The Jaguars head to the road again to a really tough place to play (Heinz Field).  The Jaguars are o-2 on the road this year where they have been outscored 48-13.  The Steelers are 2-0 at home so far this year as they have outscored their opponents by a combined score of 62-17.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Jaguars have the ball:  The Jaguars are going to feed the ball to Maurice Jones-Drew in this game and hope for the best.  The Steelers are giving up 108.8 yards rushing per game and 4.6 yards per carry so far this year, so Jones-Drew could have a much bigger game than most expect him to.  Rookie QB Blaine Gabbert is going to have to get rid of the ball quickly to have much of a chance at success this weekend.  He has already been sacked 9 times so far this year and the Steelers love to blitz.  This all means that WR Mike Thomas, WR Jason Hill and TE Marcedes Lewis are going to have to catch short passes and make something happen after the catch.

When the Steelers have the ball:  The Steelers are going to come out throwing the ball this weekend against the Jaguars.  The Jaguars have played decent against the pass but they are not much of a pass rushing team.  That will have to change this weekend if they want to have a legit chance of pulling an upset.  Ben Roethlisberger makes most of his big plays throwing the ball down the field after buying time in the pocket.  He has been sacked 15 times already this year, so look for the Jaguars to blitz more than they have all of this year in an effort to force Roethlisberger into making some mistakes with the ball.  Rashard Mendenhall is back this weekend for the Steelers but the front seven should be able to handle him.

PREDICTION:  STEELERS 24, JAGUARS 6

The Jaguars have lost three games in a row by a combined score of 71-23!  They hope to right the ship against the young Cincinnati Bengals who come in for a visit this Sunday.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Jaguars have the ball:  The Jaguars can’t afford not to keep Maurice Jones-Drew involved heavily in the gameplan, unlike last weekend.  The Jaguars need to put the ball in Jones-Drew’s hands 25-30 times in this game if they want to have a good chance at a win.  The Bengals are only giving up 86.8 yards rushing and 3.1 yards per carry so far this year, so Jones-Drew is going to have to fight for every yard he can get.  Still, without a running game, rookie QB Blaine Gabbert isn’t going to have much of a chance for success in this game.  The Bengals already have 10 sacks this year, so they are going to be coming after Gabbert.  The Bengals will likely double Mike Thomas on passing downs and dare Gabbert to beat them by throwing to someone else.

When the Bengals have the ball:  The Jaguars’ front seven is going to have to focus on ganging up on RB Cedric Benson will also having a good pass rush.  That won’t be easy as Benson is a power runner who gets better as the game goes on.  Andy Dalton sometimes makes mistakes with the football, but he also makes his fair share of good throws down the field.  A.J. Green is a gamebreaker at WR while TE Jermaine Gresham is good at making catches over the middle and then making things happen.

PREDICTION:  BENGALS 20, JAGUARS 10

The Jacksonville Jaguars have lost their last two games by a combined score of 48-13.  The Saints are back on the right track though as they have won two games in a row over the Bears and Texans.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Jaguars have the ball:  The Jaguars are going to come into this game running the ball a lot with Maurice Jones-Drew.  The Saints are giving up 4.3 yards per carry so far this year, so the Jags might have success on the ground.  You have to think that the Saints are going to cheap up to stop Jones-Drew.  If the Jaguars see that, they need to make adjustments and throw the ball over the top using play action.  The Saints already have 10 sacks this year, so they like to blitz.  So screen passes and shorter pass routes are likely going to be what QB Blaine Gabbert is looking for this Sunday.

When the Saints have the ball:  The Saints are going to come out throwing the ball against the Jaguars.  The thing that makes the Saints’ passing game so dangerous is that Brees throws the ball to everyone, so you can’t really double team anyone.  The Jaguars only have 3 sacks so far this year, so Brees is likely going to have a lot of time to throw the ball, and that’s bad news for the home team.  The front seven of the Jaguars should be able to stop the Saints’ running game, but they have to also make sure that they can contain Darren Sproles.

PREDICTION:  SAINTS 30, JAGUARS 10

This is going to be a very interesting game to watch as Blaine Gabbert will be making his starting debut against rookie QB Cam Newton and his Panthers.  The Jaguars aren’t going to try to get involved in a shootout with the Panthers, as they are going to try to control the clock and grind out a win on the ground.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Jaguars have the ball:  The Jaguars have averaged more yards rushing (137.5 avg) than passing (125.5 avg) so far this year.  The Panthers are giving up 111.5 yards rushing per game and 4.8 yards per carry as they have already lost two starting LBs due to injury.  I look for the Jaguars to feed the ball to Maurice Jones-Drew as many times as he can handle it with Deji Karim coming in when he needs a break.  If the Jaguars are effective running the ball (and they will be), then look for Blaine Gabbert to take some shots down the field off of play action to WR Mike Thomas.  TE Marcedes Lewis is likely to be back in action this weekend and he will be the go to man on the short stuff.

