Fred Taylor was a step ahead of the Dolphins defense all day long.

And that one play, a 90-yard touchdown run that effectively started the biggest rout ever in an AFC playoff game, showed how much Taylor means to the Jacksonville Jaguars offense -- and how healthy he is at the most crucial time of the year.

"I prepared well all week, and I was really ready to explode," said Taylor, who finished with 135 rushing yards and two breathtaking touchdowns in Jacksonville's 62-7 romp over Miami. "I got tired of sitting around at home watching other games."

The Jaguars were coming off a bye week, but Taylor has spent more time watching than playing this year because of hamstring problems. He played only seven full games during the regular season, but all it took was one play to see what was missing.

"There's not a lot of guys who can do what he does," said quarterback Mark Brunell. "He can change the course of a game on one play. He has the ability to score from anywhere on any given play."

It's hard to say that one play changed the course of a game that wound up so one-sided, but Taylor's 90-yard run was as good as any.

Jacksonville was up 10-0 midway through the first quarter when it took over on its own 9-yard line.

"We were in a situation where I don't know if I would have thrown the ball on third down," coach Tom Coughlin said. "So we ran the ball twice, and on the second run, he showed who Fred Taylor is."

On second-and-9 from the 10, Taylor shuffled down the line, dipped his shoulder to fake out one defender, broke a tackle and shot down the sideline. Brock Marion was a step behind at the 20, and it only got worse from there.

"He ran a hell of a lot faster than I thought he would," Dolphins safety Calvin Jackson said.

The closest anyone got to him was receiver Jimmy Smith, who got between Taylor and Marion over the final yards for insurance.

"I just broke a couple of tackles, made one guy miss and turned the jets on," Taylor said.

That wasn't the only time.

On the first play of the second quarter, the Jaguars faced third-and-14 from the 39 when Brunell dumped a screen pass to Taylor. He cruised to the first down, bounced off two defenders and skipped past two others inside the 10 for another touchdown.

"He hits the hole quicker than anybody I've seen," Miami defensive end Trace Armstrong said. "The rest he's gotten certainly showed, because he looked like the fastest guy on the field today."

The rest was not by choice.

The nagging hamstring -- and the Jaguars' 14-2 record -- allowed them to keep Taylor out for four consecutive weeks. He returned for a Monday night game against the Broncos and scored on a 48-yard run late in the game to lead Jacksonville to victory.

That was followed by a 41-yard touchdown run and 136 yards rushing against the Cleveland Browns.

Along with missing parts of nine games, Taylor missed out on a chance to join five other teammates in recording a rap song in November titled, "Uh, Oh, Jaguars Super Bowl Song."

"I was too busy trying to nurse my hamstring," he said. "I didn't have time to go to the studio."