The Jaguars’ D sabotaged a good effort and gameplan by the offense.  David Garrard completed 20 of 35 passes for 162 yards with 0 TD passes and 1 INT.  He also carried the ball 6 times for 41 yards (6.8 ypc) with a TD run but he also lost a fumble in this game.  Maurice Jones-Drew led the way on the ground yesterday with 21 carries for 113 yards (5.4 ypc) and he also had caught 4 passes for 9 yards (2.3 avg).  Rashad Jennings also had a good game with 7 carries for 53 yards (7.6 ypc) with a TD run.  WRs Mike Sims-Walker (4 rec, 48 yards) and Mike Thomas (6 rec, 46 yards) led the way in the passing game for the Jags yesterday.  The Jaguars finished up with 207 yards rushing on 34 carries (6.1 ypc) and they also completed 20 of 35 passes for 121 yards in this game as they had possession of the ball for 35:27.

Safety Courtney Greene (11 tackles, 1 pass defensed) and LB Justin Durant (7 tackles, 2 passes defensed) led the way for the Jags’ D in this game.  The Giants finished up with 135 yards rushing on 26 carries (5.2 ypc) and they also completed 14 of 24 passes for 226 yards.  The Jaguars are 6-5 on the season but they are still tied with the Colts for first place in the AFC South.

The Jaguars are hot right now winning three games in a row.  They have also won their only two road games east of the Mississippi River this year.  The Giants have lost two games in a row and the offense has gotten beaten up as they will be playing this game without Hakeem Nicks and Steve Smith.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Jaguars have the ball:  The biggest thing for the Jaguars in this game is going to be protecting the football.  If they turn the ball over six times like they did last weekend they are going to get killed in New Jersey.  I expect that Maurice-Jones Drew will be the focal point of the offense for the Jaguars in this game.  The Giants are only allowing 89.5 yards rushing per game and 3.9 yards per carry so far this year so Jones-Drew might do more damage catching passes out of the backfield.  Hopefully Mike Sims-Walker will be back for this game to give the Jags a weapon opposite of Mike Thomas.  Look for Garrard to have to move the pocket against the Giants who have 27 sacks this year.  I also expect him to target Marcedes Lewis a lot in this game putting pressure on the Giants’ safeties.

When the Giants have the ball:  The Jaguars will have to focus on stopping Brandon Jacobs & Ahmad Bradshaw in this game.  That’s because the Giants will be playing this game without Hakeem Nicks and Steve Smith.  I have a feeling that the Giants are going to run the ball a lot this Sunday.  The Jaguars have decided to turn into a blitz heavy team and they recorded six sacks against the Browns.  When Eli Manning gets hit a few times he resorts to throwing the football up for grabs.

PREDICTION:  JAGUARS 23, GIANTS 20

The Jaguars were -5 in turnovers and they still won this game.  Maurice Jones-Drew and David Garrard led the Jags on a 5-play, 87-yard TD drive with 1:16 left in the game to give the Jags a 24-20 lead.  But it wasn’t until Sean Considine picked off a pass with around 5 seconds left (in the end zone) to seal the game as Colt McCoy led the Browns right down the field.  David Garrard completed 20 of 34 passes for 254 yards passing with 2 TD passes and 3 INTs.  He also carried the ball 2 times for 9 yards (4.5 ypc) and he lost a fumble that was returned 18 yards for a TD by Browns’ safety Abram Elam.  Maurice Jones-Drew carried the ball 24 times for 132 yards (5.5 ypc)  with a TD run and he also caught 3 passes for 87 yards (29.0 avg).  Jones-Drew lost a fumble and he threw an interception so he wasn’t without fault in this game.  Marcedes Lewis (5 rec, 66 yards, TD) and Mike Thomas (5 rec, 36 yards, TD) led the way in the air for the Jags in this game.  The Jaguars finished up with 144 yards rushing on 28 carries (5.1 ypc) and they also completed 20 of 35 passes for 226 yards.

The defense was pretty solid in this game for the Jags.  They held the Browns to 88 yards rushing on 26 carries (3.4 ypc) and they also completed 17 of 28 passes for 195 yards.  The Jaguars are now 6-4 on the season and they are tied with the Colts atop the AFC South.

Early in the year most people had this game circled as a “easy win”.  That won’t be the case this weekend at all as the Browns are playing inspired football right now.  Still, the Jaguars have won two games in a row which has them tied for second place with the Titans in the AFC South, only 1 game behind the Colts.  The Browns have won 2 of their last three games with wins over the Saints & Patriots.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Jaguars have the ball:  The Jaguars are likely to run the ball with Maurice Jones-Drew against a Browns’ D that is allowing 113.2 yards rushing per game this year but only 3.9 ypc.  David Garrard will likely have time to throw the ball against a Browns’ D that is giving up 245.3 yards passing per game.  He will likely spread the ball around to Mike Thomas, Mike Sims-Walker, Marcedes Lewis and Zach Miller.