When the Panthers have the ball:  The Jaguars are going to have to blitz Cam Newton a lot in this game to try to force him into making some mistakes.  The Jaguars will probably put CB Rashean Mathis on Steve Smith in this game as he is Newton’s favorite receiver.  He also likes to throw the ball to WR Brandon LaFell, TE Jeremy Shockey, TE Greg Olsen and RB Jonathan Stewart out of the backfield.  Newton has made his fair share of bad throws as he has been picked off 4 times this year and he has already been sacked 8 times.  The front seven will have to stop Newton from taking off as well as stopping DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart in the running game.  The Jaguars are only giving up 72.0 yards rushing per game and 3.2 yards per carry.

PREDICTION:  JAGUARS 23, PANTHERS 20

The Jacksonville Jaguars won a hard fought season opener at home against the Titans last weekend.  This is going to be a different animal this Sunday as they are on the road against the Jets.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Jaguars have the ball:  The Jaguars ran the ball 47 times last weekend and only passed the ball 24 times.  That likely won’t work against the Jets this weekend.  The Jets only gave up 64 yards rushing on 26 carries (2.5 ypc) last week against the Cowboys.  The Jaguars’ offensive linemen are going to have to get to inside linebackers Bart Scott and David Harris if they want to get the running game going.  Maurice Jones-Drew and Deji Karim are going to have to fight for every yard they get this Sunday.  It would help if the Jaguars can get some help in the air from Luke McCown.  That’s going to be hard with CBs Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie locking up with WRs Mike Thomas and Jason Hill.  The Jaguars hope that TE Marcedes Lewis will be able to go this weekend but his status is up in the air right now.

When the Jets have the ball:  The Jets are going to try to run the ball a lot more than they did last weekend.  The Jags’ held the Titans to only 43 yards rushing on 13 carries (3.3 ypc) in the season opener, so they might be up to the challenge of banging heads with RBs Shonn Greene and LaDainian Tomlinson.  If the Jaguars are effective in stopping the running game, they are still going to have to deal with QB Mark Sanchez and his crew of WRs and TEs.  Sanchez still makes rookie errors if you can get a lot of pressure on him, so look for the Jags to blitz a little more than usual.  CBs Rashean Mathis and Drew Coleman are going to have their hands full in trying to stop WRs Santonio Holmes and Plaxico Burress.  The safeties won’t likely be able to give the corners much support as they will be having to worry about TE Dustin Keller.

PREDICTION:  JETS 20, JAGUARS 9

The players on the Jaguars are still upset about the release of starting QB David Garrard.  We’ll see how much that matters on the field this Sunday against the Titans.  Luke McCown was the #3 QB the whole preseason and he has been elevated over rookie Blaine Gabbert, as he will be under center for the first snap of the year for the Jaguars.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Jaguars have the ball:  The Jaguars are likely going to try to lean on Maurice Jones-Drew against the Titans this Sunday.  It is likely a smart move as Jones-Drew carried the ball 46 times for 243 yards (5.1 ypc) against the Titans last year.  If Jones-Drew has a good game it will slow the Titans’ pass rush while also opening up some play action passes where Luke McCown can take some shots down the field.  The Titans have a lot of playmakers in the secondary, so McCown is going to have to be careful throwing the ball.  The Titans are sure to be covering TE Marcedes Lewis and WR Mike Thomas tightly, so McCown might have to throw the ball to Jason Hill, Jarrett Dillard and Cecil Shorts way more than he wants to.

PREDICTION:  TITANS 20, JAGUARS 13

The Jaguars are desperate now after losing two games in a row.  They need a win over the Texans and a Titans win over the Colts in Indianapolis to win the AFC South and get a spot in the playoffs.  The Jaguars beat the Texans 31-24 in Jacksonville in the first meeting of these two teams this year but that was with David Garrard at QB and Maurice Jones-Drew at RB.  The task will be much harder this time around as they are going to be starting Trent Edwards at QB and Rashad Jennings at RB due to injuries.  The Texans have lost four games in a row and 8 of their last 9 games as they have shown no heart, especially on defense.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Jaguars have the ball:  The Jaguars are going to try to be balanced on offense in this game.  They will probably start off the game throwing the football as the Texans are giving up 277.1 yards passing per game and opposining QBs have a 100.7 Rating against them.  Trent Edwards should have plenty of time to throw the football as the Texans’ don’t have much of a pass rush.  That means that TE Marcedes Lewis and WRs Mike Sims-Walker and Mike Thomas could all have big games if Trent Edwards does.  Rashad Jennings will be taking aim at a Texans’ D that is allowing 103.5 yards rushing per game and only 3.9 yards per carry.

