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By Michael Rushton, Contributing NFL Editor
(Sports Network) - The Jacksonville Jaguars will get one last tune-up before the postseason this Sunday, when they head to Houston's Reliant Stadium to battle the Texans.
The Jaguars clinched the AFC's first wild card spot with last weekend's 49-11 victory over the Oakland Raiders. However, despite an 11-4 record, Jacksonville will be on the road when the postseason starts due to the Indianapolis Colts (13-2) winning the AFC South.
The playoff bid is the second in three seasons for Jacksonville and sixth in team history.
No matter where the club plays in the opening round of the playoffs, Jacksonville is sure to put up a fight, as the club is getting it done both offensively and defensively.
The Jaguars are scoring an average of 25.5 points per game (fifth in the NFL) while giving up just 17.5 (sixth overall). Last week, Jacksonville set team records for points (49) and touchdowns (seven) in its win against Oakland.
Due to the inability to change their seeding, the Jaguars will likely rest a bunch of key players this weekend. That means quarterback David Garrard and running backs Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew are unlikely to see a lot of time on the field.
A win for Jacksonville on Sunday would match the second-best mark in team history. The club went 14-2 in 1999 and 12-4 in 2005. The Jaguars are also 5-2 on the road this season.
Meanwhile, Houston will be trying to finish the regular season with the best record in club history. The Texans went 7-9 in 2004, the franchise's best record to date. The team enters this game with a 7-8 mark.
Houston finished the road portion of its schedule last Sunday, falling to the Colts in Indianapolis by a 38-15 score. The club now returns home, where it is developing a knack for winning. Houston's five home wins this season are a franchise best and the team is currently riding a three-game home winning streak. The Texans have also won their last four games at Reliant Stadium in December dating back to last year.
Now the Texans just need to get better against the very tough AFC South. Houston is 0-5 against the division this year, and its two 2007 losses at home were against Indianapolis and Tennessee.
SERIES HISTORY
Houston leads the all-time series with the Jaguars, 6-5, but was a 37-17 road loser when the teams met in Week 6. The Texans scored a home-and-home sweep of Jacksonville in 2006, including a 27-7 home win in Week 7, The Jaguars last won in Houston in 2005.
Jacksonville head coach Jack Del Rio is 4-5 versus the Texans all-time, including 1-3 in Houston. The Texans' Gary Kubiak is 2-1 against both Del Rio and the Jaguars as a head coach.
WHEN THE JAGUARS HAVE THE BALL
The Jaguars put the Raiders to bed early last week, so to speak. Taylor busted off a 62-yard touchdown run on Jacksonville's first play from scrimmage, and Jacksonville led 28-3 at the half. Taylor (1,202 rushing yards, 5 TD) ended with 111 yards on just seven carries, while Jones-Drew (768 rushing yards, 9 TD, 40 receptions) added 44 yards on 10 carries and a touchdown in addition to six catches for 96 yards. The Jaguars are ranked second in the league on the ground, averaging a solid 153 rushing yards per game. Taylor and Jones-Drew are important to Jacksonville's Super Bowl chances, meaning Greg Jones should get extended time in the backfield in this game. Jones had five rushes against Oakland and also caught a TD pass. Garrard (2,509 passing yards, 18 TD) had another solid game, completing 11-of-18 pass attempts for 199 yards and two touchdowns. He also threw just his third interception of the season and scored his first rushing touchdown of the year. Quinn Gray relieved Garrard against Oakland and should get time under center again this weekend. He completed 5- of-8 attempts in the game and also threw a pair of scoring passes. Matt Jones, Reggie Williams and Richard Angulo all pulled in touchdown catches for the Jags last week. with Williams (35 receptions, career-high 9 TD) making three catches for 49 yards in all. Jacksonville's leading receiver, Dennis Northcutt (44 receptions, 4 TD), was held to just one catch for 18 yards.
Jacksonville has scored 383 points on the season, 14 shy of breaking the franchise record of 396 set in 1999. The Jaguars have totaled 400-plus yards in five straight games, including 437 yards last week against Oakland, and are averaging 33.8 points over the last five games.
