After placing second year quarterback Blaine Gabbert on injured reserve earlier in the week, the 1-9 Jacksonville Jaguars finally experienced a change in fortune.

Backup Chad Henne hadn’t started a game in more than a calendar year, but in the end he gave the team and its fans a reason to smile on Sunday, as he led the Jags and their 29th ranked scoring offense to their first home win of the season, a 24-19 victory over the Tennessee Titans (4-7).

“Hopefully this builds confidence for everybody throughout these next five games, builds new life,” said Henne, who threw for 261 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.

Henne provided a spark off the bench last week in Houston when he replaced the injured Gabbert and finished against with 354 passing yards and four touchdowns against an elite Texans defense. The Jaguars went on to lose a tough one in overtime, 43-37, but Henne helped them put up a valiant effort against a team that was 8-1 at the time and has established itself as one of the league’s powerhouses.

After Jake Locker’s six yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Kenny Britt cut Jacksonville’s lead to 21-19 with 4:52 remaining in the fourth quarter, the Jaguars quickly went three and out and punted the ball right back to the Titans. Jaguars safety Dwight Lowery came up huge on the second play of the possession, intercepting Locker on a tipped ball at the Jacksonville 43 yard line with just under three minutes left to go.

For Lowery, who was sidelined the previous five games, it was his first pick of the season.

“It was nice to get a timely play that put us in position to win,” said linebacker Russell Allen, who assisted Lowery on the interception with the deflection. “It’s something we pride ourselves on: If we’re a position to win with our defense on the field, that’s right where we want to be. Today we were able to put it away.”

Locker had 261 yards through the air, two interceptions and one touchdown.

Five rushes by running back Rashad Jennings allowed kicker Josh Scobee to knock through a 41 yard field goal with only 24 seconds left, extending the Jags lead to 24-19 and virtually ending the game.

The defense forced another takeaway when cornerback Mike Harris then intercepted Locker at the Jaguars 42 to seal the team’s first home win since 2011.

Jacksonville never trailed after falling behind 3-0 on the game’s opening possession. Jennings’ one yard touchdown run late in the first put the Jaguars ahead 7-3. Cecil Shorts’ 59 yard touchdown reception added to the advantage at 14-6 at the 8:40 mark of the third quarter. Justin Blackmon’s seven yard touchdown catch kept it a two possession game, 21-12, a little more than halfway through the fourth.

“It’s good to have something good happen, really good,” said Jaguars head coach Mike Mularkey. “They needed that. A lot of people needed that. It was well earned.”

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The Jacksonville Jaguars (1-9) weren’t supposed to present any sort of problem for the Houston Texans (9-1) on Sunday. With polar opposite seasons taking place for the two AFC South representatives, the consensus was that the Texans would glide past the Jags with utmost ease.

Instead, Texans head coach Gary Kubiak and his men let out a huge sigh of relief as Andre Johnson turned a screen pass into a 48 yard trip to the end zone to win the game in overtime, 43-37.

“All the good teams find a way to win, no matter if it’s ugly, pretty or whatever,” said Johnson, who finished the day with the lone touchdown and career highs of 14 receptions and 273 yards. “In the win column, it either says ‘W’ or ‘L.’ They don’t ask how you got it done.”

But he was not the only one with video-game like numbers. Matt Schaub threw for 527 yards – second most all-time – and tossed five touchdown passes, two of which came in the fourth quarter during a string of 16 consecutive completions that got the Texans even after trailing 34-20 with 12:33 left to go in regulation.

It was not the first time that a Houston quarterback put up 527 yards through the air. Hall of Famer Warren Moon also did it back in 1990 with the Houston Oilers, who eventually went on to become the current-day Tennessee Titans.

After witnessing a tie just last week between the St. Louis Rams and San Francisco 49ers – the NFL’s first since 2008 – this matchup was not far from producing yet another. A 33 yard Jaguars field goal deadlocked the two sides at 37 in overtime with 4:21 remaining following a 25 yarder made by Houston around the eight minute mark.

“I told them afterwards, we didn’t come here for a tie,” said Jaguars coach Mike Mularkey. “We had some chances. We just did not make some of the plays that we haven’t made throughout the year.”

Jaguars quarterback Blaine Gabbert was unable to return to the game after taking a sack from Houston safey Danieal Manning and injuring his elbow on the play. Backup Chad Henne played the rest of the way and had an excellent performance with 354 yards and four touchdowns.

“You’ve just got to always be prepared and ready to go in,” Henne said. “I’ve been preparing these last couple weeks like I’ve got to be the starter, and any time he (Gabbert) goes down, just jump in and hopefully not lose a step.”

Jaguars rookie receiver Justin Blackmon played a significant role in Henne’s success, hauling in a touchdown and 236 yards on seven receptions.

