With Donnie Avery out of this game, the Rams aren’t nearly as dangerous in the passing game. On a third-and-2 play, Marc Bulger tried to wedge a completion into to Tim Carter — who just returned to the team after getting cut earlier this year.

The Jaguars were sitting on that play, so the Rams had to punt the ball away again.

Jacksonville moved the ball again, with Maurice Jones-Drew grinding out a first down on two runs. David Garrard scrambled 10 yards for another first down. A completion to tight end Zach Miller earned another first down.

Then Jones-Drew pinballed though the Rams defense and caromed all the way to the Rams 1. That is why MJD was the first pick in a lot of fantasy drafts.

The Rams stuffed Jones-Drew on first down. The unit stopped him just short of the goal line on second down. But on the third try the human bowling ball scored, bouncing off of Larry Grant’s shoulder check.

Jacksonville had its first lead of the game, 13-10.

The Rams offense took another three-and-out sequence, with Bulger failing to connect with Tim Carter on third down. Again, Avery was badly missed.

The Jaguars came back at the Rams, benefiting from a debatable pass interference penalty on James Laurinaitis. (When a team has lost 15 games in a row, the officials know it. )

But then lightning struck. Defensive end Leonard Little reached up and picked off Garrard in the flat, then rumbled 36 yards for the go-ahead TD. He outran Garrard and dove for the flag, just getting the ball over the goal line.

With 4 1/2 minutes left, the Rams led 17-13.

The exhausted Rams defense had to go back on the field and try to get one last stop.

Garrard scrambled for a first down. Jones-Drew raced around right tackle for 18 more. A deep throw to Mike Sims-Walker pushed the ball into the red zone.

Jones-Drew earned another first down in two chunks, first with a catch, then a run. Not we’re looking at a test of will, with Jacksonville determined to pound the ball into the end zone with Maurice Jones-Drew.

The Jaguars won the battle, with MJD scoring his third TD to put Jacksonville up 20-17.

The Rams offense finally stepped up, with Steven Jackson plowing 38 yards with a throw-back screen catch. Then Bulger’s third-down completion to Danny Amendola moved the Rams into field goal range.

The Rams took a shot at the end zone, but the Jags broke up a pass to tight end Daniel Fells. A completion to tight end Randy McMichael moved the Rams inside the 10, but Bulger subsequently was unable to locate anybody in the end zone.

So with seven seconds left, the Rams settled for Josh Brown’s game-tying field goal and a shot at overtime.