No doubt about it: Jaguars aim to run against Vikings

Matthew Stockman, Getty Images

Maurice Jones-Drew carried the ball for Jacksonville at Cincinnati on Nov. 2. In Jones-Drew and Fred Taylor, the Jaguars have “probably a top-five running back tandem,’’ Vikings safety Darren Sharper said. Jones-Drew has rushed for 499 yards and Taylor 416 yards.

The Vikings are super run-stoppers, but Jacksonville has a great tandem in Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew.

By JUDD ZULGAD, Star Tribune

Last update: November 22, 2008 - 5:41 AM

A game plan that calls for running the ball against the Vikings normally isn't advised. Pro Bowl tackles Kevin and Pat Williams lead a run defense that ranks second in the NFL. The Vikings are giving up an average of 73.9 rushing yards per game, and only three of their 10 opponents have reached the 100-yard mark.

But those figures aren't likely to cause the Jacksonville Jaguars to abandon their ground game on Sunday. Maurice Jones-Drew and Fred Taylor are considered one of the NFL's best running back combinations, having combined for 915 yards on 230 carries with 11 touchdowns.

"I would say they're probably a top-five running back tandem," Vikings safety Darren Sharper said. "You see a lot of teams going to that. What is it, lightning and thunder, hammer and nail? Two different types of backs.

"Both of those guys can do everything. Both have power and speed and can pick up the blitzes and block. They complement each other pretty well."

The Jaguars backs have been mentioned in the same breath with the Vikings tandem of Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor. But trying to compare the combinations is a bit unfair because Jones-Drew and Fred Taylor share the workload much more.

Taylor is listed atop the depth chart, but both have 115 carries; Jones-Drew has 499 yards and Taylor has 416 yards. About the only place where they aren't close to even is in touchdowns. Jones-Drew has all 11 to tie for the NFL lead, and Taylor hasn't scored.

Peterson, meanwhile, is clearly the Vikings' top back and has an NFL-leading 1,100 yards on 225 carries with seven touchdowns. Chester Taylor only has 61 rushing attempts and primarily has been used as a third-down back. Taylor, in fact, has more receiving yards (260 on 27 catches) than he does rushing yards (222).

Vikings defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier called both Jones-Drew and Fred Taylor "outstanding backs" who share similarities in their styles.

"They both are guys that like to be downhill and in-your-face type of runners," Frazier said. "The difference probably being that Fred probably is a guy who can make you miss out in space, and in the past he has had great breakaway speed as well. But Maurice Jones-Drew, he's a handful to try and tackle. You see him breaking so many tackles.

"Both of those guys either make people miss or they just run through tackles."

That's not surprising for Taylor, considering the 11-year veteran is 6-1 and 228 pounds. But Jones-Drew, in his third season from UCLA, is only 5-7 and 208 pounds.

"You've just got to stay true to your keys and home in on those guys," Kevin Williams said. "They are small guys and they can slip out of any hole that you give them. We stay in our gaps, we'll take care of the running game."

Vikings linebacker Ben Leber said the ability to rotate running backs and always have someone fresh can make it "really tough," but defensive tackle Ellis Wyms doesn't seem concerned.

"I don't think it makes it that much more tougher, we just know we've just got to continue to do what we do up front," said Wyms, who often replaces Pat Williams on passing downs. "In this league you can't worry about who is back there. If it's somebody that's Adrian Peterson or it's somebody that's not as well known you just do what you do.

"Everybody has to be in their gap, everybody handle their responsibility and I think we can stop anybody. But it's going to be one of the toughest running teams we've seen this year. A little bit bigger task, but I think we're up to it."