was the kind of game the Jaguars hope will bring their fans back for more.
In a season opener that featured heat, lightning, three touchdown passes by David Garrard, Kassim Osgood's first TD catch in six years, and a controversial fourth-down decision by coach Jack Del Rio, the Jaguars showed they can be the team they want to be.
After starting 0-2 the last two years, the Jaguars beat the Denver Broncos 24-17 at EverBank Field on Sunday, their first opening day win since 2006.
"I told our guys we need to start fast," Del Rio said. "It's a huge game for us."
Rookie Tyson Alualu, who had one of three sacks for the Jaguars (who had a league-low 14 last year) said: "It was very important to show what this team is all about. We made a statement that this is a different team."
Another positive sign was that the Jaguars distributed 63,636 tickets and gave the fans quite a show.
Photo Gallery: Were you spotted at Sunday's game?
"I believe the community stepped up around this football team and this football team has stepped up in this community in terms of not only being great out there in the community, but also in terms of they are all in," Del Rio said.
Owner Wayne Weaver agreed, saying, "It was an important for us and the community to get off on the right foot. I couldn't be more proud of the fans. They went back in [during the lightning delay] and they came back out and they were loud.''
They also quieted the debate about whether they should have drafted hometown star Tim Tebow, who was a non-factor in the game. Tebow was in for three plays and gained just 2 yards on a pair of first-down runs and lined up at receiver on one play.
Photo Gallery: 15 Frenzy @ EverBank Field
And the fans wearing Tebow jerseys were vastly outnumbered by the majority of fans wearing Jaguars jerseys.
"We treated him like a running back," defensive tackle Terrance Knighton said of stuffing Tebow's runs.
The game started out about the heat. It was 90 degrees at kickoff, making it the hottest Jaguars' game ever, and the temperature soared to 93 with a heat index of 105 at halftime.
The Jaguars took a 7-0 lead with 3:09 left in the second quarter on a 21-yard catch by tight end Marcedes Lewis, the first of his two scores. The Broncos tied it just before halftime as quarterback Kyle Orton consistently victimized cornerback Derek Cox — who was eventually benched — and threw an 8-yard TD pass to Jabar Gaffney.
Photo Gallery: Jaguars win season opener over Denver 24-17
Garrard led the Jaguars on touchdown march on the first drive of the second half against a Denver defense that appeared to be struggling with the heat.
When the Broncos were forced to punt on their ensuing possession, the Jaguars had the ball and the lead.
Then things got wild.
Facing a 4th-and-1 at the Jaguars 39, Del Rio decided to go for it. He often gambles on fourth down and a successful 4th-and-1 run by Maurice Jones Drew at midfield helped keep the Jaguars' first touchdown drive alive.
But this time, Jones-Drew was stopped for no gain.
"The first one was good, the second one was terrible. I told our team we were going to play to win," Del Rio said. "I'd like to have the second one back since it didn't work, but I did exactly what I was prepared to do."
The stop seemed to energize the Broncos and they tied the game at 14, although the Jaguars came back with a Josh Scobee 45-yard field goal on the final play of the third quarter to take a 17-14 lead.
The game was then hit by a lightning delay that lasted 33 minutes. Combined with the rain, the temperature plunged to 78 degrees and the Broncos had a chance to rest.
Suddenly, the Jaguars lost their heat edge and the Broncos tied the game at 17 with 11:20 left.
But Garrard responded by leading a seven-play, 83-yard drive that featured two 15-yard facemask penalties on defensive lineman Ryan McBean. Garrard capped the drive with his third touchdown pass, a 24-yard strike to Osgood, one of the league's best special teams players who struggled holding onto the ball as a receiver in the preseason. He hadn't caught a touchdown pass since 2004.
Osgood also showed he hasn't lost his touch on special teams as he batted back a punt at the goal line that was downed by Montell Owens at the Denver 4.
The Broncos had two chances to tie the game, but Brandon Lloyd caught a fourth-down pass out of bounds; and Orton's final pass was intercepted by Daryl Smith to seal the verdict.
Garrard's passer rating of 138.9 was the highest of his career and he was saluted by tight end Lewis after the game.
"Everybody in this room believes in David and understands he's our leader," Lewis said. "This was big for his confidence and everybody else around him. If David is going to be great, everybody else has to be great around him."
