MLB MORRISON vs. FB JONES TE MILLER vs. SS KNIGHT WR PORTER vs. CB MATHIS
Last Modified: Saturday, December 22, 2007 at 9:00 p.m.
THE LINE: Colts by 13 (total 38½).
THE SERIES: The Jaguars hold a 2-1 edge in this new series. The Raiders have never played in Jacksonville.
LAST MEETING: The Raiders had plenty of chances in a cold rain at the Coliseum in their final game of 2004. But on fourth-and-goal from the Jaguars' 2-yard line with 12 seconds left, Adam Treu's snap slipped through Kerry Collins' hands, preserving Jacksonville's 13-6 win. Collins threw three interceptions and fumbled three times. Oakland's Zack Crockett rumbled for 134 yards, most of them in the fourth quarter.
RAIDERS: RB Justin Fargas (knee) and QB Daunte Culpepper (quadriceps) are out; WR Tim Dwight (hamstring) is questionable; QB Josh McCown (finger) and CB Chris Carr (shoulder) are probable.
JAGUARS: LB Mike Peterson (hand) is out; DE Reggie Hayward (groin) and T Tony Pashos (thigh) are doubtful.
WHAT'S AT STAKE
It's simple for the Jaguars: Win and they're in (with the No. 5 AFC seed). The Raiders are trying to pull away from Kansas City and exit last place in the AFC West.
INJURY REPORT
RAIDERS (4-10): Shhhh. Don't let the secret out, but the Raiders have gone three consecutive games without allowing a sack -- a statistic that didn't even seem reachable after last year's 72-sack debacle. Not that the line has been impenetrable. Josh McCown took a lot of hits at Green Bay two weeks ago, and the zero-sack note has as much to do with Lane Kiffin's timing offense as stout protection. Still, it's further evidence -- along with a rejuvenated ground game -- that line coach Tom Cable's blocking scheme has brought vast improvement to Oakland. The question is whether the Raiders will go after an elite offensive lineman with their likely top-six pick next April. A stud left tackle could be the puzzle piece that allows JaMarcus Russell to thrive at quarterback over the next decade, and it doesn't look like Robert Gallery will be that piece.
JAGUARS (10-4): Florida teams are supposed to have trouble in cold-weather games. So it definitely turned some heads last Sunday when the Jaguars traveled to Pittsburgh for an important showdown with the Steelers and left with a 29-22 victory. It wasn't just the win, either. It was the way Jacksonville did it, beating up the Steelers at the line of scrimmage while rushing for 224 yards in snow and swirling winds. Ageless Fred Taylor (1,091 yards, 5.1 average this season) and sawed-off Maurice Jones-Drew (724 yards, 8 touchdowns) have become one of the league's most formidable running combinations. Young quarterback David Garrard, meanwhile, has thrown only two interceptions in 307 attempts. The defense is playing well, too. And if that isn't enough, the Jags got some serious motivation this week when they were snubbed in Pro Bowl voting.
QUOTE TO NOTE
"Hey, man, put Tyler Brayton or somebody at safety. Put (Derrick) Burgess at safety. (Warren) Sapp at middle linebacker. It will be a physical battle."
-- S Michael Huff
on stopping the Jaguars' amped-up running game
Knight remains a physical defender who can make big plays, but he is suspect in pass coverage. Miller has been strangely quiet the past couple of weeks.A lot of the Jaguars' rushing success starts with Jones. Morrison will have to play a hard-nosed game and take on the fullback in the gaps.If Porter could make some catches against the ultra-quick Mathis, it would bode well for Oakland's passing game.
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