The Texans (5-6) travel east to Jacksonville for a Week 13 matchup against the Jaguars (6-5) at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for noon CT.
Head coach Jack Del Rio and the Jaguars have won three of their last four games but fell at San Francisco in Week 12 by a 20-3 margin. Del Rio is in his seventh year as Jacksonville's head coach and is one of just nine current NFL coaches to earn 50 victories, posting a 56-51 mark through six-plus seasons with the Jaguars.
OFFENSE
QuarterbackStarter David Garrard is 224-of-358 in 2009 for 2,610 yards, with eight touchdowns and six interceptions. Sunday against the 49ers, Garrard went 25-of-36 for 307 yards and didn't throw a touchdown or an interception.
Against the Texans in a Week 3 victory, he was 18-of-30 for 214 yards without a touchdown or an interception. Garrard is in his third season as the Jags' starting quarterback and owns a career record of 30-27.
In 2008, Garrard passed for a career-high 3,620 yards with 13 touchdown passes and ran in for two scores. Garrard ranks first in Jaguars franchise history with a 61.2 career completion percentage.
Running backMaurice Jones-Drew currently ranks fifth in the NFL in rushing with 1,001 yards on 209 carries while leading the league with 13 touchdowns. Jones-Drew also is a threat as a receiver, as he has caught 41 passes for 273 yards this season. His 115.8 scrimmage yards per game ranks him fifth among all offensive players.
In Week 3 versus the Texans, Jones-Drew ran for a trio of touchdowns and finished with 119 yards rushing on 23 carries. After splitting carries for his first three seasons in the NFL with Fred Taylor, Jones-Drew is putting up career numbers in 2009 as the featured back. He led the Jaguars with 824 yards on 197 carries last season, when he also ran for 12 touchdowns.
Wide receiver/tight end
Mike Sims-Walker leads the Jaguarswith six touchdown receptions and 740 yards on 51 catches. Against the 49ers, he snared four passes for 46 yards. He was productive versus the Texans in September, when he caught six balls for 81 yards. Three times this season, Sims-Walker has 100-plus receiving yards in a contest.
In the offseason, the Jaguars brought in seven-time Pro Bowl selection Torry Holt from the St. Louis Rams. Holt has caught 42 passes for 566 yards in his first season with the club. He caught four passes for 50 yards against San Francisco but still hasn't caught a touchdown in 2009.
At tight end, Marcedes Lewis is in his fourth NFL season and has steadily improved. His numbers are approaching career highs, with 25 receptions for 388 yards and two touchdowns in 2009. He finished 2008 with 41 receptions for 489 yards and two touchdowns.
Offensive line
Injuries ravaged the offensive line last year and sunk the Jaguars' season. Now healthy and bolstered by the selections of tackles Eugene Monroe and Eben Britton in the draft, Jacksonville's strength is once again the running game. The rookie tackles bookend the line, which also features Vince Manuwai at left guard, Brad Meester at center and Uche Nwaneri at right guard. The group has allowed 30 sacks.
Manuwai is back in action after missing 15 games in 2008 with a torn ACL. Before that, he had started 78 games in a career that began in 2003.
Meester is the veteran of the group with 129 career starts. He began his career as a left guard in 2000.
DEFENSE
Defensive lineDefensive tackle John Henderson is the rock in the middle of the Jacksonville defensive line. The two-time Pro Bowler has registered three sacks, 26 tackles and a forced fumble this season. Henderson was selected in the first round of the 2002 draft and has been a picture of durability, missing only three games in seven seasons.
Rookie Terrance Knighton, a third-round draft pick out of Temple, has started all 11 games at defensive tackle next to Henderson this season.
The Jaguars were dealt a severe blow when defensive end Reggie Hayward was placed on injured reserve before their Week 2 contest with the Cardinals. Second-year defensive end Quentin Groves and undrafted rookie Julius Williams have shared time in Hayward's place.
Derrick Harvey, a second-year defensive end from Florida, had a solid rookie season in 2008. He started nine games and finished with 3.5 sacks. In 2009, he has 36 tackles, three of which have been for a loss, but still has yet to record a sack.
Linebacker
The Jaguars' linebacking corps is led by Daryl Smith. The outside linebacker has 71 tackles in 2009 and also has forced three fumbles. Remarkably durable, Smith has missed only three games in five seasons due to injuries. Against the Texans in Week 3, Smith finished with seven tackles, a pass deflection and a forced fumble.
Inside linebacker Justin Durant started 20 of 27 games in his first two seasons but has missed three games in 2009. He still ranks second on the team in tackles with 67 and has forced a fumble. Last year, Durant led the team with seven tackles for loss and ranked third with a career-high 113 tackles in a career-high 12 starts. As a rookie in 2007, Durant was tops on the team with 31 postseason tackles.
Clint Ingram is a tough, physical linebacker who made a career-high 12 starts in 2008. Three of his 44 tackles this season have been for a loss. He recorded six total tackles against the 49ers last weekend and six against the Texans in Week 3.
Secondary
The cornerback tandem of Rashean Mathis and Derek Cox is a mixture of rich experience and raw potential.
The veteran Mathis is regarded as one of the NFL's top cornerbacks and owns franchise records with 28 career interceptions, three of which he returned for touchdowns. He has started 90 games since being selected in the second round of the 2003 draft and has led the Jaguars in picks in four of the last five seasons. The Pro Bowler, however, has missed the last two games with a groin injury.
Cox, a rookie third-round draft pick out of William & Mary, has started every game this season and has two interceptions. He picked off his first pass as a professional against future Hall of Famer Peyton Manning in the season opener. Cox has 50 tackles this season.
At free safety, young veteran Reggie Nelson has seven career interceptions, including a team rookie record five in 2007, which tied for the most by an NFL rookie that year. Nelson's career totals include 200 tackles, one sack and two forced fumbles. This season, he has 54 total tackles.
The Jaguars signed strong safety Sean Considine in late February, and the fifth-year veteran and former Eagles stalwart has made 26 tackles and picked off one pass while splitting time with Gerald Alexander, who also has an interception and 34 tackles.
Special teamsKicker Josh Scobee has connected on 12-of-20 field goals this season and is 20-for-21 on his extra point tries. He's second on the team in scoring with 56 points, and his longest field goal this year has been a 52-yarder.
Adam Podlesh has punted 51 times for a 41.8 yard average, and in 2008, he punted 46 times for a 43.2-yard average.
Cornerback Brian Witherspoon is averaging 24.1 yards per kickoff return and 11.8 yards per punt return.
