The Jaguars didn’t look too good on either side of the football yesterday in Houston.  Rookie QB Blaine Gabbert had a game to forget yesterday as he only completed 10 of 30 passes for 97 yards with 1 TD pass and 2 INTs.  He also carried the ball 4 times for 14 yards (3.5 ypc) in this game.  Luke McCown replaced Gabbert for a little bit as the rookie QB had bruised ribs.  McCown threw 2 incomplete passes.  Maurice Jones-Drew pitched in with 63 yards rushing on 18 carries (3.5 ypc) with 1 TD run and he also caught 1 pass for 11 yards.  TE Marcedes Lewis (4 rec, 45 yards), WR Mike Thomas (5 rec, 24 yards) and WR Jason Hill (1 rec, 5 yards, TD) led the way for the Jaguars in the passing game yesterday.  The Jaguars finished up with 84 yards rushing on 25 carries (3.4 ypc) and they also completed 10 of 32 passes (31.3%) for 90 yards as they had possession of the ball for 24:41.

The Jaguars’ D didn’t play too well yesterday, but they were on the field for a long time.  Safety Dawan Landry led the way for the Jaguars’ D yesterday with 11 tackles.  LBs Daryl Smith (7 tackles and 1 QB hit) and Paul Poslusny (7 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss and 1 QB hit) also got their work in yesterday.  Safety Dwight Lowery and DE Matt Roth each recovered 1 fumble apiece yesterday.  The Texans finished up with 156 yards rushing on 39 carries (4.0 ypc) and they also completed 16 of 30 passes (53.3%) for 202 yards.  The Jaguars are now 2-6 on the year.

The Jaguars are coming off a HUGE win over the Ravens in Jacksonville last Monday Night.  They have played better at home this year, but they gave the Steelers and Panthers rough games in their last two road losses.  The Texans have been really solid at home this year and they are coming off a 41-7 win at Tennessee.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Jaguars have the ball:  The Jaguars are a full blown running football team right now.  So they are going to give the ball to Maurice Jones-Drew as many times as he can handle against a Texans’ D that is giving up 99.3 yards rushing per game and 4.5 yards per carry.  When Jones-Drew gets tired, Deji Karim will take over at RB.  The Jags’ O-Line is going to have to not only open holes for the RBs this Sunday, but they are going to have to protect rookie QB Blaine Gabbert better if they want to give him a legit chance to make some plays through the air.  WR Jason Hill has been Gabbert’s favorite WR so far, but the Jags need Mike Sims-Walker, Michael Thomas and TE Marcedes Lewis to step up starting this weekend in Houston.

When the Texans have the ball:  With Andre Johnson out of action, the Texans are going to run the ball with Arian Foster and Ben Tate a lot this Sunday.  The front seven of the Jaguars are going to have to stop Foster & Tate if they want to have any chance of pulling an upset this weekend.  Matt Schaub doesn’t have a go-to receiver right now but he has been spreading the ball around, making the offense pretty hard to figure out.

PREDICTION:  TEXANS 27, JAGUARS 13

The Jacksonville Jaguars really need their WRs to step up.  Mike Thomas has caught 28 passes for 309 yards (11.0 avg) with 1 TD grab so far this year, but he has not been very consistent.  Jason Hill has turned into Blaine Gabbert’s favorite receiver.  Hill has caught 18 passes for 301 yards (16.7 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  Hill is by far the best downfield receiver on the Jaguars roster.  Mike Sims-Walker was just recently re-signed by the Jags.  He caught 1 pass for 11 yards in his debut for the Jaguars last weekend.  He is a solid player, so he should help the passing game going forward.  Jarrett Dillard (5 rec, 51 yards) and Chastin West (1 rec, 16 yards) also need to step up for the Jaguars.

The Jaguars decided to run the ball and play defense last night.  They did both of those things well, setting up kicker Josh Scobee to be the star of the game.  He accounted for all 12 points last night as he nailed four field goals including three that were over 50 yards!  Blaine Gabbert looked like the rookie he is last night as he completed 9 of 20 passes for 93 yards without a TD pass or interception.  Maurice Jones-Drew fumbled three times (losing one of them) last night but he also rushed for 105 yards on 30 carries (3.5 ypc).  Deji Karim pitched in with 28 yards rushing on 7 carries (4.0 ypc).  WR Jason Hill led the way in the passing game for the Jaguars last night with 4 grabs for 62 yards (15.5 avg).  The Jaguars finished up with 132 yards rushing on 42 carries (3.1 ypc) and they also completed 9 of 20 passes (45%) for 73 yards as they had possession of the ball for 36:15.

The defense was outstanding for the Jaguars last night.  LB Daryl Smith (6 tackles, 1 sack, 2 tackles for a loss and 2 QB hits) and safety Dawan Landry (6 tackles) led the way for the Jaguars last night.  CB Rashean Mathis (4 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 1 fumble recovery) and CB Drew Coleman (interception) both pitched in with plays last night.  The Ravens finished up with 34 yards rushing on 12 carries (2.8 ypc) and they also completed 21 of 38 passes (55.3%) for 112.  The Jaguars are now 2-5 on the year.

