This game got off to a rough start offensively for the Jaguars.  Chad henne completed just three of his first 13 passes, the running game was sputtering, yet the defense managed to keep the Jaguars in it.  That all crumbled when the Bills realized they could go big against the Jaguars.

Spiller’s big run demoralized the Jaguars and put the game out of reach.  Source:  Timothy T. Ludwig-US PRESSWIRE

Ryan Fitzpatrick only had 112 yards, two touchdowns, and nine complete passes (of 17 attempts) the entire game.  It was up to Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller to dominate the Jaguars.  And they did.  Jackson had 109 yards on 25 attempts (4.36 yards per attempt), providing the workhorse role for the Bills.  Spiller ripped off a dominating 44 yard run to exemplify a 77 yard performance on 14 carries (5.5 yards per carry) with one touchdown.

The Jaguars just couldn’t seem to get the Bills off the field.  The Bills held the ball for 42 minutes in the game, forcing long drives and slowly punishing the defense.  With Spiller and Jackson’s big play potential the Jaguars were forced to respect every play and could neither commit entirely to stacking the box or to playing a bit more loose since the Bills’ running backs’ talents were multidimensional.

The Jaguars offense showed again that it needs Maurice Jones-Drew back.  Rashad Jennings fumbled twice en route to an uninspiring 20 yards on eight carries.  Montell Owens, traditionally the third or fourth string back, filled in and provided a lackluster 29 yard performance on the day.  Owens had a bit more spark than Jennings and averaged 4.1 yards per carry.  Unfortunately, the Jaguars fell too far behind to commit to the run with Owens.

A game that the Jaguars thought they could win turned into a route in the fourth quarter.  Fitzpatrick was conservative in his passes but managed to convert the opportunities the Bills had into points.  It wasn’t a statement win and it wasn’t a dominating performance, but the Bills used a suffocating running attack to slowly choke the Jaguars out of the game.

It was a gameplan that other teams should keep in mind when facing the Jaguars.

- Luke N. Sims

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Could the Jags finish both these guy’s’ careers with a win on Sunday?  Source: David Butler II-US PRESSWIRE

Two teams meet each other in Week 13 with completely different attitudes on Sunday in Buffalo. The 4-7 Bills are desperate coming off a loss in Indianapolis. They need to win out the last 5 games to have a chance at making the playoffs. Head Coach Chan Gailey’s position is looking iffy for ’13, and Ryan Fitzpatrick has been struggling lately. Meanwhile the 2-9 Jaguars just won their first home game of the season. QB Chad Henne has resurrected the Jaguars offense the last 2 games, and the team just boosted it’s chances mightily, revitalizing the struggling pass rush with All-Pro DE Jason Babin from waivers. Although this game is not looking sexy at all on first sight, if we dig a little deeper, this could be a pretty interesting game. Let me explain why.

The Jaguars are starting their 4 game AFC East tour in Buffalo, where things haven’t looked good lately. The team is 1-3 in the last 4 games, QB Ryan Fitzpatrick is struggling, head coach Chan Gailey’s seat is getting warmer and warmer, the game has been blacked out with 15,000 tickets remaining to be sold and some players (to be exact, WR Stevie Johnson) expressing criticism toward the coaching staff. But because the Bills are fairly loaded with talent and desperation, the Jaguars could find this to be a tough game.

Can Chad Henne do it again?  Source: Phil Sears-US PRESSWIRE

Chad Henne and his offense need to play the way they have in the last 2 weeks. The big problem is that the Bills, thanks to their defensive line and secondary, are really good against the pass. In the past, with a healthy Maurice Jones-Drew the offensive game planning would have been easy; run the ball, and then let loose the passing game. But since he is injured and Jalen Parmele is on IR, this is not a realistic scenario. Rashad Jennings gets a 3rd (most likely his last) opportunity to prove he is worthy of a new contract in the offseason.  His chances got a bit of a boost because it looks like FB Greg Jones might be back from his injury. If the Jaguars could establish the running game early that would be a huge relief for Henne and especially the offensive line. Because other than CJ Spiller, the Bills defensive line is the calling card of the the team right now. Everybody is focusing on Mario Williams, who finally had an excellent game against the Colts, racking up 3 sacks (8.5 on the year). If he was facing Eugene Monroe I’d be much more confident about keeping him away from Henne, but Williams will face RT Cameron Bradfield who has had 2 bad games against the Texans and the Titans, and if he plays like that this Sunday, Henne will be in serious danger. I don’t know how Eben Britton is practicing lately (He is pretty much MIA at this point), but I’d consider him as an extra tackle to help out Bradfield.

