NFL Week 8 Preview: Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Dallas Cowboys

The Jacksonville Jaguars head to Dallas hoping to get to .500, while the Dallas Cowboys try to rally around Jon Kitna to save their season. 

The Jaguars come into Dallas with a 3-4 record and are desperate to keep pace in the AFC South, where the other three teams are considered playoff caliber. 

The Jaguars will get starting quarterback David Garrard (84-128, 838 yards, nine TDs and seven interceptions) back for this game, as he's been cleared to return from his concussion. Garrard is having an up and down season and has been sacked 12 times. This week he'll look to replicate Eli Manning's performance against the Cowboys last week. 

Mike Thomas and Mike Sims-Walker aren't big name receivers, but they get the job done and have combined for 585 yards and three TDs. The Jags number one receiver, however, is tight end Mercedes Lewis (23 catches, 278 yards and five TDs).

The Jags will take their shots downfield and over the middle, but they must stay in manageable situations or the Cowboys will come after them hard and the Jags offensive line is weak. 

The Jags offense is built around their power running game and Maurice Jones-Drew (135 rushes, 510 yards and one TD) is licking his chops at the thought of this game. The Cowboys run defense has been shaky all season and he knows it. Jones-Drew has just one game where he's ran for more than 100 yards and with just one TD to his name, MJD will want to have a breakout game. 

Expect the Jags to give Jones-Drew plenty of carries, if the game stays close. In the last two weeks, the Jags went down big early so they had to abandon the run, but in their three wins, he's had at least 19 carries. 

Defensively, the Jaguars are one of the worst teams in the league and have given up at least 28 points in all four of their losses. Aaron Kampman leads the team in sacks with four and he'll be looking for some more with Jon Kitna in the Cowboys backfield.

The Jags first job is to stop the Cowboys running game, because it's their strength. They won't want to put the ball in Kitna's hands unless they are forced to play from behind. The Jags have the 25th ranked rushing defense in the league. So they have to make tackles and get a push on the Cowboys offensive line. 

The Jags will want to pressure Kitna into making mistakes and check down passes. If they give Kitna time, he'll have time to deliver the ball to a host of Cowboys players who can get into the end zone.

The Jags, like the Cowboys, don't create a lot of turnovers, so getting the Cowboys to punt and getting field position will be necessary in order want to win. 

The Cowboys hand their offense to Jon Kitna after Romo's injury that will keep him out two months. Kitna threw two TDs last week and, with the Jaguars poor defense, he should have an above average day, as long as he doesn't try to do too much. 

Kitna's threw both of his TDs on Monday to Dez Bryant (22 catches, 265 yards and three TDs) and you can bet that the Cowboys were working on finding more opportunities for Bryant this week. Expect Kitna to throw a lot of short routes to Bryant where he can run after the catch. The same goes for Miles Austin (36 catches, 524 yards and two TDs), who is one of the best in the league after the catch. 

The Cowboys running game will also get a good dose of the ball this week. The Cowboys will use the run to take pressure off of Kitna. However, for the run to be successful, the offensive line has to be at their best. 

Lately, they haven't been able to open any holes for the running game. This week they have a huge size advantage over the Jags defensive line, so they need to use their size and push the Jags around. Expect Felix Jones to get the ball early as his breakaway speed could lead to an early TD. Marion Barber will come in if the Cowboys have a lead in the second half, to close the door and eat up the clock. 

Defensively, the Cowboys have the same gameplan as the Jags. Stop the run and force third and long situations. 

The problem is that the Cowboys haven't been able to stop the run all season (ranked 21st against the run). The defensive line of Jay Ratliff, Marcus Spears and Igor Olshansky has been downright awful in run defense. Linebackers Bradie James and Brooking haven't helped much either. 

If they can stop the Jags power running game, they'll put themselves in situations where they can blitz and force the Jags into mistakes. David Garrard had seven interceptions this season, so he's error prone and he's not as much of a threat to run as he used to be. Therefore, the Cowboys don't have to worry about him scrambling too much. 

The Cowboy's secondary needs a bounce back week, after getting lit up by the Giants. Newman had a decent game, but was slowed by his rib injury. Meanwhile, Mike Jenkins and Orlando Scandrick have been lit up all season. Scandrick needs to be more physical, while Jenkins needs to be less physical and just cover.

With the Jags average passing game the secondary should have a good game and they'll be opportunities for interceptions, but they need to be careful as Mike Sims-Walker has track star speed and loves to go downfield. 

Fantasy Player: Dez Bryant.  

The Cowboys may not let Kitna throw much, but when he does he'll look for Bryant. He knows Bryant can break tackles and run like the wind, so he'll be able to throw right to ten yard routes to Bryant. He's also a huge target so Kitna's throws won't have to be perfect.