When the Texans have the ball:  The Texans are likely going to run the ball a little more than usual in an attempt to control the clock.  That means the front seven is going to have to be ready to deal with Arian Foster, whose 1,436 yards rushing is leading the NFL.  He is also lethal out of the backfield in the passing game.  The Texans will be without Andre Johnson which is good news for the Jags.  The bad news is that Matt Schaub still has plenty of weapons to throw the ball to in Jacoby Jones, Kevin Walter and Owen Daniels.

PREDICTION:  TEXANS 30, JAGUARS 24

The Jacksonville Jaguars need to rebound from last week’s disappointing loss to the Colts.  They are still tied with them for the lead in the AFC South and they are playing at home this week where they are 5-2 on the year.  The Redskins have lost four in a row and six of their last seven games, but they have played decent the last two weeks.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Jaguars have the ball:  I look for the Jaguars to be balanced against a Redkins’ D that is awful against both the run (134.4 yards per game) and the pass (263.3 yards per game).  Maurice Jones-Drew appears to be a tad gimpy right now so look for Rashad Jennings to have a bigger role in this game.  David Garrard could also take off running a few times for the Jags this Sunday.  Garrard was sharp throwing the ball last weekend and the Redskins have virtually no pass rush.  With that in mind, Garrard should have enough time to be able to get the ball to Mike Thomas, Marcedes Lewis and Mike Sims-Walker early and often in this game.

When the Redskins have the ball:  I think the Redskins are going to try to engage in a shootout with the Jags.  The Jaguars are allowing 255.6 yards passing per game and opposing QBs have a rating of 100.2 against them so far this year!  Look for Rex Grossman to target TE Chris Cooley on the short stuff and Anthony Armstrong and Santana Moss on the deeper stuff.  The Jaguars can’t go all out to stop the pass as RB Ryan Torain has been solid the last couple of weeks.

PREDICTION:  JAGUARS 26, REDSKINS 23

The Jaguars have won 5 of their last 6 games to take a 1-game lead in the AFC South.  They can win the division with a win over the Colts this weekend in Indy.  The Jaguars beat the Colts 31-28 in Jacksonville during Week #4.  The Colts have only won 1 of their last four games including home losses to the Chargers & Cowboys.  This is a “must win” game for the Colts if they want to return to the playoffs.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Jaguars have the ball:  The Jaguars are going to have the same exact gameplan that they had in the first meeting of these two teams.  They are going to feed the ball to Maurice Jones-Drew and Rashad Jennings against a Colts’ D that is allowing 141.1 yards rushing per game and 4.8 yards per carry.  The Jags rushed for 174 times on 35 carries (5.0 ypc) in the first meeting of these two teams.  David Garrard will likely be throwing a lot off of playaction which should buy him time in the pocket.  I look for the Jags to keep the passing game short as they are going to try to control the clock instead of getting into a shootout.

When the Colts have the ball:  The Colts are going to come out throwing the ball against a Jags’ D that is allowing 258.3 yards passing per game.  Instead of blitzing Peyton Manning, which doesn’t seem to work too well….the Jags should play bump and run on the corners to try to disrupt the timing of the Colts’ passing game.  The Jags are going to need Rashean Mathis to win more battles than he loses against Reggie Wayne.  The Colts are only averaging 79.7 yards rushing per game and 3.4 yards per carry so the front seven should be able to handle them.

PREDICTION:  JAGUARS 33, COLTS 30

The Jaguars are hot right now winning four of their last five games.  The Jaguars will need to win this game to keep ahead of the Colts in the AFC South due to their victory over the Titans last night.  The Raiders won 28-13 at San Diego last weekend but they are 0-2 east of the Mississippi and they have been outscored 73-16 in those games!  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Jaguars have the ball:  The Jaguars are going to pound Maurice Jones-Drew and Rashad Jennings against a Raiders’ D that is allowing 124.3 yards rushing per game and 4.4 yards per carry.  The Raiders have 36 sacks already this year so David Garrard will likely use play action to slow the pass rush.  Mike Thomas, Marcedes Lewis, Zach Miller and Maurice Jones-Drew will likely be counted on in the passing game against a Raiders’ D that is allowing 206.8 yards per game through the air.

When the Raiders have the ball:  The Raiders are a run first team so the Jaguars will have to focus on stopping Darren McFadden & Michael Bush.  It won’t be easy though as the Raiders are averaging 149.0 yards rushing per game and 4.7 yards per carry.  The Jags are giving up 252.9 yards passing per game so they better be ready when Jason Campbell takes some deep shots to Louis Murphy and Jacoby Ford.

PREDICTION:  JAGUARS 26, RAIDERS 17