Jacksonville Jaguars

Another week is underway in the NFL’s post-lockout season and what a completely underwhelming start the Jacksonville Jaguars provided for us. Depending upon your viewpoint the Atlanta Falcons either mauled the Jaguars or Jacksonville simply rolled over and played dead. From the first drive when the Falcons strolled down the field and put seven points on the board, there was an air of inevitability about it. Even after the Jaguars’ explosion for 41 points on Sunday against Tampa Bay, you felt that lightning wouldn’t strike twice in five days, and it didn’t.

It’s difficult to read too much into this game for Atlanta. This was a decisive victory and a welcome confidence boost as they attempt to turn up their intensity and level of play ahead of a playoff run that is tantalizingly within reach now. The Falcons’ offense came to play early, putting the game out of reach and against an anemic Jaguar offense, a Falcons defense short of their best cornerback was never challenged. Read the rest of this entry »

The Atlanta Falcons may be close to being out of the race for the NFC South crown but they are still on course for a playoff berth after a late win against Carolina last week. Led by quarterback Matt Ryan (+22.2) they (along with Detroit), have a one-game lead in the battle for a wild card spot.

Their opponents on Thursday night, the Jacksonville Jaguars, come into this game off the back of their win under interim head coach Mel Tucker over the seemingly tackle-allergic Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The defense has performed well all year but the offense, and in particular rookie quarterback Blaine Gabbert (-42.0), has continued to struggle.

In the opening game of the week Atlanta need a win to keep pace in the race for the playoffs, while the Jaguars players will want to continue to win under Tucker and give fans some hope heading into next season. So with that in mind, let’s take a look at the three areas to focus on this week.

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At a glance, its hard to believe the Buccaneers and Jaguars combined for 41 points, let alone one of them hitting 41 by themselves. Tampa Bay turned the ball over a whopping seven times and Jacksonville converted those takeaways into 21 points. Compounding their lack of ball security here was the fact the Bucs were flagged 12 times for 97 yards and their return units contributed minus 2 yards on punts and zero yards via kick returns. While the Jaguars only had a pair of turnovers, one was inside the Bucs’ 10; inexcusable in any game.

In this meeting of two underwhelming and injury-depleted franchises, each toting a struggling quarterback, it was the Jaguars who made fewer mistakes. They also hit a couple of big plays to really put the game out of sight and left with the first win for interim Head Coach Mel Tucker while having scored more points than in their previous three games combined. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s time to audition for the 2012 season. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers come into the game reeling from a six-game losing streak and they’ve fallen to last in the NFC South at 4-8. Rumors are circulating about second-year Head Coach Raheem Morris’ job status for next season, so a strong finish is essential to keep his seat from getting too warm.

In addition to sending players to the injured reserve in droves, the Jacksonville Jaguars have experienced as many changes as an organization can handle as they’ve picked-up a new owner and Head Coach in the past week. Defensive Coordinator Mel Tucker got the “interim” label as the top man, and like Morris, he is hoping to show he is future head coach material by instilling some life into the Jaguars’ disappointing 2011 season.

With the playoffs long out of reach for both teams, let’s take a look at some key players who are hoping to be part of the rebuilding process for their respective teams. Read the rest of this entry »

With one team so dead in the water that they lost their coach, and the other team taking on water faster than the Titanic, there wasn’t much promise for intrigue coming into this game. For a brief while in the second quarter the Jaguars looked like they might again spring a somewhat improbable upset in a home Monday Night Football game, but, as they capitulated just before half time, their fate was sealed.

For the Chargers, this was a must win to keep alive their most slender of playoff aspirations in the AFC West now headed by Denver. Mission accomplished on that front and gaining the win while going from the West coast to the East can at least give them some hope that they have turned the corner.

