Jaguars S Gipson gets last laugh

Nov 20, 2017 - 1:18 AM CLEVELAND -- Jacksonville Jaguars safety Tashaun Gipson made inflammatory comments in the days leading up to Sunday's game with the Cleveland Browns in FirstEnergy Stadium.

In the end, Gipson was the one smiling.

Gipson had four tackles, one behind the line of scrimmage, in the Jaguars' 19-7 triumph. He predicted Jacksonville would score 40 points and shut out the Browns, the team Gipson played for from 2012-15. That did not happen, but the Jaguars' defense dominated from start to finish, improving to 7-3 and sitting alone in first place in the AFC South.

"I'm sure that the coach (Browns' Hue Jackson) riled some of the guys up because of my comments," Gipson said. "Some of those guys (the Browns receivers) felt a need to address me, and my mom did not raise a punk, so at the end of the day, things got chippy.

"I felt the whole time we were swarming on everybody. They had a couple plays here and there where they may have gotten a first down, but other than that, I felt like we stomped out. It was just a great defensive performance."

Gipson said he got nervous when the Browns had the ball near midfield, trailing by a field goal at 10-7 with less than nine minutes to play, but Browns quarterback DeShone Kizer threw a pass intercepted by Jaguars cornerback A.J. Bouye. Kizer made two more turnovers in the final two minutes. Gipson's only disappointment was he did not get one of them.

"I couldn't walk out of here with a loss," Gipson said. "I would have played quarterback, running back or wide receiver if I had to. At the end of the day, it was a blessing to get a win. It was tight throughout the game."

Gipson said Browns fans on social media told him they hoped he would tear his ACL. Jacksonville head coach Doug Marrone did not think Gipson's remarks were funny or cute and told his safety about it. In the end, though, Marrone was happy to finish 4-0 in games against the AFC North this season.

"It's good, obviously, but it would be a lot better if you're able to do that in your own division," Marrone said. "That's the first thought in my mind. I have a lot of respect for the AFC North and I always have.

"Even when I was in Buffalo, we scrimmaged against Pittsburgh. I think when you look at the North, a lot of people talk about how tough they are and the toughness they have. I think it shows. Even in games we may have won by a little, you have to be able to battle and battle the conditions."

The Jaguars are finished with their cold-weather schedule. They play the Cardinals next Sunday in Arizona and then play three straight home games against the Indianapolis Colts, Seattle Seahawks and Houston Texans. They finish the season on the road at San Francisco and Tennessee.