By Shannon Russell
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Jacksonville came to Cincinnati with the NFL's eighth-best rushing offense, but it was the 27th-ranked passing offense that propelled the Jaguars to a 29-15 victory Sunday at Paul Brown Stadium.

Jacksonville quarterback Mark Brunell was 19-of-28 passing for 223 yards and three touchdowns, and wide receiver Jimmy Smith had seven catches for 98 yards and a TD.

In the third quarter, Brunell and Smith starred in the game's pivotal down, five plays after the Bengals were penalized for having 12 men on the field. On fourth-and-6, Brunell hit Smith with a 26-yard TD pass, giving the Jaguars the lead for good.

It was the pair's sixth touchdown this season.

"I was hoping I'd get the ball so I could make the play," said Smith, who was alternately covered by Bengals cornerbacks Kevin Kaesviharn and Jeff Burris. "I'm an unselfish player; I play for the team. But I consider myself one of the best receivers, and if I have a one-on-one, the ball should come my way."

Brunell was impressed that Jacksonville coach Tom Coughlin eschewed a field-goal attempt.

"He gave us an opportunity to go for it on fourth down, and for us to get a touchdown out of it was huge," Brunell said.

It wasn't the first time the Bengals caught sight of the Brunell-Smith show. Brunell is 9-3 as a starter against the Bengals, and is 217-of-366 passing for 2,602 yards and 23 touchdowns. In 15 games against the Bengals, Smith has 95 receptions for 1,214 yards and eight touchdowns.

While Jaguars running back Fred Taylor's rushing yards have earned headlines, Smith and Brunell continue to be one of the NFL's most prolific tandems. They've scored 44 touchdowns in eight seasons, a league-second for an active duo behind the Indianapolis Colts' Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison.

Smith began the game with an individual milestone. On his 39th receiving yard, he rose to 21st on the NFL's all-time receiving list. He now has 9,238 career receiving yards.

With 18 new veterans and seven rookies anchoring the Jaguars, Smith and Brunell's stability was key in the win. Coughlin was confident enough to successfully go for it on fourth down - twice.

"That's the one thing (this team) has responded to. When I've put the ball in their hands, so to speak, they've gone ahead and made key fourth downs," Coughlin said.

Brunell said Jacksonville's 321 net yards weren't easy to come by, and that overall the Bengals were an aggressive and physical 1-13 team.

"I don't know, but (The Bengals) are much better than their record indicates," said Brunell, who racked up his most yards since a 224-yard showing Nov. 17 against the Houston Texans.

E-mail srussell@enquirer.com

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