Jaguars vs. Texans: Game Preview

Jaguars (8-7) @ Texans (5-10)

When: Sunday January 2, 2011, 4:15 PM (CBS)

Where: Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas

Line: Texans by 1/2 point

The Jaguars come into this game needing a big road win in Houston to keep their slim playoff chances alive.  The Texans are limping into the offseason, losing eight of their last nine games.  On paper you would think that the team fighting for their playoff lives would be a heavy favorite in this situation, but the Jaguars are likely going into this game without their starting quarterback and running back.  The Jaguars playoff hopes are dependent upon the performance of back up quarterback Trent Edwards.

Jaguars Offense vs. Texans Defense

Trent Edwards is going to get an opportunity to face the worst pass defense in the league.  The Texans defense has been epically bad this season and will be without Mario Williams on Sunday which will severely diminish their ability to put pressure on Edwards.

The Jaguars offense will also likely be without starting running back Maurice Jones-Drew for their second straight game.  Back up Rashad Jennings never got on track last Sunday, as the Redskins focused heavily on shutting down the Jaguars rushing offense.  The Texans will likely focus most of their attention on shutting Jennings down and forcing Edwards to beat them with his arm.

Luckily for Edwards it appears he will have a full compliment of receivers at his disposal.  Mike Sims-Walker has been practicing this week, and it will be up to him along with Marcedes Lewis and Mike Thomas to step up and help Edwards out as much as possible.

If Edwards struggles on Sunday, the Jaguars have no chance.

Jaguars Defense vs. Texans Offense

In the first meeting between these two teams, the Jaguars did an excellent job containing Arian Foster.  The Jaguars need to bottle Foster up again if they want to slow down this potent Texans offense.  When Foster struggles, the Texans offense struggles to consistently move the football.

Foster could be even more important to the Texans on Sunday if star wide receiver Andre Johnson sits out for the second straight game with an ankle injury that has bothered him all season.  Johnson has absolutely torched the Jaguars defense since he has been in the league.  His absence would be a welcome sight for a Jaguars secondary that has also struggled mightily this season.

I think the Jaguars defense will play well on Sunday.  This will be the last chance for some of the young players to show the Jaguars front office that they are capable of being important contributors on the defense in the future.  I think that much like last week, this young defense will fly around and try to end the regular season on a positive note.  Remember, the loss last week was no fault of the defense who played admirably despite being put in some tough situations.

Prediction

I think this game is going to be sloppy.  The Texans have already checked out and have switched to off season mode, while the Jaguars will be relying heavily on back ups on offense.  Will Trent Edwards seize his opportunity and take advantage of a weak defense, or will he struggle in his first start since week 2?  I think Edwards will do just enough to put the Jaguars over the top.

Jaguars 23  Texans 20

Garrard Placed On IR

As expected the Jaguars announced on Thursday that they had placed quarterback David Garrard on the injured reserve list, officially ending his 2010 season.

Garrard underwent a successful surgery to repair ligament damage in the middle finger on his this throwing hand on Thursday morning.  Garrard sustained the injury in the Colts game when he hit his hand on a defenders helmet after throwing a ball.

Garrard broke the Jaguars franchise record for passing touchdowns in a season with 23, but was hampered by costly turnovers that cost the team some important games down the stretch.

The Jaguars still have an outside shot at making the playoffs, and they will turn to back up quarterback Trent Edwards on Sunday for a must win game against the Texans.

To fill his spot on the roster, the Jaguars signed linebacker Alvin Bowen off of the practice squad.

Edwards Gets Chance To Audition For Job On Sunday

The Jaguars have handed the keys to the car over to backup quarterback Trent Edwards after announcing that starting quarterback David Garrard will miss the rest of the 2010 season after having surgery to repair torn ligaments in the middle finger on his throwing hand.

Whether Edwards gets more than one game to show the Jaguars and the rest of the NFL what he is capable of is dependent on whether or not he can guide a struggling Jaguars offense over a struggling Texans defense.  The Jaguars need to win their final regular season game to keep their slim playoff hopes alive.

However, luckily for Edwards, the Texans appear to be the most favorable match up for a quarterback looking to make a favorable impression.  The Texans have been ranked as the worst pass defense in the NFL for most of this season, and are coming off of an embarrassing loss to the Broncos in which rookie quarterback Tim Tebow carved up the Texans defense for 308 passing yards.

With the Jaguars likely looking to draft this off season to acquire their quarterback of the future, it is unlikely that Edwards will be in Jacksonville next season.  His performance on Sunday could go a long way in showing the other 31 NFL teams that he can be a reliable backup.

I remain skeptical as to whether or not Edwards can go out and deliver for the Jaguars on Sunday.  The Jaguars have the best chance of winning games with a healthy Garrard under center, a fact that the faction of Jaguars fans that hate Garrard refuse to acknowledge.  While I have said that I believe that Garrard is not good enough to lead the Jaguars to the level of championship contenders, I have no doubt that he is the best quarterback currently on the roster.

Anyways, who would have thought that the Jaguars 2010 playoff hopes will rely on the arm of Trent Edwards and the legs of Rashad Jennings?

Jones-Drew’s Knee Issue More Serious Than We Thought

Maurice Jones-Drew missed practice again on Wednesday, and Jaguars head coach Jack Del Rio is not optimistic about his chances of playing this Sunday when the Jaguars face the Texans.

Now Tania Ganguli of the Florida Times-Union has written a story which addresses the potential that Jones-Drew would need to undergo knee surgery this off season to repair what has been ailing him the past couple of weeks.

According to Ganguli, Jones-Drew tweaked his knee in the preseason and was told that he had suffered the kind of injury that requires surgery to repair.  He will likely need to get his bum knee fixed this off season, but Jones-Drew has played at a high level with the injury all season and he has said that he would like to play this week and in the playoffs if the Jaguars make it that far.

BREAKING NEWS: Garrard OUT On Sunday

Tania Ganguli of the Florida Times-Union is reporting that Jaguars starting quarterback David Garrard will miss this Sunday’s game against the Houston Texans.

According to Ganguli, Garrard will have surgery tomorrow to repair an injury to the middle finger on his throwing hand that he sustained against the Colts.  There is no official word yet on whether or not Garrard would be available should the Jaguars make the playoffs.

The Jaguars will now turn to either Trent Edwards or Todd Bouman to play this Sunday in Houston.

Edwards was forced into action earlier in the season when Garrard went down with a concussion during the Monday night game against the Titans.  Edwards threw for 140 yards and two interceptions and suffered a thumb injury in his limited action this season.

Bouman started for the Jaguars earlier this season in Kansas City where he did an admirable job throwing for 222 yards and two touchdowns in his first NFL action since 2005.

UPDATE

Garrard said in his press conference that the surgery will require two months of rest before he can resume football activities, meaning he is out for the rest of the season.  It looks like Edwards will be the Jaguars starting quarterback this Sunday against the Texans and would be the quarterback should the team make the playoffs.

Next Page »