Jaguars

The Ravens and Jacksonville Jaguars will reach the crossroads today when they meet at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium.The winner keeps already small playoff hopes alive. The loser plays the rest of the season for pride."If we lose Sunday, there's going to be some stuff around here on Monday," Ravens offensive tackle Tony Jones said. "This is really our last chance to have a slim chance of getting to the playoffs."We've worked so hard in training camp on getting to the playoffs. This game will tell whether we can get there or not."

Site: Memorial Stadium.Time: 1 p.m.TV: Ch. 11.Announcers: Jim Donovan and Bob Golic.Radio: WJFK (1300 AM), WLIF (101.9 FM).Line: Ravens by 3 1/2 .Vs. spread: Jaguars 3-8; Ravens 4-6.Record on grass: Ravens 3-5; Jaguars 4-3.Last week: Ravens lost to 49ers, 38-20; Jaguars lost to Steelers, 28-3.Last meeting: Two weeks ago, the Jaguars erased an 11-point, fourth-quarter deficit to beat the Ravens, 30-27, in Jacksonville.Series: Jaguars are 3-0 vs. Browns/Ravens.Who's hot: Ravens: WR Michael Jackson has a career-high 10 TD receptions.

The Jacksonville Jaguars grew up last year, and the Ravens simply grew younger.That was obvious in the season opener yesterday, when the Ravens found another way to blow a game to the Jaguars.The Jaguars found out how to win on a day when their starting quarterback was out, their second-string quarterback was knocked out twice and came back limping both times, they were trailing by six in the fourth quarter and were so sloppy they were guilty of 11 penalties, including jumping offside six times.

Best and worst Best use of the wind: Ravens' Anthony Davis, who recovered a short, wind-held kickoff by Matt Stover on the Jaguars' 34 in the first quarter after it bounced backward. The Ravens failed to capitalize on the good field position, though. Worst use of the wind: Jaguars punter Bryan Barker, kicking with the wind, got off an 11-yard punt in the first quarter. Best use of the hands: Ravens MLB Ray Lewis body-slammed RB Anthony Johnson on a play away from the ball in the second quarter.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- If the Ravens want to make a statement as their season heads south, they need to beat the Jacksonville Jaguars today. It doesn't have to be a rout -- maybe a seven-point victory, or even one point, on the last play of overtime.Just win."They [Jaguars] kind of got things going with a win over us last year," Ravens cornerback Antonio Langham said. "We've had some real battles with them, some real close games, but they always came out on top. The difference is they play 60 minutes and know how to finish.

The Jacksonville Jaguars may be soon finding out how the other half lives.Well, to be more precise, how the other 29 teams live.Like the Carolina Panthers, the Jaguars rode the expansion deal to the conference finals in just two years thanks in part to extra draft choices and plenty of money to spend in free agency. That isn't likely to be duplicated the next time the NFL expands.As Ravens owner Art Modell said last week, "They utilized their gifts very well, but you won't see the NFL doing the same thing again."

The Jacksonville Jaguars had the right idea, but faulty execution kept them from delivering a statement game in Indianapolis yesterday. Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio's game plan was to pound the Colts' defense where it was most susceptible - on the ground - with a running back tag-team of veteran Fred Taylor and 5-foot-7 rookie Maurice Jones-Drew. Jones-Drew, a second-round pick from UCLA, gashed the Colts for 87 yards in the first half, when the Jaguars ran the ball 29 times and passed only eight.

Eleven months ago, the Jacksonville Jaguars' season ended with a loss to the New England Patriots in an AFC divisional playoff game, but prospects of another successful season - and maybe even a berth in the Super Bowl -weren't far-fetched. That memory seems eons ago now. The Jaguars are limping to the new year with one win in their past six games and a 5-10 record. A victory against the Ravens on Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium might be a salve for a team frustrated by the season's disappointments.

A savvy, veteran quarterback with a live arm and a dependable set of wide receivers nearly victimized the Ravens again. Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Mark Brunell threw, ran and executed an almost flawless game plan for 46 minutes in an 18-17 loss to the Ravens at PSINet Stadium yesterday. The nine-year veteran's performance - which included connecting on 25 of 37 passes for 306 yards and two touchdowns - was reminiscent of Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre's dissection of the Ravens two weeks ago. The only - and most notable - difference is that Favre and his teammates emerged with the victory.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Kevin Hardy might not have realized what he said when he was asked to talk about punter Bryan Barker after yesterday's 6-3 victory over the Ravens.Barker had just placed a team-record eight punts inside the Baltimore 20-yard line, and that field position ensured that the Ravens wouldn't muster much scoring against the league's top-ranked defense."He's the best player in the league," Hardy said when asked to speak about Barker's impact on the game.