Jaguars in the Northeast: Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow?

If you have watched any news at all in the last week or so, you guys all know that a storm has hit the northeast and absolutely covered the area in white. Take a look at what NASA satellites saw from space just yesterday:

Via TheDailyGreen.com

Early forecasts show that it probably wont be snowing come game time, but it will be somewhere around the 30s or 40s with 10+ mile per hour winds. Hardly Jacksonville weather. Definitely New England weather. Does that mean the Patriots are at an advantage in this weather, or does it actually play to the Jaguars' strengths? Is a white Christmas weekend in New England what we want as Jaguar fans?

History shows that the Jaguar don't play very well in the cold. Here are the 9 coldest games in franchise history:

1. 9 degrees Dec. 17, 2000 @ Cincinnati L 14-17
2. 12 degrees Dec. 19, 2004 @ Green Bay W 28-25
3. 19 degrees Dec. 7, 2008 @ Chicago L 10-23
4. 23 degrees Dec. 23, 2000 @ New York G L 25-28
5. 24 degrees Jan. 7, 2006 @ New England L 3-28
6. 25 degrees Dec. 14, 2003 @ New England L 13-27
7. 26 degrees Jan. 10, 1999 @ New York J L 24-34
8. 27 degrees Jan. 12, 1997 @ New England L 6-20
9. 28 degrees Dec. 4, 2005 @ Cleveland W 20-14

The stat that has been most telling has been the turnovers in these games:

1. 1 turnover
2. 2 turnovers
3. 1 turnover
4. 2 turnovers
5. 2 turnovers
6. 2 turnovers
7. 4 turnovers
8. 4 turnovers 
9. 1 turnover

The Jaguars have never won in New England; mainly due to an inability to hang onto the ball. In five trips to Foxboro, the Jags have managed to turn the ball over to the Patriots 12 times. That's 2.4 times a game. The key to this game has to be the Jaguars ability to hang onto the ball in cold, windy conditions. The way to do this is by keeping the ball out of the windy air and in the safe arms of Maurice Jones-Drew. He has fumbled only once this season and has played very well in cold in the past.

Now the Patriots are not the undefeated passing attack they were in 2007, but their ability to throw the ball is not to be underestimated. Tom Brady is back and he has been a Jaguar killer in prior years. What is noticeable is that the Patriots passing attack seems to decline in the month of December. With the cold weather comes less passing numbers without a proportional increase in the rushing numbers to counterbalance. Here are the Patriots numbers by month during the 2007 and 2009 seasons:

September

2007:  289 yards passing/game 152 yards rushing/game

2009: 287 yards passing/game 108 yards rushing/game

October

2007: 312 yards passing/game 126 yards rushing/game

2009: 294 yards passing/game 120 yards rushing/game

November

2007: 327 yards passing/game 93 yards rushing/game

2009: 308 yards passing/game 114 yards rushing/game

December

2007: 270 yards passing/game 98 yards rushing/game

2009*: 220 yards passing/game 130 yards rushing/game

*(Through 3 December games)

I believe the Jaguars are in the best situation if the weather in Boston is as cold and windy as possible. Now I ask you BCC, how would you like the conditions to be in Foxboro when the Jaguars take on the Patriots? 

-Adam