By CHARLIE BERNSTEIN
JagNation.com Editor
Jaguars fans know that their team is in the playoffs with a win on Sunday. We will explore the other options assuming the Jags don't come out victorious. We will also explore the injury report for both teams and see how the Jaguars stack up statistically, and what has both Jack Del Rio and Jim Caldwell concerned.
ROOTING INTERESTS:A big part of the fun that comes with any postseason run is the age-old exercise of scoreboard watching. Jaguars fans know that if their team beats Indianapolis this Sunday, they won't need to do any scoreboard perusing as Jacksonville will clinch the AFC South. But what if things don't go as planned? Here's who Jaguars fans should be rooting for this weekend.
San Francisco @ San Diego - In any NFC vs. AFC situation, it's almost always best for the Jaguars if the NFC team wins. This is no different, if San Francisco can find a way to win, that will leave San Diego with seven losses and Jacksonville can eclipse that number even without beating Indianapolis.
Houston @ Tennessee - Although this game isn't likely to affect anyone's playoff chances directly, Jaguars fans should still hope for their arch-rival Titans to stop the bleeding and win the game. Since the Jets beat Houston earlier this year, one of the tie breaks is strength of victory and a Houston loss (even though the Jags have defeated them) would be better for Jacksonville, especially coupled with a Tennessee victory.
Kansas City @ St. Louis - Once again the NFC vs. AFC rule applies. A Kansas City loss would get them to six losses, and assuming Jacksonville could beat their remaining two opponents, they would hold a tie break advantage over Kansas City due to their conference record.
Detroit @ Tampa Bay - An NFC game has bearing over the AFC playoffs? In this situation, absolutely. Since the Jets defeated Detroit earlier this year, the Lions figure in to their strength of victory, therefore Jaguars fans should cheer for a Tampa Bay victory.
New Orleans @ Baltimore - Normally the NFC vs. AFC rule would apply, but this isn't a normal situation. At 9-4, it's not likely that the Jags would be able to win any sort of Wild Card tiebreak with the Ravens. That said, Jaguars fans should cheer for the Ravens to acquire one of the remaining two Wild Card spots.
New York Jets @ Pittsburgh - Aside from winning their division, Jacksonville's easiest way to the playoffs is with a Wild Card, and the Jets would be a team with which the Jaguars could hold a potential tie break advantage. Cheer for Pittsburgh.
Chicago @ Minnesota - This is another strength of victory type of situation. The Jets defeated the Vikings earlier in the season, so Jaguars fans should hope for Minnesota to lose out.
Notes: We are assuming that both New England and Pittsburgh will go on to win their respective divisions and they will likely be the top two seeds.
INJURY REPORT: The Jaguars have a few injuries that fans should be concerned about. Linebacker Justin Durant (groin), safety Courtney Greene (shoulder), running back Maurice Jones-Drew and guard Vince Manuwai (foot) each missed Wednesday's practice. Defensive tackle Tyson Alualu (knee), tight end Zach Miller (ankle), defensive end Aaron Morgan (hamstring) and cornerback Terrence Wheatley (hamstring) were all limited.
For the Colts, tight end Brody Eldridge (not injury related), defensive end Dwight Freeney (not injury related), running back Mike Hart (ankle), tackle Charlie Johnson (chest), defensive tackle Fili Moala (knee), guard Jamey Richard (hip) and guard Jaimie Thomas (illness) each missed Wednesday's practice. Running back Joseph Addai and linebacker Clint Session were both limited.
"You can put it anyway you want it," Colts quarterback Peyton Manning said. "This is a playoff game."
Both teams realize that their seasons are on the line and it's likely that Sunday's game will be an "all hands on deck" situation.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING:This Sunday's game will be an interesting matchup of strengths versus weaknesses for both clubs. Indianapolis is ranked first in the NFL in passing as they average 304 yards through the air per game. The Jaguars defense is ranked 28th in the NFL against the pass as they've allowed 258.3 yards per game. The Colts have been the poster-children for the NFL's new pass-happy style of football and they will certainly try and attack a young, underachieving Jaguars secondary.
"Looking at 18 (Peyton Manning) throwing the ball is something that not looks good for us defensively," Del Rio said. "He's a terrific football player, and he's been a sword in my side for eight years."
When Jacksonville has the football, they will try to run all over the smaller Colts with the league's second-leading rusher in Maurice Jones-Drew. Jacksonville has the second-ranked rushing attack in the league, which averages 157.8 yards per game, and they will take on an Indianapolis defense that's ranked 29th in the league against the run, yielding 141.1 yards per game.
"They know we're going to go up there and bring our running game with us," Jaguars guard Uche Nwaneri said.
"One of the things that you do realize is that you are not going to stop Jones-Drew completely," Caldwell said. "You are just not going to do it. It is just one of those things that he's a very, very good back and he is going to get some yards. What we have to do is make certain that we contain it enough that they don't just chew up ground on us and keep possessions away from us and then score on top of it. We have to make certain that we are able to keep big plays down."
Whichever team can play their style of game and win the turnover battle will likely come out on top.
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