The Jacksonville Jaguars lost a game they dominated last week 24-17 to the Titans.  The New England Patriots have won 4 out of their last 5 games, including a 40-7 beatdown of the Houston Texans last week.

When the Jaguars have the football they will be looking to run first.  With Fred Taylor (1,120 yards rushing) probably missing this game, Maurice Drew (764 yards rushing) will have a heavy workload.  Look for Alvin Pearman and David Garrard to each contribute some, that is, if they have any luck against the tough Patriots run defense.  The Patriots are only allowing 87.7 yards rushing per game and 3.6 yards per carry so far this season.  David Garrard has to spread the ball around in the passing game because none of the WRs on the Jaguars has stepped up his play this season.  Garrard had better be careful when throwing the football, because CB Asante Samuel has 8 interceptions so far this season and will make him pay for any mistakes with the ball.

When New England has the football, they might just spread the field and come out throwing the football first to set up the run.  Tom Brady (3,055 yards passing) is a master at finding weaknesses and exploiting them.  The Jags really have a good defense as they have held opposing QBs to a 63.8 rating so far this season.  Corey Dillon should shoulder most of the load in the running game, but every yard will be a tough one as the Jags allow only 83.8 yards rushing per game and 3.4 yards per carry.

Something has to give in this game as one of the best road teams in the NFL (Patriots) visit one of the best home teams in the NFL (Jaguars).  The Patriots are 5-1 on the road and have outscored their opponents 156-64 in those games.  The Jaguars are 6-1 at home this season as they have scored 194 points and have allowed only 64 points in those games.

I have a hunch that the Jaguars are going to rise to the challenge and win this football game.