Kyle Williams has been having a bit year in Buffalo.  He’ll probably continue it against a weak Jaguars’ offensive interior.  Source:  Timothy T. Ludwig-US PRESSWIRE

The big problem is, there are more dangerous players in that defensive line than just Williams. The DT duo of Kyle Williams and Marcel Dareus will present a huge problem for the Jaguars’ interior line, which has struggled lately. Dareus and Kyle Williams have produced 8.5 sacks combined which is pretty impressive from DTs. I guess in pass plays Greg Jones and the other FB, Will Ta’ufo’ou will be used to give better protection for Henne. At the other end, Eugene Monroe will face Shawne Merriman, and quite frankly he must make him an absolute non-factor all by himself. Even if Henne can get decent protection, he needs to be as sharp as he was in Hosuton or against Tennessee. The Bills have one of the best FS in the game in Jairus Bryd who currently leads the the team with 4 picks. Looks like CB Aaron Williams can play in this game, so he will be the partner of 1st round pick Stephon Gilmore. The South Carolina product had a very good game against Reggie Wayne last week – he allowed only 2 catches to one of the best WRs this season. Still his costly pass interference penalty sealed the deal for Indianapolis. Nonetheless, Gilmore e is still the most consistent corner on Buffalo’s defense. If Williams returns, Leodis McKelvin will return to the nickel corner spot, he is a dangerous returner, but he can be vulnerable in  coverage, just like George Wilson. Also other than Nick Barnett and Bryan Scott (he has recorded 3 interceptions) the linebacker unit is where the Jaguars’ receivers and backs will make most of their big plays.

Let’s turn our attention to the Bills offense and C.J. Spiller. After Arian Foster and Chris Johnson the Jaguars face another premier back. Spiller has had a breakout season, with 830 rushing yards and a stunning 6.7 yards/carry average. Let me put this in context. In his first 2 seasons in 30 games Spiller rushed for 844 yards. This season he has run only 14 yards less in 11 games.  Jeff Lageman said he is a mismatch for everybody. Well Paul Posluszny (who’ll play against his former team for the 1st time) must limit Spiller’s effectiveness as much as possible. His backup, Fred Jackson, is also available, and he is still a pretty decent back., who can do harm easily.

Despite a strong running game, the Buffalo’s pass offense is still fr from being great .  The Bills rank just one spot ahead of the Jaguars and Ryan Fitzpatrick had his worst game this year last week against the Colts. Part of the reason is that Chan Gailey will not let Fitzpatrick call some plays.  WR Stevie Jackson openly disagreed with this, and he’s probably right. It’s certainly doesn’t help the QB, that Chan Gailey is not just the head coach of the Bills but he is basically the offensive coordinator and QB coach as well. The Bills pass offense uses a lot of screen passes, so the Jaguars defense must get ready for those. They involve their backs a lot as well. With WR Donald Jones out, Stevie Johnson and TE Scott Chandler must elevate their game a little more. Chandler has 5 TDs so far, but with the return of Dwight Lowery the secondary can handle him and his teammates even without Derek Cox. It will be very interesting to see how Jason Babin’s arrival will affect the Jaguars’ pass rush and this game in general. He will face rookie LT Cordy Glenn who is an up and coming player, but he had a rough day last week against the Colts. If Babin can force the Bills to place their attention on him, Jeremy Mincey can make the life of 2nd year RT Chris Hairston miserable as well. But I must note, although both players are very young they have allowed only 3 sacks combined.

Despite his struggles, Fitzpatrick is always a threat.  Source: Mark Konezny-US PRESSWIRE

Don’t sleep about Fitzpatrick though.. He has played well against the Jaguars in the past. He led the then winless Bengals to victory against Jacksonville in ’08.  In ’09 and ’10 Fitzpatrick played really well when the Bills and the Jaguars played each other. He threw 3 TDs and 0 interceptions in the last meeting of the Jaguars and the Bills. I must admit since this is the division Chad Henne played for most of the time as pro, he knows this team, with the exception of Paul Posluszny, more than anybody else on the Jaguars. Alternatively, the Bills also know Henne quite well.

Special teams will be a big factor in this game. Leodis McKelvin has 2 punt return TDs and a whopping 20.8 yard average in that area. Bryan Anger as well as fellow rookie gunners Kevin Elliott and Antwan Blake must bring their A game against him. Also, the Bills have Brad Smith, who can run some tricky plays. Meanwhile the Jaguars will feature new faces as returners. With Michael Spurlock being released (picked up by the San Diego Chargers) and Jennings starting at RB again, the Jaguars will ask newcomer RB Jordan Todman and WR/KR Quan Cosby to return kicks.  The Bills allowed a punt return TD last week against the Colts by rookie T. Y. Hilton and another against the Jets on opening day.  Also they allowed a kickoff return TD against Miami 2 weeks ago. So the Jaguars might have a chance to get a real special play from the new returners.

