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Baltimore (2-6, 0-4 away) at Jacksonville (5-3, 3-1 home)

Why To Watch
If Jacksonville wants to make a run at the playoffs, these are games it must win in the second half of the season. The Ravens are struggling in every phase of the game and will welcome back QB Kyle Boller. He will try to provide a spark to an anemic offense that has only scored seven TDs in eight games and audition for the role as the quarterback of the future. The Jaguars' defense will attack the Ravens' rushing attack and force Boller to attack through the air.

The Jaguars' offense and QB Byron Leftwich will need to start fast against a Ravens defense that is allowing 262.5 yards per game. The Jaguars will need a healthy Fred Taylor in order to create more balance within their offensive schemes, though RB Greg Jones has shown upside when he has been given the chance. Ravens defensive coordinator Rex Ryan will attack Leftwich in the pocket with a variety of overload blitzes and multiple zone fires.

This game will be a low-scoring affair as both teams will rely on their kicking games and field position to win this game.


When the Ravens have the ball
Rushing: The Ravens continue to struggle to run the ball with Jamal Lewis. Lewis failed to gain 100 yards for the first time in eight meetings against the Bengals. He finished with 49 yards on 15 carries and didn't break a run longer than 11 yards. Part of the problem continues to be the performance of the offensive line and his inability to get into rhythm within the running schemes. The Ravens are averaging 97.1 yards per game while the Jaguars' defense is allowing 126.6 yards per game. Offensive coordinator Jim Fassel likes to play an up-tempo game and script the first 15-20 plays, but with the struggles in the running game, the Ravens continue to look out of sync. So look for him to attack the edges of the Jaguars' defense with a combination of Lewis and Chester Taylor.

The key matchup will be the interior of the Ravens' offensive line with RG Keydrick Vincent, OC Mike Flynn and LG Edwin Mulitalo against the middle of the Jaguars defense with defensive tackles Marcus Stroud and John Henderson and MLB Mike Peterson. Peterson has been among the league leaders in tackles over the last few years and has grown into being a highly productive, every-down linebacker. The Jaguars are as strong as any team up the middle and defensive coordinator Mike Smith will load up the box with multiple eight-man fronts and force the Ravens to attack through the air. The key component to stopping the Ravens is to clog up run lanes and force Boller to make mistakes in the passing game.

Passing: QB Anthony Wright continued to struggle and Kyle Boller suited up last Sunday for the first time since injuring his toe in the season opener. Boller has a 63.9 quarterback rating and should start this week, but don't look for any big changes or results in the Ravens' passing offense against a Jaguars defense that is allowing only 162.3 yards per game. Again the Ravens will attack this week with the run to set up the pass. However, when the Jaguars load up the box expecting run, look for the Ravens to move Boller out of the pocket and attack the outside edges with semi-roll outs and bootlegs. The Ravens will also attack in their 12 personnel grouping with screens that will be designed for Chester Taylor and TE Todd Heap. This will keep the Jaguars off-balance and make it difficult for defensive coordinator Mike Smith to run his pressure packages.

The Ravens will spread the field in sub situations to create mismatches with both Heap and WR Derrick Mason. Look for the Jaguars to match up starting LCB Rashean Mathis with Mason and roll the coverage toward RCB Kenny Wright depending on situational down and distance. Mathis has tremendous ball skills and is starting to develop into a No. 1 frontline corner in the NFL. WR Mark Clayton was active the last week and started opposite Mason but finished the game with no catches.

When the Jaguars have the ball
Rushing: Fred Taylor had 48 yards on 12 carries before he went out of the game with an ankle injury. If Taylor can't play this week, look for the Jaguars to approach their running game by committee with Greg Jones, Alvin Pearman and Derrick Wimbush against a run defense that is allowing 99 yards a game. The Ravens' defense continues to play at a high level and is allowing 262.5 yards per game, which is second in the NFL. MLB Ray Lewis is expected to miss at least two more games, but his replacement in the middle, Tommy Polley, finished with a team-high 10 tackles against Cincinnati last week.

The Jaguars' offensive line averages 306 pounds, while the Ravens defensive line is stout in the middle with LDT Kelly Gregg and NT Maake Kemoeatu but is light on the edges with RDE Terrell Suggs and backup LDE Jarret Johnson. Look for the Jaguars to spread the field with their 11 and 12 personnel groupings and attack with Fred Taylor behind the Jaguars' right side of their offensive line in RT Maurice Williams and RG Chris Naeole. Taylor has a rare combination of size, explosive speed, agility and power and can be dangerous in open space. However, the Ravens' defense is fast and explosive when extending inside-out to the perimeter and is seldom out-flanked in the running game. Ryan will focus on stopping the run and place a high emphasis on gap control within the box and the proper angles when attacking downhill by his safeties when defending the second level.

Passing: The Jaguars' passing attack is averaging 193.8 yards per game while the Ravens' pass defense is allowing 163.5 yards per game. The key to the Ravens' attack will be the health of Fred Taylor. Depending on his status, they will attack Leftwich with an assortment of blitzes and zone fires in every passing situation. Leftwich is one of the toughest quarterbacks in the NFL and will have his hands full to get into the right protections and identify his "hot reads" when attacking this defense. The Jaguars' offensive line must do a good job of protecting the edges and not allowing much push in the middle so he can find open throwing lanes in the middle of the secondary. The Ravens have 21 sacks on the year and have provided continuous pressure throughout the year. Baltimore's pass rush got a much-need boost last week as LDE Anthony Weaver played in his first game since injuring his toe in Week 2. The Ravens will continue to utilize different combinations in their front seven when pressuring the quarterback and will attack with the combination of RDE Suggs and SLB Adalius Thomas on the same side in sub.

Look for the Jaguars to spread the field and attack mismatches with their big receiving corps of Jimmy Smith, Ernest Wilford, Reggie Williams and Matt Jones. However, the Ravens match up well on the perimeter with LCB Chris McAlister and RCB Samari Rolle, while the combinations in their dime defenses, with the injury to Dale Carter, might cause some mismatches that the Jaguars will exploit with Matt Jones aligning in the slot. The Jaguars' receivers must be physical when creating separation off the line and work hard to find open areas in passing zones against a physical defensive secondary.