With the Jaguars adrift at this point, San Diego really just needed to show up and put a few drives together to walk away winners, but they showed some of their best offensive football of the season as, behind a makeshift offensive line, their vertical passing game sparked back to life. Philip Rivers and his hoard of receivers were able to capitalize on a Jacksonville secondary gutted by injury to pick up some big plays off of play action that turned the game. This may have been a low-key affair but there were some noteworthy and alarming performances. Let’s take a look at who shone and who faded under the Monday Night lights. Read the rest of this entry »

While one of these teams just got their head coach fired for their lack of on-field production, the other may just do the same if the Chargers are unable to win in Jacksonville on Monday night. Barring a miraculous turnaround, Norv Turner’s stint in San Diego is probably over regardless. How badly the Chargers players want to keep him around will be evident this week.

Both of these teams played ugly, hard-fought games last week and came up short. Both losses could be considered highly demoralizing, with the Jaguars having the distraction of some dirty laundry being aired in public in regards to Jack Del Rio. Former defensive coordinator Mel Tucker was named the interim replacement and interim coaches are just 1-4 on Monday Night Football. The Chargers are recovering from a loss in overtime that eliminated their playoff chances in all but the most ideal of circumstances. Read the rest of this entry »

This tightly contested AFC East battle was a game both teams had to win and it ended up going down to the wire. In a game that featured more than its fair share of sloppy play, Mark Sanchez overcame a shaky start to lead the Jets downfield and throw the winning touchdown with 61 seconds to go. Having given up a game winning 95-yard drive in their previous game, this time the Jets defense just about held up to preserve the win.

In the month since seemingly every analyst on the planet was hailing the Bills as “for real”, they’ve lost four straight games, including two to the Jets. However, this was the first time they’ve remained competitive into the fourth quarter, so they’ll be looking to build on this as their focus inevitably shifts to next season. The Jets, having reversed the losing trend from the last fortnight, simply have to keep winning to stay in the postseason race.

As well as the sloppy play, there were also some impact performances, so let’s take a look at some from either category:

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The Houston Texans have been a source of interesting storylines since the start of the offseason. First, it was the hiring of Defensive Coordinator Wade Philips and their subsequent conversion to a 3-4 base defense. Then the Texans passed on Nnamdi Asomugha and shrewdly opted for their new top cornerback Jonathan Joseph (+12.0) once free agency finally opened. Opportunity shined with Peyton Manning’s neck injury, which opened the door for the Texans to claim their first-ever playoff berth.

After gaining a comfortable lead in the division, despite losing Mario Williams, it was Matt Schaub’s (+26.1) season-ending injury and the potential opportunity for Matt Leinart to do what his former mentor in Arizona, Kurt Warner, did for St. Louis once upon a time. Now, the Texans have to try to create a new storyline, rallying around a fifth-round rookie quarterback in T.J. Yates to reach the postseason.

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The AFC South is the more wide open than it’s been in years due to an injury to a certain quarterback who plays in Indianapolis. Even so, no one said it would be easy to take home the division title in 2011. The Houston Texans were primed to take control but are now faced with the loss of starting QB Matt Schaub. As Khaled Elsayed pointed out here:  Texans Turn to Leinart. While the Texans are sending backup QB Matt Leinart to the wolves, they may be as prepared as any team to handle such a switch due to their strong running game and improved defense.

When I previewed the last matchup between the Texans and the Jacksonville Jaguars, I cited some similarities between the teams, particularly their penchant for running the ball and playing strong defense. The main difference to this point has been the quarterback play. Read the rest of this entry »

Whilst this game wouldn’t receive much attention on the weekly highlight packages, a tightly-contested and physical AFC encounter was the reward for anyone who took the time to watch it. At stake: the chance for both teams to improve to 4-6 and keep their faint playoff hopes alive. It came down to the final play, but the Browns completed a goal line stand to win 14-10.

Unfortunately for the Browns, they’ve already been through the easiest part of their schedule, so the chances of them pulling themselves back into the race seem slim. Had Jacksonville won, they might have fancied their chances of catching the Texans with Matt Schaub out but, from now on, their focus should probably be on next season.

In a game as tight as this, every play counts. Having looked at every play, let’s see whose performances had the most impact:

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