| Anthony Holds. 20th September, 2008 - 12:54 pm
 What a difference two weeks make. Fourteen days ago at this time the Jacksonville Jaguars were poised to kick off their opening week game against Tennessee as many pundits’ sexy pick to win the AFC South and finally unseat the longstanding champs the Indianapolis Colts. Now, after two disappointing weeks in which injuries, particularly along their offensive line, have weakened their usually powerful running game and forced quarterback David Garrard to run for his life, they find themselves at 0-2 and under great scrutiny and doubt from those same pundits.
Can they climb back out of this hole? History certainly says it’s possible. The New York Giants were 0-2 and looking like a bit of a train wreck last year at this time, and we know how that worked out. There are many games left to be won this season, but certainly with each passing loss, a team’s margin for error gets slimmer. Panic time? Not yet. That will come if this weekend’s divisional tilt ends with Jacksonville standing at 0-3. It will be a tough but somewhat fitting test trying to notch their first victory against the Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium. This is the team the Jaguars have long aspired to overtake. Many thought this would be the year they would do just that. What better way to get back on the right foot in resounding fashion than by taking down Indianapolis on the road?
There are, though, the aforementioned injury concerns for the Jaguars, which make one wonder if their best shot under the circumstances will be enough to avoid a third loss. One thing working for them? The Colts are a mass of injuries, with a similarly decimated offensive line, as well (although they do plan to have Pro Bowl center Jeff Saturday back in action this week). The Colts defense will not have safety Bob Sanders, perhaps their most vital cog in run support. If there is a defensive unit against which the Jaguars running game can get going, it might be this one at this time. The Colts have given up more than 180 yards rushing per game in their first two contests, and have historically been given fits by Maurice Jones-Drew and Fred Taylor. Who can forget the way the two backs completely destroyed Indy on the way to 375 total rushing yards (the second highest total since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970) in the Jaguars’ 44-17 victory on December 9, 2006?
But having success on the ground, even against the Colts, will be a monumental task this time considering the situation up front. With both starting guards, Vince Manuwai and Maurice Williams, knocked out for the season in Week 1, and center Brad Meester out with a biceps injury, there’s just no way of predicting if or when improvement will come. Over the first two games of the season, Jones-Drew and Taylor have pieced together a combined 107 rushing yards (and less than three yards per carry). That’s good for 28th in the league, and they’ve got to be able to do better than that. In the passing game, if the protection is there, David Garrard may be able to pick on Melvin Bullitt, the Colts inexperienced replacement for Sanders. Any success through the air would also force the Colts to back off the line and not commit so heavily to stopping the run. Lastly, any recipe for success will have to include ensuring that the Colts’ recently sputtering offense stays that way, and that the score remains low and close. Get behind by much in this one and the Jags may not have the healthy horses to come back.
Coach Jack Del Rio and the rest of the Jags refuse to call this a must-win situation, but it is undoubtedly a game that could leave a massive mark on the Jaguars’ season and their standing in the division, for better or for worse. Must win? Perhaps not. But it may be the Jaguars’ last chance to ensure that they will be in position to exercise some control over their destiny in the coming months and not be left scrambling for wins while simultaneously needing swoons from other teams to accomplish their goals. Ask last year’s Cleveland Browns how that usually works out. You know what? Forget it. Let’s just go ahead and call this a must-win. |
