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Rushing: 21 / 97 / 1
Receiving: 5 / 26 / 0 on 8 targets
No doubt about it, Jones-Drew was impressive, and his owners should feel like he was worth the very high pick they probably spent to get his services for the season. The problem is that MJD is basically the whole offense. He got four of the first five touches on the day. He was the only player to consistently convert first downs. MJD got the Jags only TD on a fourth down carry inside the 10 that he busted outside behind a Marcedes Lewis block. Jones-Drew got a ton of targets in the passing game, including a drop late in the fourth when he looked very weary. On that weariness - Jones-Drew took a lot of hard hits. It will be hard for him to hold up all year if he absorbs this much punishment in every game.
Rushing: 13 / 66 / 0
Receiving: 4 / 17 / 0 on 7 targets
Jones-Drew looked primed for a big day when he was met in the backfield on his first carry, and just busted it outside for a huge gain. He had a good share of safety valve receptions, but not that were really designed to get him the ball in space, where he can do the most damage. He did have one downfield target when he leaked behind the linebacker trying to cover him, but the defender committed pass interference instead of surrendering the big play. MJD still ran tough, quick, and fast, making him as hard to bring down as ever, but the Jags never really got in a position where they could run a traditional drive so he could get in rhythm running the ball. On the plus side, Jones-Drew didn't take nearly as much punishment as he did in the season opener.
Rushing: 23 / 119 / 3
Receiving: 4 / 28 / 0 on 7 targets
Maurice Jones-Drew, like Thomas Jones and Chris Johnson before him, gauged the Texans porous rush defense for 119 yards on 23 carries. Jones-Drew scored three touchdowns on the ground and added 4 catches for 28 yards (on 7 targets) for a game total of 147 yards. Jones-Drew was most effective up the middle and received all of the rushing work out of the backfield near the goalline.
Rushing: 6 / 14 / 1
Receiving: 3 / 26 / 0 on 3 targets
It was a disappointing day for MJD's owners, but the developments of this game should only help him going forward. Jones-Drew ran with the same toughness, burst, and energy that he has had throughout his career, but the line got little push on his carries. MJD made his TD run happen by busting the run outside, and he also had a TD reception called back by penalty. The Jaguars rejuvenated passing game and the lack of punishment against a tough defense definitely gives MJD's future outlook an uptick.
Rushing: 12 / 34 / 0
Receiving: 5 / 23 / 0 on 5 targets
Jones-Drew was never able to get anything going. He had one carry of 18 yards in the first half, and didn't gain more than four yards on any one carry the rest of the game. It was a similar story for him catching passes out of the backfield. He caught everything thrown to him, but for very little yardage. He also had one first down catch called back on a penalty.
Rushing: 33 / 133 / 3
Receiving: 5 / 45 / 0 on 7 targets
Jones-Drew had a huge fantasy day, but he had to fight for every point. He was often met at or behind the line of scrimmage and had to just put his head down and take what was there. He also had a fumble in the red zone that put a halt to a likely scoring drive. As the game went on, MJD wore down the Rams defense and started to break good runs here and there, and he was very effective as a receiver out of the backfield. Once the Jags did get inside the five, it was like MJD was the only option in the playbook. They kept feeding him, and he never disappointed, finishing all touchdown drives. Jones-Drew racked up a ton of yards after contact, and in overtime, he was determined to get the team in field goal range.
Rushing: 8 / 177 / 2
Receiving: 1 / -4 / 0 on 4 targets
Some people like to say that "if you take away one or two runs from a running back, he doesn't have a very good day". Well, that is likely true, but when two of your eight carries are 80-yard and 79-yard touchdowns. Jones-Drew "only" had 18 yards on his other six carries, but I think everyone can forgive him based upon those other two. It is remarkable that Jones-Drew did not have a carry until Jacksonville's fourth drive, which was when he broke the 80-yard touchdown. Clearly he should be getting the ball more often as the passing attack was below average at best and more likely "horrible" would be a better description. Expect a ton of Jones-Drew work in Week 9 against the Chiefs.
