8 days until kickoff: I will always love Mark Brunell for his scramble against the Broncos

With just 8 days until kickoff, let’s talk about the greatest No. 8 in Jacksonville Jaguars history — Mark Brunell! (And one of his most defining plays as an NFL quarterback.)

“This is when I fell in love with the Jaguars.”

I am old and washed up and therefore I think back to over 20 years ago when the Jaguars were actually good. And one of my favorite Jaguars memories of all time comes from the 1996 playoffs.

When the Jaguars went to go visit the Broncos in the 1996 AFC Divisional Playoff game, few expected the Jaguars to come close, much less win the game. But that’s exactly what they did, despite being 12.5-point underdogs. Natrone Means punished the Broncos defense, going for 140 yards and 6.7 yards per carry, Jimmy Smith and Keenan McCardell combined for 170 yards and two touchdowns.

But it was Mark Brunell’s 29-yard scramble in the fourth quarter on second-and-9 when that is etched into my brain. Near midfield, Brunell took the snap, he ran right, got away from a safety, ran left, galloped behind a block from McCardell, and ended up on the 21.

Feel free to bookmark the video below and watch some time this weekend to relive the Jaguars’ glory days.