Jacksonville @ Washington preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 26, 2010 ) Washington 20, Jacksonville 17

The Jacksonville Jaguars played one great half in their season opener, which is more than the Washington Redskins can say. Two teams that left Week 1 with a bitter taste in their mouths will square off Sunday afternoon in Washington's home opener. Jacksonville is coming off a 34-17 loss at Philadelphia in which it was outscored 34-0 in the second half, while the Redskins managed only six points in a Week 1 defeat against Houston, which had dropped its previous 14 games.

"When games are so close, a couple of big plays are going to be the difference," Washington first-year coach Jay Gruden said after his team's 17-6 defeat. "We're going to be in a lot of those close games, so we have to figure out how to make them and how to stop them." The Redskins were doomed by a myriad of mistakes, including two lost fumbles, a blocked punt, a blocked extra point, seven penalties and 3-of-12 third-down conversions. The Jaguars had plenty of their own issues in the second half, prompting coach Gus Bradley to say, "It's going to be a good lesson for us to take a look at this game and see it is
going to be a full 60 minutes that you have to play."

TV: 1 p.m. ET, CBS. LINE: Redskins -6. O/U: 43.5

ABOUT THE JAGUARS (0-1): Undrafted rookie wideout Allen Hurns was one of the major stories in the NFL in Week 1, catching touchdowns on each of his first two receptions and finishing with 110 yards on four catches. Chad Henne generally was solid in the opener, throwing for 266 yards and two touchdowns without an interception, although newcomer Toby Gerhart finished with just 42 yards on 18 carries in his Jacksonville debut. On the bright side, no teams in the NFL had more sacks than the Jaguars (five) in Week 1, two of which came from Ryan Davis.

ABOUT THE REDSKINS (0-1): Robert Griffin III needed 37 throws to accumulate 267 yards (and no touchdowns) and was a non-factor on the ground in Week 1, although Alfred Morris contributed 91 yards on 14 rushing attempts. Fullback Darrel Young scored the only points for the Redskins, who have outrushed their opponent in 14 of their last 17 games. Pierre Garcon, who led the NFL with a franchise-record 113 receptions in 2013, picked up where he left off with 10 grabs for 77 yards against Houston.

EXTRA POINTS

1. The Redskins have won four of the five all-time meetings between the teams.

2. Gerhart's career high of 109 rushing yards came against Washington on Dec. 24, 2011 while he was with Minnesota.

3. Garcon has at least five receptions in 17 consecutive games.

PREDICTION: Redskins 27, Jaguars 13