We’re about four hours from kickoff between the Jacksonville Jaguars and the visiting Baltimore Ravens. The AFC squads meet on Monday Night Football in Jacksonville to conclude Week 7 of the 2011 NFL season.
The two squads are clearly heading in different places organizationally. The Ravens (4-1) feel they are primed to make a Super Bowl run after coming up in short in recent playoffs. The Jaguars (1-5) meanwhile are competing well but not all that competitive. They’re just too young to win consistently just yet, but head coach Jack Del Rio has certainly done a nice job getting his team ready to play hard each week.
There will be a few changes to the Jaguars lineup Monday night, the most notable being the return of wide receiver Mike Sims-Walker. Drafted by the Jaguars in the 2007 draft, Sims-Walker was released in free agency after the 2010 season. Sims-Walker was signed by the St. Louis Rams after the lockout, released one week ago, and then rejoined the Jaguars. Apparently a week of practice was enough to prove that he was ready to play against the Ravens Monday night.
"I’ve been in this offense my whole career, only a couple different plays I haven’t heard before," Sims-Walker said. "But for the most part I’ve got a pretty good grasp on it."
The Jaguars will be without safety Courtney Greene (neck). Expect Joe Flacco and the big-play Ravens passing game to take some shots down the field. On the offensive line, Ebon Britton is listed as doubtful and Eugene Monroe will not start at tackle.
Kickoff between the Jaguars and Ravens is at 8:30 pm local time. For more Jaguars coverage leading up to tonight’s game, head on over to Big Cat Country.