The Jacksonville Jaguars continue to battle the Indianapolis Colts for AFC South supremacy, with this season being no exception. The Jaguars should return to playoff glory this year, and are projected to go 11-5 with an 81.7% chance of making the playoffs.

The AFC South is one of the toughest divisions in the league, with three teams making the playoffs last season. While the Colts continue to be the divisional front runner, the Jags do have a 34 percent chance of dethroning Indianapolis, which is a 9 percent increase from last year.

Maurice Jones-Drew
Season Projections

RUSHES	198.3
RUSH YDs	1,126
RUSH TDs	9.9
REC	52.8
REC YD	447
REC TD	2.9

FULL SEASON FORECAST

The offense will continue to make some noise again, and it starts with the running game. AccuScore projects running backs Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew to both finish the season rushing over 1,000 yards, combing 17 touchdowns. The Jaguars are known for having a successful running game, but it was the passing game that vastly improved last year.

David Garrard had a phenomenal 102 passer rating in 2007. Prior to '07 he was an 80-83 rated passer. With a tough schedule Garrard is forecasted for a 91 passer rating in 2008 (lower than '07, but still very good). The Jags definitely need Garrard to maintain a 90+ rating. AccuScore ran simulations where David Garrard's 2007 statistics were excluded. In these simulations the Jags only averaged 9 wins per season and their chances of making the playoffs decline to 40 percent.

Jacksonville has a good no-name defense that had 20 interceptions last year, fourth best in the NFL. The defense is performing well, holding opponents to an average of 19 pts per simulation. However, the Jaguars are forecasted to score 1 fewer point per game than in 2007 because of their difficult schedule, which includes Pittsburgh, Minnesota, Green Bay, Chicago and Baltimore.

For more information on AccuScore projections for the Jacksonville Jaguars, click here to see how the Jaguars will fair in their opening game against Vince Young and the Tennessee Titans.