The Jacksonville Jaguars (1-2) are hosting the Tennessee Titans (0-3) this week and are looking to build off their 31-24 victory over the Houston Texans last week.  Although the Jaguars have a losing record, they have been playing pretty well, but inconsistent.  They put up a very strong effort against the Colts, as they held Peyton Manning and their offense to only 14 points, but fell apart the next week against the Cardinals as they allowed Kurt Warner to break the NFL single game completion percentage and put up 31 points.

Jaguars’ quarterback David Garrard has struggled at times this year, but he seems to be more of a game manager than a play-maker.  He has thrown only one interception in three games, but the passing game has lacked rhythm all year and they only have two passing touchdowns.  Garrard has done a good job of making plays with his feet when it presents itself though, as he has rushed for 70 yards on 13 attempts (5.4 avg).  The Jaguars running game has been strong and Maurice Jones-Drew is the main reason.  In three games he has rushed for 282 yards and four TD’s on 57 carries (4.9 avg).  He had a huge game last week going for 119 yards with three touchdowns (including a 61-yard touchdown run in the second quarter) on 23 carries (5.2 avg).

The Titans will be able to slow down the Jaguars running attack though, as they are one of the best in the league at stopping the run despite their win-less record.  The Titans already have as many losses as they did last year and are desperate for a win.  I think this will be a very close game but with the Titans holding teams to an average of 60 rushing yards per game, combined with the fact that the Jaguars passing game isn’t much of a threat, I think the Titans will do just enough to hold off the Jaguars.  The Titans defense is strong and they are so badly in need of a win, so I think they will be able to pull out a late game-winning field goal.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION:  Jaguars 21, Titans 24

A name change and health have turned Mike Sims-Walker into a very solid WR which is just what the doctor ordered for the offense.  He has caught 12 passes for 187 yards (15.6 avg) with a TD grab.  Sims-Walker adds speed to the WR position for the Jags and he makes a nice team with veteran wideout Torry Holt.  The Jaguars have their fingers crossed that he can stay healthy all year long.

The owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars has been recently quoted as saying that his team will draft Tim Tebow in April if he is available when they draft.  Wow!  That’s a ringing endorsement for David Garrard as the Jags’ QB.  Imagine how he must feel to hear those kind of words right when a season is beginning.  Garrard has started all three games for the Jags this season and he has completed 55 of 101 passes (54.5%) for 618 yards with 2 TD passes and 1 INT (75.4 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 13 times for 70 yards (5.4 ypc) with a TD run this year.  Garrard is a decent QB and he has proven that he is one the Jaguars can win with.  I know that Tebow is from Jacksonville but he is not good enough to raise the level of the team the way LeBron James did close to his hometown of Akron, Ohio.