The Jaguars have won three of their last four games to ascend to the top of the AFC South (tied with the Colts).  The Titans have lost four games in a row but they are still only one game behind the Jags & Colts.  The Titans also crushed the Jaguars 30-3 in Jacksonville earlier this year.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Jaguars have the ball:  The Jaguars are running the ball really well right now so look for Maurice Jones-Drew and Rashad Jennings to pound the ball at a Titans’ D that is allowing 111.2 yards rushing per game and 4.0 yards per carry.  The Titans have 32 sacks and 15 interceptions this season so David Garrard is going to have to make quick decisions while being careful with the ball and that is hard to do.  Garrard doesn’t seem to have a favorite receiver which should benefit him this weekend.

When the Titans have the ball:  The Titans are likely going to have Kerry Collins back under center for this game.  That means the Titans aren’t going to be just running the ball.  The Jags are giving up 261.1 yards passing per game so look for Kerry Collins to target Randy Moss and Nate Washington often in this game.  Still, the Titans are going to run the ball more than they pass as Chris Johnson is going to be plenty motivated after having his worst game of his NFL career last weekend.

PREDICTION:  TITANS 26, JAGUARS 24

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

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

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

Both of these teams are reeling right now.  The Jaguars have lost two games in a row by a combined score of 72-23!  The Cowboys have lost 3 games in a row and they have lost starting QB Tony Romo to injury.  The Jaguars have been awful on the road as they are 1-2 on the year and they have been outscored 106-69!  But, the Cowboys are 0-3 at home as they have been outscored 102-82 in Dallas.  Both of the coaches in this game are on the hot seat so they are desperate for a good showing.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Jaguars have the ball:  The Jaguars are going to try to mix things up a bit on offense in this game.  I see them throwing the ball a little more on first downs with David Garrard back from his concussion.  For the Jaguars to have any success throwing the ball, the O-Line is going to have to protect Garrard from OLB DeMarcus Ware.  Make no mistake though, Maurice Jones-Drew will be the focal point of the offense against a Cowboys’ D that is allowing 117.3 yards rushing and 4.5 yards per carry.

When the Cowboys have the ball:  The Cowboys love to throw the ball but it would be smart of them to give the rock to Felix Jones & Marion Barber more than usual in this game.  The Jaguars are allowing 129.0 yards rushing and 4.6 yards per carry so it makes sense to run the ball.  The Cowboys are also going to throw the ball quite a bit as the Jags are allowing 253.1 yards passing per game this year.  The Cowboys’ WRs and TEs are likely going to be open quite a bit in this game.  The Jaguars will need to blitz a lot because Jon Kitna is prone to making mistakes when the pass rush is in his face.

PREDICTION:  COWBOYS 27, JAGUARS 20

The Jaguars are coming off a 30-3 beatdown at home by the Titans on Monday Night Football.  Not only did the Titans punish them on the scoreboard but they injured both of the active QBs (David Garrard, Trent Edwards).  The Jaguars will likely be starting Todd Bouman in this game at QB.  The Chiefs are glad to be back home where they are 2-0, outscoring opponents 52-24!  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Jaguars have the football:  The Jaguars are likely going to feed the ball to Maurice Jones-Drew in both the running game and passing game as many times as he can handle against the Chiefs.  The Chiefs are allowing only 90.8 yards rushing per game and 3.7 yards per carry so far this year.  Jags’ QBs have been sacked 14 times already this year and Todd Bouman has not appeared in a game since 2007 (with the Rams).  Lucky for Bouman, the Chiefs don’t make a lot of big plays against the passing game as they only have 3 interceptions so far this year and they are giving up 249.4 yards passing per game. 

When the Chiefs have the ball:  Jamaal Charles & Thomas Jones will be taking aim at a Jags’ D that is allowing 111.2 yards rushing per game and 4.2 yards per carry so far this year.  But this is the game to really watch Matt Cassel.  The Jaguars are giving up 263.7 yards passing per game and opposing QBs have a 110.0 QB Rating against them.  Dwyane Bowe woke up last week and I fully expect to see him heavily involved in the passing game this weekend.  The Chiefs might also try to get veteran Chris Chambers and rookie Dexter McCluster more involved in the passing game this Sunday.

PREDICTION:  CHIEFS 26, JAGUARS 13

This could be one of the fastest Monday Night Football Games in league history as both teams will run the ball a lot more than they chuck it.  The Titans have been outstanding on the road this year as they are 2-0, and they have outscored the Giants & Cowboys by a combined score of 63-37.  The Jaguars are 2-1 at home so something has to give in this game.  Each team blew out the other one at home last year.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Jaguars have the ball:  The Jaguars are going to ride Maurice Jones-Drew in this game.  He carried the ball 14 times for 191 yards (13.6 ypc) with 3 TD runs against the Titans last year.  The Jaguars will have to keep the passing game of the shorter variety as the Titans already have an amazing 22 sacks this year!  The Titans also have seven interceptions this year as a direct result of the pressure they apply to opposing QBs.  Look for David Garrard to get the ball to TE Marcedes Lewis and WRs Mike Thomas and Mike Sims-Walker on the short stuff giving them chances to make plays after the catch.  I also look for a lot of screens and passes in the flat to Maurice Jones-Drew in a attempt to burn the Titans when they blitz.