But as far as wide receivers were concerned, it was Johnson’s day from start to finish.

“I don’t know if that one will ever be touched,” said Kubiak. “That was special from the Texans standpoint.”

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Judging by the fact that the 2011 Jacksonville Jaguars (5-11) finished dead last in overall offensive yardage, it wouldn’t be too much of a stretch pointing out that the 2012 squad has plenty of room to improve and then some.

Running the football was not really an issue last season, considering that Pro Bowl running back Maurice Jones-Drew led the league’s rushers with 1,606 yards on the ground. After letting go of his desire to renegotiate the final two years of the front-loaded deal he signed five years ago, Jones-Drew officially ended his 38-day holdout on Sunday, only a week before the Jaguars season opener against the Minnesota Vikings.

But despite having the number one rusher in the NFL, rookie quarterback Blaine Gabbert’s tremendous struggles in 2011 plummeted the Jaguars offensive efficiency to rock bottom. The former University of Missouri quarterback’s 11 interceptions in 15 games was not an abysmal total, but with 12 touchdown passes, a 50.8 completion percentage, an average of only 147.6 passing yards per game, and a visible fear of hanging in the pocket and taking the big hit, the consensus was that Gabbert clearly was not prepared for the starting role just yet.

The other side of the football was a much different story for Jacksonville. Defense was a strong-suit in 2011, as they allowed an average of just 20.6 points per game, which was good enough for the 11th rank in the league.

However, a great running attack and defensive unit was not enough to allow former head coach Jack Del Rio to keep his job. Management decided to move on, firing him on November 29th. Del Rio held the title of Jaguars head coach dating back to the 2003 season.

In now is Mike Mularkey, a long-time former NFL assistant coach and also Buffalo Bills head coach from 2004-2005. The team is under new ownership and has begun its rebuilding phase. Their key personnel losses this offseason include defensive linemen Matt Roth, Aaron Kampman and Leger Douzable. Among the significant additions are veteran wide receivers Laurent Robinson and Lee Evans, a quality cornerback in Aaron Ross and former Miami Dolphins starting quarterback, Chad Henne. Because of Gabbert’s youth, many believe Henne will take control of the starting position under center at one point or another this season.

Rookie wide receiver Justin Blackmon, who the Jaguars selected with the fifth overall pick in this summer’s draft out of Oklahoma State, is projected to become their primary target for the foreseeable future.

With all that being said, the Jaguars compete in the AFC South, which will likely be run away with by the Houston Texans for a second straight year. In this first season of the next stage for this Jacksonville franchise a realistic goal would be somewhere between six and eight wins.

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Yes, it is a little unfortunate to be the Miami Dolphins or the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. These teams belong to a pretty strong division, AFC East and NFC South.

The Bucs, who were 10-6 last season didn’t even make the playoff while the NFC West’s winner, the Seattle Seahawks, cruised through the elimination round with a losing record of 7-9.

“I mean the rules are the rules but it’s just a little unfair for the teams that play well to have missed the playoff, just because there are better teams in their field.

We got to admit it: if they play so well this year, they likely will again next season. Barely, we see a team that goes from 13-3 to 4-12 next season and some teams are just so consistent” said a Bucs fan.

After watching the first two preseason games, it’s pretty safe to say that the Fins have improved offensively, the area they needed to made adjustments. During last season, QB Chad Henne really didn’t do much; often throwing interceptions and were unable to get past the third and fourth down.

It was bad to the point where the team’s most valuable player seemed to be Kicker Dan Carpenter, who scored countless field goals for them. “Chad cleaned up well and we hope he’ll continue with his good work through the season. He now gets the ball moving and keeps on getting first downs. ” said a sport analyze.

From the way the last game look, acquiring running back Reggie Bush was certainly a great move.  He, too, made improvement and played well during the second preseason game against the Carolina Panthers.

Now, with better offense and the already strong defense, it looks like there’s a good chance the Fins can make it far this season. Although, they might have to hope that the Pats or the Jets will choke.

The New England Patriots, so far, looks unbeatable. A Buccaneer player whom they prevailed 31-14 last Thursday said “They treated the preseason game like it counts and that’s why they are who they are”. Tom Brady, who is still looking sharp, threw two touchdowns in the first quarter alone. But the end of first half, they were 28-0.

Patriot’s offense has always been in good form but the addition of improved defense will push them even further to catch up with.

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The AFC East brings us some of the most popular and some of the most hated teams around the league at the same time. New York, New England, and Miami (sorry Buffalo), are some of the biggest markets in sports these days, and their respective teams rightfully get a lot of the spotlight. The Patriots are wrapping up their dynasty and now seem to be in a retooling stage. In the meantime, the Jets put themselves on HBO’s “Hard Knocks,” and became what seems to be the most hated team in the NFL. The Dolphins continue to make key acquisitions such as Ricky Williams, Brandon Marshall, and even Bill Parcells, none of which can quite get them over the hump. Of course lastly, the Bills continue to struggle so much so that fans tune in assuming that they are bound to turn it around sooner or later. There is so much to be said about these four teams and the history they bring to the table.

