Maurice Jones-Drew may miss his ninth game in a row Sunday with a foot injury, but the Jaguars running back plans to make a full recovery and resume his Pro Bowl form next year. Jones-Drew noted he got off to a fast start this season despite his holdout before he suffered the injury and said, "Hopefully next year, we’ll stay healthy and maintain it and play out the whole year.’’ Jones-Drew said he was supposed to run on the sidelines during practice for the first time since the injury, but he didn’t do that during media viewing time. Jones-Drew said he was hopeful he can play Sunday, but said he wouldn’t play if he would put any teammates at risk like not being ready to pick up a blitz.
Chad Henne gets it. Not only has Henne played the Jaguars’ opponent Sunday – the New England Patriots – plenty of times in his five-year NFL career, he knows the Jaguars’ record, knows the Patriots’ record and he knows about perception. So, are the Jaguars favored Sunday? No, Henne knows that’s not the case, and the rest of the Jaguars know it, too. And they know that it will take a very good game – their best game of the season – and a very big upset to win in EverBank Field. But while few give them a chance, they also know this: Those other things – all the predictions and all the perceptions? Come Sunday, they matter not a bit.
Maurice Jones-Drewsaid there’s a chance he can play Sunday. But how realistic is that possibility? Jones-Drew said that will be known as the week plays out, and Head Coach Mike Mularkey on Wednesday said it remains "questionable" that the three-time Pro Bowl running back will play against New England. "He’s going to run today more than he’s run and I just need to see how he feels," Mularkey said Wednesday before the Jaguars (2-12) practiced in preparation to play the Patriots (10-4) at EverBank Field Sunday at 1 p.m.