Jacksonville Jaguars Game Preview
LeSean McCoy inactive, Maurice Jones-Drew all but ensured NFL rushing title
It was a longshot for LeSean McCoy to make up the 128 yard difference between him and the NFL's leading rusher Maurice Jones-Drew, but he won't have the chance to do so. The Eagles announced their inactives for their game today against the Redskins and McCoy is out.
Arian Foster is the next rusher on the list and he was also declared inactive today. That means the next player behind Jones-Drew that is playing today is 49ers running back Frank Gore. However, Gore is 235 yards behind Jones-Drew with only one game to make up that mark.
Considering Jones-Drew will likely receive several carries today to give him a chance to break the franchise single-season rushing record, it would take a record-breaking performance from Gore or someone behind him to even have an outside shot at the title.
Jaguars Vs. Colts Preview: Can The Jaguars Send The Weavers Off With A Win?
The Jacksonville Jaguars are preparing to finish out a disappointing 2011 season with a victory over the Indianapolis Colts, in what will be the last Jaguars game ever with Wayne Weaver as the owner of the franchise. Afterward, the franchise will transition over to new owner Shahid Khan. The 4-11 Jaguars will look to avoid tying the worst season record in franchise history of 4-12, a mark set by the inaugural franchise team in 1995.
The Jaguars will bring an offense that is carried on the legs of Maurice Jones-Drew as they look to sweep to Colts for the first time ever. The Colts have only been swept once in the division, by the Steve McNair quarterbacked Tennessee Titans. The Colts are riding a wave of momentum however, as they've won their last two games to increase their win total to... two.
Jaguars looking to finish with a win for the first time in a long time
The last time the Jaguars won a week 17 game was 2005 when they beat the Billy Volek-led Titans 40-13 on the back of good performances by LaBrandon Toefield and Quinn Gray. Since then the Jaguars have struggled to finish their seasons on high notes.
The 2007 season in which the Jaguars played themselves into the divisional round of the playoffs is the only season in the past five seasons that didn't finish with consecutive losses, although the Jaguars did finish with a loss to the Texans. Late collapses cost the Jaguars chances at the playoffs in the 2006, 2009 and 2010 seasons.
This year it isn't as critical for the Jaguars to finish strong as their is little left to play for, but the team does have the opportunity to break a streak of week 17 losses that has been a reoccurring issue for the team in years past. The Jaguars have currently lost two in a row and a loss to the Colts would make three consecutive years that the Jaguars have lost their final three games.
Colts Vs. Jaguars: The Jaguars will not and should not "tank" in week 17
Suddenly there is some interest being taken in the Jaguars-Colts finale that will be played on Sunday, but not for the reasons that either team had in mind. After terrible seasons for both teams, the result of the game means little more than a higher draft pick for the loser and a lesser one for the winner. The reality that fans need to grasp, though, is that the teams don't care about that.
Neither the players on the Jaguars nor the players on the Colts care which team drafts Andrew Luck or if their team has the 3rd, 6th or 32nd pick in the draft. The livelihood of the players playing in Sunday's game is purely dependent upon their own performance and the performance of the team they are on in the present.
So you better believe when a player like tight end Colin Cloherty lines up at tight end against a guy like linebacker A.J. Edds for the Colts that both players will be giving it their all to make the plays necessary to keep their fragile NFL jobs. Even players like Maurice Jones-Drew and Reggie Wayne will be doing all in their power to ensure they perform to the best of their ability and their team does well because of their impact on the field.
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Jaguars Vs. Titans Preview: Jags Look To Sweep Titans
The Jacksonville Jaguars beat the Tennessee Titans in Week 1 of the 2011 NFL season 16-14 in a close game that ended on a Matt Hasselbeck interception in the fourth quarter. The Jaguars looked much different back then, on both sides of the football. Luke McCown was the team's starting quarterback, less than a week removed from released David Garrard. Running back Maurice Jones-Drew was operating on a "pitch count" and carried the football 24 times, including just two carries in the fourth quarter. The Jaguars defense wasn't ravaged by injuries and your starting wide receivers were Jason Hill and Mike Thomas.
Fast forward to today however, and you've got a struggling rookie Blaine Gabbert at quarterback, and offensive line that's hit or miss every play, Chastin West & Jarett Dillard starting at wide receiver, and a defense starting street free agents in the secondary. You've also got Maurice Jones-Drew having one of the best season's for a Jaguars running back ever, considering what he's working with and what he's facing defensively every game. He'll be facing a Titans defense this week that gives up nearly 130 rushing yards per game.
Jaguars Vs. Titans: Jake Locker could debut against the Jaguars
Or maybe not. Mike Munchak hasn't said anything that would lead anyone to think Jake Locker would get the start if Matt Hasselbeck is healthy, but as Music City Miracles argued, now is the time.
Following a loss to the previously winless Colts, the Titans are hardly in the running for the playoffs any more as it would take a doomsday scenario for them to get in to the postseason. One loss or one Bengals win over the next two weeks would be enough to eliminate the Titans as well as several other scenarios.
Through the first eight games of the season, Hasselbeck threw 13 touchdowns and six interceptions as the Titans pushed themselves into the thick of the playoffs race, but recently there have been questions whether or not he is injured. In the last six games he's thrown just two touchdowns with six interceptions and has seemingly been afraid to pass downfield.
Out of the 40 passes he threw against the Colts, just four were over 10 yards downfield and not a single pass eclipsed 20 yards in the air. That means 36 of his passes were under 10 yards and that was a large factor in the Colts holding the Titans to just 13 points.
With both teams essentially out of playoff contention, the storylines between the rivals are thin, but the starting quarterback for the Titans is one that will garner some interest. The Jaguars could be the first ones that 8th overall pick, Jake Locker, starts against in his NFL career.
Thursday Night Football, Jaguars Vs. Falcons: Receivers in the spotlight
A lot of criticism has been bestowed upon the Jaguars receivers in 2011 and justifiably so. It's hard to imagine another team releasing the #1 receiver on their depth chart and watching him go unclaimed on waivers and remain without a team two weeks later. Frankly the WR corps has been bad and it has led to the Jaguars claiming Chastin West, Taylor Price and Brian Robiskie as well as signing Mike Sims-Walker.
Robiskie and Sims-Walker have both been lost for the season, but with Mike Thomas and Cecil Shorts III both out for tonight's game against the Falcons, the receivers will make for an interesting story line.
Thursday Night Football, Jaguars Vs. Falcons: Can Jacksonville Make It Two In A Row?
The Jacksonville Jaguars take on the Atlanta Falcons today, playing their third game in eleven days. The Jaguars are coming off a victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The game saw a depleted Jaguars defense force turnover after turnover and rookie quarterback Blaine Gabbert finally get things going on offense. The team will enter the game against the Falcons more injured than they were on Monday Night.
Jaguars wide receivers Mike Thomas (concussion) and rookie Cecil Shorts III (hamstring) have been ruled out of the game. This means the team will likely get a heavy look at newly acquired receiver Taylor Price as well as more action from the likes of Jarett Dillard, Chastin West, and even special team's ace Kassim Osgood. More importantly however, the team will once again rely on the ever reliable Maurice Jones-Drew to get the flow of their offense going.
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