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//  Saturday, July 31, 2010

AFC South Game of the Week

Thursday, December 3, 2009
Posted by Bryan Ault

Warm Ups

It’s do-or-die time for the Jacksonville Jaguars and Houston Texans.  Playoff hopes are on the line at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium on Sunday.  The loser is all but eliminated from postseason contention.  And given resurrection of the Titans, the winner is on thin ice.


Texans Pass Offense vs. Jaguars Pass Defense—Advantage: Texans


49ers quarterback Alex Smith had a very good outing last week, throwing for 232 yards and two touchdowns.  Two weeks ago, Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick threw for 297 yards against the Jaguars’ pass defense.  Teams are having success against the Jaguars.  They are ranked 26th against the pass.  Texans quarterback Matt Schaub threw for 300 yards and three touchdowns when the two teams clashed back in Week 3, which was a 31-24 Jaguars victory.


Texans Rush Offense vs. Jaguars Run Defense—Advantage: Even


Both groups have had questionable years, which is strange because they both used to be their team strengths.  The Texans finally received signs of life from Steve Slaton last week against the Colts.  Slaton, who rushed for 1,282 yards and nine touchdowns in ’08, has rushed for 437 yards at this point.

 
Jaguars Pass Offense vs. Texans Pass Defense—Advantage: Even


David Garrard is still a top quarterback in the league.  He has only six interceptions through the year so far.  The problem is that he has also fumbled nine times.  Houston has 15 sacks so far this season, which is troubling given that they have a tremendous pass rush threat in Mario Williams.   


Jaguars Rush Offense vs. Texans Rush Defense—Advantage: Jaguars


Maurice Jones-Drew has had a relatively-quiet year for his production, rushing for 1,001 yards and 13 touchdowns in the post-Fred Taylor era.  The Colts were having success against the Texans last week, but decided to pass.  Houston has struggled against the rush this year, allowing 186 yards in the previous matchup.  Linebacker Brian Cushing is a very bright player, and a great pick by the Texans on draft day.

Intangibles—Advantage: Even


Both teams are in desperate situations heading into December.  Houston has lost close games to many divisional opponents (17-20 against the Colts, 24-31 against the Jaguars, 17-20 against the Titans), which has sent their season in a free fall.  The Jaguars were 1-3 against the NFC West (a weak division) this year, with their lone win being a 23-20 victory over the Rams.  The loss in San Francisco ended a four-game winning streak. 

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