The Texans continue to get better on defense as the year goes on, and it begins with 2006 No. 1 overall pick Mario Williams. Many called for the franchise to be disbanded when it took the defensive end over Reggie Bush after the Texans felt they would be unable to sign the more expensive Bush. However, Williams (55 tackles) is turning into a dominating pass rusher, as he leads the AFC with 14 sacks on the season and has at least one sack in six straight games. Houston has posted at least one sack in 16 straight games dating back to last season, a team record. As Mario Williams continues to grow alongside second-year linebacker DeMeco Ryans and 20-year-old rookie defensive tackle Amobi Okoye, the Texans will have a defense to be reckoned with. Ryans leads the Texans with 123 tackles to go along with two sacks, though he had just a pair of tackles against the Colts and missed some practice time this week due to a knee injury. Okoye (32 tackles, 6 sacks) was also limited to just two tackles in the game. Rookie corner Fred Bennett (60 tackles, 3 INT) saw a lot of balls come his way against the Colts, as he made 11 tackles along with a forced fumble. In all, Indianapolis posted 458 net yards against Houston, getting 338 of that through the air. Texans linebacker Morlon Greenwood (109 tackles, 1 sack) posted nine tackles in the loss, while safety C.C. Brown (79 tackles, 1 INT) and corner Von Hutchins (86 tackles, 1 INT) each had seven.
WHEN THE TEXANS HAVE THE BALL
Houston's offense has also started to hit its stride. The club needs to score just one more touchdown to establish a team record with 38 on the season and 82 net yards to break the team mark of 5,128, set in 2004. With wideout Andre Johnson missing a chunk of this season due to a knee injury, the club has seen receiver Kevin Walter emerge as a go-to-target. Walter leads the team with 65 catches and 800 receiving yards and has scored four touchdowns on the season. One of those came against the Colts last week to go along with four catches and 69 yards for Walter. However, it is still Johnson who teams need to contain. He has 54 catches and 777 receiving yards on the year and a team- high eight TD's despite playing in just eight games this season. Johnson made a team-leading seven catches versus the Colts for 74 yards and a score. Tight end Owen Daniels (62 receptions, 2 TD) added two catches for 27 yards. His catch total and 739 receiving yards are both franchise highs for a tight end in a season. Running back Darius Walker, a 2007 undrafted free agent, ran for 66 yards on 19 carries last week in addition to compiling six catches for 44 yards. Quarterback Matt Schaub (2,241 passing yards, 9 TD, 9 INT) was inactive for the game due to a left shoulder injury, with Sage Rosenfels starting in his place. Rosenfels (1,556 passing yards, 14 TD, 11 INT) threw for 233 yards and a pair of touchdowns, but was also intercepted three times. Schaub is again unlikely to play this weekend, but running back Ron Dayne should be able to go after not participating last week due to an ankle problem.
The Jaguars are 11th in the NFL in total defense, allowing 315.4 yards per game, and have only given up 193.7 yards per contest over the last three weeks. That includes holding the Raiders to a mere 215 yards on Sunday. Jacksonville has also held opponents to 17 points or less in 10 of 15 games this year, tied with New England for most in the NFL. The Jags posted four sacks, three interceptions and a recovered fumble against Oakland, with defensive end Bobby McCray (16 tackles, 3 sacks) getting to the quarterback a career-high tying two times. Linebacker Justin Durant (45 tackles) and tackle Rob Meier (25 tackles, 4 sacks) also had a sack each. Jacksonville's secondary forced Oakland quarterback JaMarcus Russell into a lot of mistakes, with rookie safety Reggie Nelson, corner Terry Cousin (47 tackles, 1 sack) and safety Jamaal Fudge each picking off a pass each. For Nelson (61 tackles, 1 sack), it was his team-leading fifth interception of the season, which ties him for first among NFL rookies. Finally, defensive end Brent Hawkins (11 tackles, 4 sacks) recovered McCray's forced fumble, giving the Jaguars their 10th recovery of the season. The club only had four last year. Safety Sammy Knight and Durant led the team with eight tackles each against Oakland, while cornerback Brian Williams added six. Knight leads the team with 91 tackles on the season.
FANTASY FOCUS
With Jacksonville locked in for the playoffs, few starters will see extended time this weekend. So if your league goes until Week 17, get ready to raid the waiver wire if you have either Jones-Drew or Taylor. Greg Jones should get a lot of carries versus the Texans, though Gray isn't a good option at quarterback and should be avoided. For Houston, its starters should play a lot, so Walter, Daniels and Johnson should all be in starting lineups for this weekend. With Dayne slowed, Walker could get the bulk of carries this weekend, but the Jags do have a very good run defense. That could mean big numbers for Rosenfels.
OVERALL ANALYSIS
This game comes down to who wants it more. That should be Houston. No team wants to enter the postseason off a loss, but the Jaguars aren't going to risk their health just to win what is a meaningless game for them. If Jacksonville is going to win, it will be behind the second team offense and defense. The Texans, meanwhile, are playing in front of their home crowd and are developing into a tough team to play in Houston. The club can also set a team record for most regular season wins, so it does have something to play for. In an "upset", Houston's starters top the Jags' reserves. Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Texans 24, Jaguars 20