When the Browns have the ball:  The Browns are going to feed the rock to Peyton Hillis against a Jags’ D that is allowing 114.9 yards rushing per game and 4.3 yards per carry.  But the Browns are also going to throw the ball against a Jags’ D that is giving up 272.3 yards passing per game.  Colt McCoy will take aim at the DBs of the Jaguars with Ben Watson, Evan Moore, Peyton Hillis, Mohamed Massaquoi and Chansi Stuckey. 

PREDICTION:  BROWNS 30, JAGUARS 27

Whispers were going around that 47-year old head coach Jack Del Rio was going to get canned if he lost to the Cowboys.  The Jaguars responded by beating both the Cowboys & the Texans and now they are 5-4 which has them tied for second in the AFC South with the Titans, 1 game behind the Colts.  Del Rio has a 62-59 record (51.2%) during his 8 years as the Jags’ head coach during the regular season. 

The Jaguars have claimed 25-year old WR Jason Hill off waivers from the 49ers.  Hill played in 2 games for the 49ers this year but he didn’t catch any passes.  Hill has played in 34 games in four years in the NFL and he has caught 40 passes for 413 yards (10.3 avg) with 4 TD grabs.  To make room on the roster for Hill, the Jaguars have released CB Chevis Jackson.  The 24-year old Jackson played in 2 games for the Jags this year but he didn’t make any tackles.

The Jaguars were standing on the 50-yard line with time for only one more play.  The “Hail Mary” was called and David Garrard slung the ball into the end zone.  Texans’ CB Glover Quin batted the ball down and Jags’ WR Mike Thomas caught the ball and ran into the end zone for the game winning TD!  The Jaguars have revived their season with this huge win!

David Garrard was outstanding in this game as he completed 24 of 31 passes for 342 yards with 2 TD passes and 0 INTs.  He also carried the ball 7 times for 35 yards (5.0 ypc) in this game.  Maurice Jones-Drew had a heavy workload yesterday with 24 carries for 100 yards (4.2 ypc) with 2 TD carries.  He also caught 2 passes for 23 yards (11.5 avg) in this game.  WR Mike Thomas was the star of the show for the Jaguars in this game with 8 grabs for 149 yards (18.6 avg) with 1 TD catch.  TEs Zach Miller (4 rec, 79 yards, TD) and Marcedes Lewis (5 rec, 53 yards) also pitched in for the Jags’ in the passing game.  The Jaguars finished up with 165 yards rushing on 36 carries (4.6 ypc) and they also completed 24 of 31 passes for 326 yards as they had possession of the ball for 35:23.

Safety Courtney Greene (7 tackles) and LB Justin Durant (3 tackles, 1 fumble recovery) led the way for the Jags’ D yesterday.  The Texans finished up with 81 yards rushing on 21 carries (3.9 ypc) and they also completed 22 of 32 passes for 314 yards.  The Jaguars are now 5-4 on the season.

30-year old starting DE Aaron Kampman tore his right ACL last Thursday at practice ending his 2010 season.  Kampman played in 8 games for the Jaguars this year and he had 25 tackles, 4 sacks, 2 tackles for a loss and 2 passes defensed.  This is a huge blow to the Jaguars’ defense.  The Jaguars will turn back to Derrick Harvey, a former first round pick (2008), to replace Kampman in the starting lineup.  Harvey has played in 8 games this year for the Jags and he has 6 tackles, 1/2 a sack and 1 pass defensed.  He has now played in 40 games in his first three years with the Jaguars and he has 82 tackles, 5 passes defensed, 6 sacks and 1 interception.

The Jaguars and Texans both need this game as they are tied for third in the NFC South, 1 game behind the Titans & Texans.  The Jaguars are well rested as they are coming off their bye week while the Texans have lost 2 games in a row.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Jaguars have the football:  I expect the Jaguars to be more balanced than usual in this game.  David Garrard is coming off probably the best game of his NFL career, two weeks ago against the Cowboys.  The Texans are giving up 298.3 yards passing per game so far this year and opposing QBs have a rating of 107.7 against them!  The Texans only have 12 sacks so far this year, so Garrard should have time to throw the ball to Mike Thomas, Mike Sims-Walker, Marcedes Lewis and Maurice Jones-Drew.  Jones-Drew will also still get his fair share of carries as the Texans don’t stop the run too well either.

When the Texans have the football:  The Texans also want to stay balanced this weekend.  The Jaguars must go all out to stop Arian Foster who has 864 yards rushing and 315 yards receiving with a combined 10 TDs already this year.  CB Rashean Mathis is going to have to step up this weekend as he will likely be locked onto Andre Johnson most of this game.  The Jaguars must get pressure on Matt Schaub because if he has time to throw the ball, he’s going to make plays.

PREDICTION:  JAGUARS 34, TEXANS 31

30-year old cornerback Rashean Mathis has not played too well for the Jaguars this season.  Mathis has played in 8 games for the Jaguars so far this year and he has 32 tackles, 4 passes defensed, 1 forced fumble and 1 interception.  The Jaguars need Mathis to turn back into the playmaker he was earlier in his career, especially against WR Andre Johnson starting this Sunday.  Mathis has now played in 108 games in his 8 years with the Jaguars and he has 439 tackles, 92 passes defensed, 1 sack, 6 forced fumbles and 29 interceptions (511 return yards with 3 TDs).