| Buffalo Bills (3-6) | Week #11 |
Jacksonville Jaguars (5-4) |
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| Date: | November 22nd, 2009 |
Location: | Jacksonville, FL |
| Time: | 1:00 PM EST |
Stadium: | The Jack |
| TV: | CBS |
Favorite: | Jaguars -9 |
| Radio: | Click Here | Over/Under: | 43 |
| Weather: |
Low 70's, 50% chance of rain |
Injury Report: |
Click Here |
| SBN Coverage: | Buffalo Rumblings | Coverage Map |
Click Here |
First, I want to offer an apology for helping drag this site back down into negative territory. I realize that 99% of the people who come to this site are either season ticket holders or do their best to attend as many games as they can. We all appreciate the support you show this team. Now, we have a game to play Sunday!
The Buffalo Bills travel to Northeast Florida this week as something of an enigma. Head coach Dick Jauron was fired on Wednesday and rumors that the Bills are already in talks with Mike Shanahan have already begun to emerge. Not to mentioned benching Trent Edwards for Ryan Fitzpatrick, having the worst run defense in the NFL, and the malignant locker room cancer Terrell Owens.
The Jaguars are coming off perhaps their most impressive road win since the 2007 Wild Card win over Pittsburgh. Maurice Jones-Drew is already within sight of the franchise's single season touchdown record, needing only two more to tie Fred Taylor's record of 14. Mike Sims-Walker's performance against the Jets seems to have signaled his arrival as a #1 wide receiver. The defense has seen a resurgence under the 4-3, and it seems the Jaguars will have meaningful games past Thanksgiving.
What does this all add up to? Well, under Jack Del Rio this usually means the Jaguars will under perform and either squeak out a win or lose. However, something strikes me as it being different this time. Click below to read why.
Jaguars Offense vs Bills Defense
What happens when an unstoppable force meets an easily pushed around object? We'll find out Sunday as Maurice Jones-Drew gets a golden opportunity going against the Bills run defense. The Bills are averaging giving up 173 yards a game on the ground. Yes, you read that right, 173 yards a game.
The Bills do have a good pass defense though. They rank 9th in the league against the pass, though that may be because teams realize they don't need to throw that much to beat them.
The Jaguars will see the return of long time defensive tackle Marcus Stroud. Stroud was traded to Buffalo during the 2008 off season after several injury filled season's seemingly signaled the end of his great career. However, it seems that wasn't the case as Stroud has played in all 25 games since joining the Bills and putting up repectable numbers to boot. If any Bills player will care about the out come of Sunday's game, it will be Marcus.
Move along nothing to see in that last paragraph.
Offensively, expect the Jaguars to pound the ball to Jones-Drew early and often to see if they even need to throw the ball. The Jaguars managed to gash the Jets #1 rush defense very well last week, and If you have both Sims-Walker and Jones-Drew on your fantasy team, I think it's obvious who to sit and who to start.
Jaguars Defense vs Bills Offense
This is the match up that be worried. The Jaguars will be without Rashean Mathis and Justin Durant this week because of injuries. That means almost certainly Reggie Nelson will once again be at corner. Let me put this into perspective, Reggie Nelson one on one with Terrell Owens. TO may be over the hill, but I still don't like that match up one bit.
If however, premadonna TO shows up and doesn't care, then I don't think the Bills have much of a chance this week offensively. Marshawn Lynch has been banged up and more of an off the field problem than anything else. In fact, Fred Jackson is their leading rusher at this point in the season. Ryan Fitzpatrick torched the Jaguars last year in Cincinnati, but that 2008 team would lose 34-7 to this year's Jaguars.
Special Teams and Intangibles
Simple this week, the Bills fired their head coach and are being lead out by a man who already knows he doesn't have a chance to even play himself into the position. Some are saying this will lead them to come out being fired up, but I say this team comes out flat and disinterested, only to get even more disinterested when Jones-Drew gets 7 yards everytime he touched the ball.
Player On The Hot Seat
Maurice Jones-Drew, RB
Jones-Drew has the franchise TD record in his sights, and he is going against the worst run defense in the league. Not to mention he'll be needed to chew up clock in case TO and the Bills offense does decide to show up Sunday.
Prediction
Buffalo Bills 10
Maurice Jones-Drew goes off for 210 yards and four touchdowns while the Bills get their only points in garbage time.
-Jonathan Loesche