The Jacksonville Jaguars have lost five games in a row and they have the Ravens paying a visit on Monday Night Football.  This could get ugly, and quick.  The Ravens have won three games in a row, outscoring the competition 100-38 in those games!  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Jaguars have the ball:  The Jaguars are going to try to run the ball with Maurice Jones-Drew against a Ravens’ D that is allowing only 76.6 yards rushing per game and 3.3 yards per carry so far this year.  The Jaguars are going to want to mix in some early down passes to try to get Blaine Gabbert some confidence.  The Jags’ QBs have been sacked 17 times already this year and OLB Terrell Suggs of the Ravens is one of the best pass rushers in the league.  Gabbert will likely have to have shorter pass drops that usual and hope that Jason Hill, Mike-Sims Walker, Mike Thomas and Marcedes Lewis can make some plays after the catch.

When the Ravens have the ball:  The Ravens are likely going to be pretty balanced in this game.  The front seven are going to have their hands full trying to slow down Ray Rice and Ricky Williams.  The Jaguars will likely double Anquan Boldin and dare Joe Flacco to throw to someone else.  That someone else could be rookie WR Torrey Smith who is averaging 26.3 yards per catch and he has already caught 3 TD passes.

PREDICTION:  RAVENS 24, JAGUARS 6

With the Jaguars starting a rookie QB (Blaine Gabbert), everyone and his brother know that they are going to run the ball.  That being said, Maurice Jones-Drew continues to roll.  He has played in all six games for the Jaguars so far this year and he has carried the ball 118 times for 572 yards (4.8 ypc) with 2 TD runs.  Jones-Drew has also caught 9 passes for 75 yards (8.3 avg) so far this year.  Second year RB Deji Karim has been giving Jones-Drew a rest once in a while this year to keep his hit count down.  Karim has also played in all six games for the Jags so far this year and he has carried the ball 36 times for 83 yards (2.3 ypc).  He has also caught 9 passes for 95 yards (10.6 avg) so far this year.  The Jaguars are averaging 120.7 yards rushing per game so far this year and they are averaging 4.0 yards per carry.

The Jaguars have signed 26-year old TE Martin Rucker off of the Dallas Cowboys’ practice squad.  Rucker played in 1 game for the Cowboys this year but he didn’t catch any passes.  Rucker has now played in 11 games in his first three years in the NFL and he has caught 2 passes for 17 yards (8.5 avg).  Rucker will try to replace Zach Miller who was placed on I.R. yesterday, ending his season.  To make room on the roster for Rucker, the Jaguars have placed 22-year old CB Rod Isaac on the Injured Reserve List due to a hamstring injury.  Isaac played in 3 games for the Jaguars this year but he didn’t have any tackles.

UPDATE:  (11/9/2011) – The Jaguars have placed Martin Rucker on I.R. due to an undisclosed problem.  He only played in 1 game for the Jaguars and he didn’t have any catches.

The Jaguars have signed 26-year old WR Mike Sims-Walker.  He was just released yesterday by the Rams after they acquired WR Brandon Lloyd in a deal with the Broncos.  Sims-Walker played in 4 games for the Rams this year and he caught 11 passes for 139 yards (12.6 avg).  He played in 38 games in his first stint with the Jaguars (three years) and he caught 122 passes for 1,648 yards (13.5 avg) with 14 TD grabs.  This was a good move for the Jaguars as Mike Sims-Walker knows the system and they need some more playmakers in the passing game.

The Jaguars have placed 27-year old TE Zach Miller on the Injured Reserve List, ending his season due to a shoulder injury.  Miller played in 4 games for the Jaguars in 2011 and he caught 4 passes for 42 yards (10.5 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Miller has played in 33 games in his first three years with the Jaguars and he has caught 45 passes for 470 yards (10.4 avg) with 4 TD grabs.  The Jaguars can’t afford to lose playmakers like Miller.

The Jaguars fought back in this game as they were down 17-3 at the half.  Blaine Gabbert got a shot to throw a Hail Mary at the end of the game but it fell incomplete.  Blaine Gabbert completed 12 of 26 passes for 109 yards with 1 TD pass and 0 INTs.  He also carried the ball 3 times for 16 yards (5.3 ypc) in this game.  Maurice Jones-Drew led the way on the ground for the Jaguars in this game with 22 carries for 96 yards (4.4 ypc) and he also caught 2 passes for 8 yards.  Deji Karim pitched in with 21 yards rushing on 5 carries (4.2 ypc) in this game.  WR Michael Thomes (4 rec, 36 yards), WR Jason Hill (2 rec, 29 yards, TD) and TE Marcedes Lewis (2 rec, 29 yards) led the way in the passing game for the Jags.  The Jaguars finished up with 133 yards rushing on 30 carries (4.4 ypc) and they also completed 12 of 26 passes (46.2%) for 76 yards as they had possession of the ball for 28:47.

The defense played really well in the second half for the Jaguars yesterday which gave them a shot to comeback.  LB Paul Poslusny led the way for the Jags’ D yesterday with 16 tackles.  LB Daryl Smith (8 tackles), DE Jeremy Mincey (8 tackles and 1 tackle for a loss) and CB William Middleton (7 tackles, 1 pass defensed) also pitched in.  DE/OLB Matt Roth was also busy for the Jaguars with 5 tackles, 1 sack, 2 tackles for a loss and 1 QB hit.  The Steelers finished up with 185 yards rushing on 32 carries (5.8 ypc) and they also completed 12 of 23 passes (52.2%) for 185 yards.  The Jaguars are now 1-5 on the season.