JACKSONVILLE, FLA. — Michael Jenkins took advantage of his team's depleted receiving corps Thursday night.
With Peerless Price, Roddy White and Dez White on the sideline, Jenkins showed he could be Atlanta's No. 1 receiver.
Jenkins caught four passes for 35 yards and scored twice, helping the Falcons beat the Jacksonville Jaguars, 23-7, in a rain-drenched, penalty-filled preseason game Thursday.
"Nothing special for me tonight," said Jenkins, a first-round draft pick in 2004 who caught just seven passes as a rookie. "It just happened that I got open and was able to catch the ball when it came to me. I just wanted to make plays when the opportunities came to me."
Fred Taylor ran four times for 18 yards in his preseason debut for the Jaguars (2-1) and showed signs of being able to recover from knee surgery.
But Atlanta looked primed for another run at the NFC championship game.
The Falcons (3-1) moved the ball with ease against Jacksonville's vaunted defense and scored on three of their first four possessions.
Atlanta quarterback Michael Vick, right, scrambles as Jacksonville's Scott Starks gives chase. The Falcons beat the Jaguars, 23-7, Thursday in Jacksonville, Fla.
Warrick Dunn ran eight times for 65 yards, including a 42-yard scamper that set up a touchdown.
Michael Vick was 5-of-10 passing for 44 yards with a touchdown and did even more damage on the ground. He scrambled four times for 30 yards.
T.J. Duckett looked sharp, too, gaining 18 yards on four carries.
But the scoring was left to Jenkins and kicker Todd Peterson.
After Dunn's long run, Vick found Jenkins on a slant pattern for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead. Peterson then kicked two 40-yard field goals, making it 13-7.
Jenkins found the end zone again with 11 seconds remaining in the first half. He caught Matt Schaub's pass that was intended for tight end Alge Crumpler and tipped by a defender.
"It was just a matter of being at the right place at the right time," Jenkins said.
The Jaguars, meanwhile, had just two bright spots: a one-handed catch by first-round pick Matt Jones and Taylor's return.
Outside of them, Jacksonville fumbled three times, threw an interceptions and finished with 13 penalties for 170 yards.
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