Oakland Raiders face Jacksonville Jaguars in a contest between two low-ranked teams – NFL Preview
After losing in heartbreaking final seconds of the game last week, Oakland Raiders will now get another chance to flex their muscles as they host dismal Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 7 on Sunday, October 21, 2012, at O.co Coliseum, Oakland, California.
Both teams have been inconsistent this season. Currently standing at 1-4, both of them have struggled mainly due to their lacklustre offence.
Jaguars offence has been the most worrying part of their game. It is currently ranked last in the league, covering just 241.2 total yards per game.
Jaguars also have the lowest average of passing yards covered with 142.8 yards per game. Quarterback Blaine Gabbert has been criticised for lack of leadership on the field. Gabbert and company have given up nine sacks in their last two games.
Running back Maurice Jones-Drew has been the only player in the Jaguars offence who has been consistently giving good performance. Talking about the team’s offensive woes, Jones-Drew said:
"It's been the same thing for five years. Obviously, we're not working hard enough. I don't know. We're just not playing well right now. We have to figure something out.”
Raiders offence is also largely dependent on the output of star running back Darren McFadden, who has not achieved much success this season, particularly due to poor play from offensive linebackers.
Like the offence, the defence has not been able to perform well for Jaguars. It has compiled a mere three sacks this season which is the lowest in the league.
Jaguars defensive line will be strengthened by return of linebacker Daryl Smith. Giving his views about the team’s poor performance, Jaguars head coach Mike Mularkey said:
“I think the answers are all here, and we've just got a find a way to get those to transfer over to games so we can play complete games and play like we're capable of playing."
Raiders defence has posted four sacks this season and their defensive dilemma might end if their star linebacker Aaron Curry is able to play on Sunday.
Curry has been out since injuring his knee during the offseason. He is still listed in the injured reserve although he has started light practice. Talking about chances of playing Curry against Jaguars, Raiders head coach Dennis Allen said:
"We're going to get him out there and let him run around, see where he's at and begin the evaluation process to figure out if and when he's going to be available on the roster."
Raiders running defence will play a major role in deciding the final result of the game. If they manage to keep their opponent’s running game under control like they did against Atlanta Falcons in Week 6, the result will likely go in their favour.
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