When the Titans have the ball:  The Titans are going to run the ball and throw it deep off of playaction.  That is the basic premise of their offense.  Chris Johnson  carried the ball 40 times for 325 yards (8.1 ypc) with 2 TD runs against the Jags last season.  The Jaguars would be smart to creep up an extra player or two into the box to deal with the Titans’ running game.  The Jags much also contain Vince Young in the pocket or he could hurt them running the ball.

PREDICTION:  JAGUARS 28, TITANS 27

The Jaguars got a huge win at home over the Colts last weekend but they can’t afford a letdown this weekend because the Bills are going to be hungry.  The Bills seem to keep getting worse and I just didn’t think that was possible.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Jaguars have the ball:  This is the absolute perfect team for the Jags to be playing right now.  Maurice Jones-Drew is in line to have a monster game this weekend against a Bills’ D that is allowing 174.0 yards rushing and 4.6 yards per carry.  I also see David Garrard taking off out of the pocket and getting his fair share of yards on the ground this week.  Garrard sometimes makes mistakes with the ball when the opposition puts a good pass rush on him but that won’t be the lousy Bills who have only 4 sacks this season.  Garrard will likely have his choices of who to throw down the field to off of playaction so look for Mike Thomas, Mike Sims-Walker and Marcedes Lewis to all potentially have good games this Sunday.

When the Bills have the ball:  If the Bills are ever going to open up the offense it will be this Sunday against the Jags who are giving up 303.8 yards passing per game.  With that in mind the Jaguars are going to have to get to Fitzpatrick with the pass rush as Bills’ QBs have been sacked 11 times this year.  The Bills though will likely play it closer to the vest in this game with C.J. Spiller and Fred Jackson getting a lot of carries and passes out of the backfield.

PREDICTION:  JAGUARS 27, BILLS 20

The Jaguars really need to get back on the right track soon.  After winning the season opener the Jags have got thrashed the last couple of weeks by a combined score of 66-16!  The Jaguars were swept by the Colts last season but only by a combined score of 49-43.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Jaguars have the ball:  The Jaguars are without a doubt coming out running the ball in this game against a Colts’ D that is allowing 141.3 yards rushing and 5.0 yards per carry so far this year.  Maurice Jones-Drew will likely get as many touches as he can handle on Sunday.  He carried the ball 48 times for 207 yards (4.3 ypc) with 2 TD runs and he also caught 10 passes for 56 yards (5.6 avg) with a TD grab agianst the Colts last year.  When the Jags do throw the ball they are going to keep it short because they have given up 9 sacks already this year.

When the Colts have the ball:  The Jags are giving up 289 yards passing per game this year and opposing QBs have a 106.3 Rating so far.  Peyton Manning will likely be running off the bus this Sunday.  He completed 51 of 68 passes (75%) for 609 yards with 5 TD passes and 2 INTs against the Jaguars last season.  I still see the Colts wanting to get something going on the ground in this game too with Joseph Addai and Donald Brown.

PREDICTION:  COLTS 30, JAGUARS 24

The Jaguars are glad to be home this week even if it means chasing Michael Vick around for 3 hours this Sunday.  The Jaguars are a different team at home and they have never lost (3-0) against the Eagles in team history.  Here’s a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Jaguars have the ball:  The Jaguars are likely going to pound the ball with Maurice Jones-Drew and Reshad Jennings on the ground against an Eagles D that is allowing 123.5 yards rushing per game and 4.2 ypc.  After the Jags establish the running game look for them to start throwing the ball down the field off play action with David Garrard looking for Mike Sims-Walker and Mike Thomas.  Garrard will also likely keep throwing the ball to TE Marcedes Lewis who is playing the best football of his NFL career right now.

When the Eagles have the ball:  The Eagles will likely pass the ball more than they run against the Jaguars.  The Eagles will likely be attacking CB David Jones no matter who he is covering and it’s likely to be Jeremy Maclin most of the day.  The Jaguars must get a good pass rush and keep Michael Vick in the pocket.  If they can keep Vick in the pocket most of the time they will have a great chance of winning this football game.  The Jags can’t overplay the pass though or Lesean McCoy and Vick will hurt them running the ball.

PREDICTION:  JAGUARS 27, EAGLES 24