So where do we even begin with this division? Let’s start with what we know, the bottom.

Buffalo Bills: Well, who even knows what to say about this franchise. Being notorious for losing is a tough spot to be in. The Bills are going to have a hard time attracting big free-agents to come play in Buffalo, and thus should look for young talent to rebuild this team. Is Ryan Fitzpatrick the guy? Well, don’t forget that he did throw for 3,000 yards and 23 touchdowns in 2010 and proved that he was the real starter for this team, so maybe, but they need much more than a quarterback. Maybe C.J. Spiller will show some of the explosion he had at Clemson and be a much needed weapon for their offense. Marcell Dareus should instantly make the Bills defensive line something to plan for. It’s hard to say that the Bills even could be contenders this season, but we’ve seen crazier turnarounds in sports. Let’s just call it a work in progress.

Miami Dolphins: Whereas everyone can peg Buffalo at the bottom of the division, Miami is probably the biggest question mark of the four. What do they bring to the table? It’s pretty difficult to say considering many of their main positions are unidentified. First of all, who is going to play quarterback? Chad Henne just doesn’t seem to be the answer everyone wanted him to be. When you have Brandon Marshall to throw to and you still can not significantly improve your numbers, the surroundings might not be the problem. As for running back, Ronnie Brown has somewhat fallen off. He hasn’t had a 1,000 yard rushing season since 2006 (when he barely squeaked over the mark with 1,008 yards), and we all know Ricky Williams can’t have all that much left in the tank. The one thing I liked out of the Dolphins last season was watching Cameron Wake rushing off the end and striking fear into quarterbacks while doing his best Julius Peppers impression. As for what to expect, who knows? We barely even have names to put on a depth chart, but the assumption is that they still won’t be able to lead this division.

New York Jets: Oh Rex Ryan, you sure do have a way of getting people to hate you. Since he got to town, the Jets have become a force in the AFC and also have become one of the most hated teams in the NFL because of the jolly loud-mouthed coach. As is, this team could be right back in position to compete for a Super Bowl next season, but don’t be blinded by those back-to-back AFC Championship appearances, this team does have holes. Ryan’s defense will always be one of the best in the league, and will undoubtedly annoy any offensive coordinator that tries to deal with their blitz schemes. They are aging quickly, and probably could use a new safety and some pass rushers, but that’s only if we’re getting picky. The offense has serious weapons, and if Mark Sanchez can continue his progression, we could see a lot more balance from them. Mike Westhoff is renowned as one of the best special teams coaches in the business, so there isn’t much worry there. They don’t have much more to do but go out and win the big game, but if I know the Jets, this is when a baffling 8-8 season happens. 2011 will be a very telling year for the direction of this team, and hopefully they can keep it up, Rex Ryan led teams are good for the league.

New England Patriots: This is not the same great team. I repeat, this is NOT the same great team. The dominant defense of old is gone by the wayside. Their secondary has big holes, and although their front seven is solid, they’ll need to address their secondary issues if they want to get back to an elite level. The fact is, Tom Brady is a hall of fame quarterback and probably won’t let Pats fans go a season without seeing a playoff game, the question is how deep can they get? The New England offense is dangerous because nobody knows where the ball is going to go. Unpredictability is a quarterbacks best friend. For example, they had two tight ends with over 500 yards receiving each, and 16 touchdowns between them. They will always be a throw-first team, but have no problem slashing defenses with a run when Brady catches some linebackers cheating. The Patriots are good, not great. I wouldn’t expect them to be a Super Bowl favorite going into these season, nor would I doubt a team with Brady and Belichick at the helm. Will they seed the reigns of the division to the Jets, or will they regain the dominance they held for so long over the past decade? Time will tell, as for now I’ll expect at least another playoff appearance for New England.

Ah The AFC East, this division definitely holds the keys to my heart. Growing up as a Jets fan, it was incredibly difficult to see the Patriots dynasty do what they did for so long. I now can admit that Tom Brady is one of the best quarterbacks ever to play the game (although that is always a bit tough for me to say), and that Bill Belichick is a hall of fame coach, no matter how much he may have cheated throughout the championship years (sorry folks, as a Jet fan, I had to). That being said this is a new time for this division. The Jets have reached back to back AFC Championship games under Rex Ryan and seem to be on the cusp on something great, and with young talent emerging from Buffalo and Miami in their rebuilding stages, this division should continue to be highly competitive in some of the biggest markets the NFL has to offer.

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