NFL Predictions Week 3: How Will Blaine Gabbert Fare in His First NFL Start?

If all had gone according to plan, David Garrard would be starting for the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday against the Carolina Panthers, and rookie quarterback Blaine Gabbert would be riding the pine.

Instead, the Jags decided to cut Garrard rather than pay him, Luke McCown was atrocious in his stead, and Jaguars head coach Jack Del Rio decided earlier this week to give the starting job to Gabbert now before things get any worse.

It's a situation that I think is a perfect picture of just how awry things have gone in Jacksonville. Whereas the best-case scenario for Gabbert involved him watching and learning, he is now starting as part of an effort to make the best of a bad situation.

Oh well. The only thing to do now is sit back and watch Gabbert perform.

The bright side is that Gabbert could have asked for worse scenarios for his first NFL start. He may be making it on the road, but the Panthers are not exactly a formidable opponent. Cam Newton is, evidently, quite brilliant, but the rest of the team is decidedly "meh"—particularly when it comes to defending the pass, which is good news for Gabbert.

The Panthers have allowed 300 yards passing in each of their first two games and have given up four touchdown passes without notching a single interception.

True, these numbers were compiled by pretty good quarterbacks. Kevin Kolb beat the Panthers for 309 yards and two touchdowns in Week 1, and Aaron Rodgers got them for 308 yards and two touchdowns in Week 2. Asking Gabbert to follow their lead is a bit much.

However, Gabbert should at least be able to take what the Panthers give him. This is what he did in limited action against the New York Jets in relief of McCown on Sunday, as Gabbert completed five of his six passes for 52 yards. Not bad for a guy who supposedly comes with accuracy problems.

One thing that should help Gabbert out is that the Jags are not going to abandon the run just because he's in the game. Maurice Jones-Drew has been limited, but he's done well with the carries he's gotten, rushing for 185 yards on 42 carries. With Gabbert in, MJD might actually see a boost in action.

Rest assured, the Jaguars are going to make it as easy as possible for Gabbert, which makes his situation a little different from his rookie counterpart on the other side of the field. Whereas Newton was turned loose pretty much immediately, Gabbert will be on a short leash, so to speak.

In the end, I think Gabbert will do pretty well. Lucky for him, anything he does will look better after what McCown wasn't able to do.

Prediction: 63 percent completion percentage, 180 yards passing, one touchdown.