This game is really hard to pick. If the Bills lose, they are out of the playoff picture. If that happens, it’s possible that some heads will roll (Gailey, maybe Fitzpatrick) in the offseason. The Jaguars are on a roll with 2 really good offensive performances, and they been outperforming on the road thus far in ’12 (3 OT losses, a win against the Colts and a very decent showing in Green Bay). I think the two teams’ talent levels are almost similar, but Buffalo has (much) more playmakers on defense. However, if the Jaguars offense can continue to play the way they have since Chad Henne took over, it will be a close game until the final whistle. Quite frankly I think this could be another game with an overtime ending. Let’s hope that the jaguars finally win one if that happens.

Prediction: Bills 21 – Jaguars 24 in OT

- Zoltan Paksa

1. Arian Foster/Ben Tate, Houston Texans: The Houston duo put up some big numbers in 2011 (over 2,000 yards combined) and will look to replicate that success in 2012.  The duo is tough to stop and flows better than most 1-2 punches in the NFL.
2. 

   As Jackson does, so do the Bills. Source: Matthew Emmons-US PRESSWIRE

   Fred Jackson/C.J. Spiller, Buffalo Bills: Fred Jackson is the real power behind the Bills running game, but Spiller is expected to have a big year. Both running backs averaged over five yards per attempt last year and have a good chance of repeating 1,500+ yards on the ground in 2012.

3. Maurice Jones-Drew, Jacksonville Jaguars: Jones-Drew is the reigning rushing title champion and looks to do it again in 2012….if he ends his holdout.  Jones-Drew pounded away last year for 30 more attempts than anyone else, but it paid off for the Jaguars.  With the return of a proper spell back for MJD and a better passing game, he could do a lot more damage per attempt in 2012.
4. Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings: Peterson was injured last year after logging 970 yards in 12 games.  It was his firs season not running for 1,200 or more yards.  He will come back with a vengeance and cement himself as a dominant runner once again in 2012.
5. Chris Johnson, Tennessee Titans: CJ2K needs to get back to 2,000 yards per season.  He has the talent to do it, but his holdout and subsequent lackluster year is not laying a foundation for future success.
6. Darren McFadden, Oakland Raiders: With the departure of Michael Bush to Chicago, McFadden becomes the man in Oakland.  He runs hard and will be the focus of an offense that doesn’t want turnover-prone Carson Palmer throwing too many times.
7. Matt Forte, Chicago Bears: The Bears are worried about a Matt Forte holdout, but in Matt Forte they have a player who is something special.  Forte has skills catching the ball as well as running and makes the Bears offense more versatile whenever he is on the field.
8. Shonn Greene, New York Jets: Greene is a good runner and is the Jets workhorse when called upon.  With the addition of Tim Tebow and more gimmick plays, Greene may find that he will be used a little less and a little bit differently in 2012.
9. Reggie Bush, Miami Dolphins: Reggie Bush finally lived up to his potential in 2011 with the Dolphins.  He’ll have to do it again in 2012 – though there will be more responsibility put on him with the front office placing an emphasis on rookie Ryan Tannehill and free agent David Garrard at quarterback.
10. Benjarvus Green-Ellis, Cincinnati Bengals: Taking over after the departure of Cedric Benson, the ex-Patriot looks to emulate his success in Cincinnati.  It will be a tough task with a less high tempo passing game and no real depth behind him.
11. James Starks, Green Bay Packers: James Starks gets the spotlight after Ryan Grant leaves.  Starks is a strong runner who complements the Packers passing attack well.  But there is very little emphasis put on the running game in Green Bay.
12. 

    Donald Brown needs to prove he can be the workhorse the Colts need him to be. Source: Brian Spurlock-US PRESSWIRE

    Donald Brown, Indianpolis Colts: The Colts finally got Brown to look like a first round draft pick in 2011.  Can he do it again with Andrew Luck leading the offense?

13. Jahvid Best/Kevin Smith, Detroit Lions:  Both of the Lions runners are gifted (So is Mikel LeShoure who is not on this list) but they have not been stellar.  The Lions need Kevin Smith to return to his former glory and they need Best to look more like he did in 2010 rather than 2011.
14. Stevan Ridley/Danny Woodhead, New England Patriots: While Woodhead and Ridley are on the bottom of this list, knowing Bill Belichick they will probably end up amassing huge chunks of yards on a run for the Super Bowl.  Woodhead is a fan favorite but is on the field mostly because he is a receiving target as well.

Check out our other roster strength analysis: QB

- Luke N. Sims

Feel free to leave comments on here or visit us at Facebook or Twitter!

You can also find me on Twitter @LukeNSims