom Coughlin said.
"That's my fault."
Coughlin also shouldered blame for a questionable decision with
13:40 left. He passed up the sure go-ahead points and decided to go
for it on fourth down from the 1 with the score tied at 21.
Fred Taylor got stymied, and the Seahawks moved from the shadow
of their goalposts to regain the field-position advantage. They
also recaptured the confidence that had been tilting Jacksonville's
way.
"I go for it every time," Coughlin said. "You've got to knock
it into the end zone from there. You've had success with the run
and you're going to go for it, and that's what we did."
The Jaguars now start thinking about rebuilding, and it seems
everybody will be under scrutiny.
"It's everybody's future," Jaguars receiver Keenan McCardell
said. "You've got to get better, and if you don't, you can't play
in this league, period."
After falling behind 21-7, Kitna led the Seahawks on a 67-yard
touchdown drive, capped by a 15-yard pass to Sean Dawkins at the
end of the first half.
Jacksonville opened the third quarter with an impressive drive,
but committed its only turnover when McCardell fumbled. Seattle
answered with another touchdown to tie the game.
On the winning drive, Kitna moved the Seahawks 67 yards in eight
plays, including a 29-yard pass on third down to Dawkins, who was
in single coverage against rookie Kiwaukee Thomas. Four plays
later, Watters caught the go-ahead touchdown.
Kitna finished 22-of-33 for 231 yards and three touchdowns, not
bad for a guy who was benched earlier this season, only to regain
the job when Brock Huard went out with concussions.
"The thing I wrote down on a piece of paper is that I have to
execute better so he'll trust me in continuing to do these
things," Kitna said of Holmgren. "What he wants is to make the
big plays that keep drives going and to stay away from turnovers.
Hopefully, that happened today."
Watters had 66 yards rushing and 61 receiving, and scored two
touchdowns as the Seahawks won their second straight after losing
five in a row. Holmgren will give them the entire bye week off for
that.
"A natural thing that people think is that you're going nowhere
and you're packing your bags and going home for Christmas,"
Holmgren said. "The important thing is that these guys are
battling and they're playing hard."
Can the Jaguars say the same?
The statistics say yes. Brunell threw for 340 yards, and
McCardell and Smith each surpassed the 100-yard mark for the eighth
time, an NFL record. But they will lament McCardell's fumble and a
series of key penalties, two of which kept Seattle touchdown drives
alive.
"We're having some good individual efforts out there, but the
things that lose football games for us are still happening,"
Brunell said. "We're better than we used to be, but who cares?"
Game notes
Taylor had 103 yards and a 10-yard touchdown run to give
the Jaguars their 21-7 lead. ... Seahawks linebacker Chad Brown
finished with four tackles and two sacks. ... The Jaguars have
allowed more points this season (235) than all last year (217).
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ALSO SEE
Seattle Clubhouse
Jacksonville Clubhouse
Week 11 wrap-ups
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