Rushing: 29 / 97 / 1
Receiving: 3 / 37 / 0 on 4 targets
The Chiefs found out that you can keep Jones-Drew down for most of the game, but not all of the game. He was met at or near the line of scrimmage on at least ten of his carries, but Jones-Drew soldiered on, getting yards by keeping his legs churning on more than one carry, including his TD run. Jones-Drew showed off his skill as a receiver downfield on a few catches, but mostly he was slamming the ball between the tackles to keep the Chiefs defense honest and set up the coverage lapses that led to the Jags big plays. MJD found a little more room on his outside carries, but for the most part, he fought for every yard during this courageous effort.
Rushing: 24 / 123 / 1
Receiving: 2 / 22 / 0 on 2 targets
The Jaguars wanted to test the Jets defense up the middle where they were without pro bowl DT Kris Jenkins. In their first series, the 5'7, 210 lb. stout frame of Jones-Drew gashed the interior of the defense, accumulating 55 yards on 5 carries, capping off the drive with a 33 yard scamper for a TD. Jones-Drew looked elusive and powerful, shedding tacklers as they failed time and again to make leg tackles around those 32 inch thighs. Carrying multiple tacklers as he ran through the teeth of the defense, the Jets had no answer for the prolific runner in the first half, where he racked up nearly 100 yards and a score. Jones-Drew did fumble inside the Jets 5 yard line on a bad exchange from David Garrard early in the second half, and he drove his owners crazy when he abandoned an easy TD and took a knee at the one yard line to kill clock at the end of the game. One of the more unrecognizable big plays by MJD, came on a key 3rd down conversion when Garrard was stuffed on a QB sneak with no where to go and Jones-Drew came from behind and pushed Garrard through a crease to get the first down.
Rushing: 25 / 66 / 1
Receiving: 4 / 18 / 0 on 5 targets
Jones-Drew never got free for a big gain, but it wasn't for lack of trying. He was often met at or behind the line of scrimmage, and the Bills also did a great job employing sound tackling techniques to limit MJD's yardage. Jones-Drew scored in the first half after a Sims-Walker catch at the one set up the easy scoring opportunity. He also gained some tough yards in the red zone on the game-winning drive, but couldn't punch in the TD on two chances to score on goal-to-go downs. Garrard kept him involved as a receiver, and Jones-Drew maximized whatever was there with good cutbacks, but overall he was contained about as well as you'll see him bottled up in any game. If you own MJD, you still have to love that 84 total yards and a TD is a bad game for him.
Rushing: 15 / 75 / 0
Receiving: 5 / 35 / 0 on 5 targets
Jones-Drew had very little room to run in the first half --- and only five carries. In the 3rd quarter, he looked better, lots of gas in the tank, but couldn't convert the short yardage plays, effectively killing a productive drive. In general, Jones-Drew got more productive as the game went on. He looked good in the second half, but his opportunities were limited because they were playing from behind, and also because the offense kept on sputtering when they sniffed the red zone.
Rushing: 24 / 76 / 0
Receiving: 1 / 6 / 0 on 2 targets
Jones-Drew's statline against Houston (25 touches for 82 yards and zero scores) does not tell the whole story of his production. After looking foolish in the past against MJD and Chris Johnson, the Texans focused on stopping the run by cramming the box full of defenders. Nonetheless, Jones-Drew ran hard and had a number of carries that would have resulted in lost yardage if not for his power and quickness. On one such carry, Jones-Drew took a toss to the left and noticed that the defense was quickly coming to meet him. He shifted back to the right and gained 9 tough yards by outrunning the defense to the center of the field. The Jaguars utilized play-action on the short touchdown pass to Ernest Willford, taking advantage of the fact that Houston defense was keyed in on the Jones-Drew near the goalline.
Rushing: 18 / 59 / 1
Receiving: 2 / 24 / 0 on 2 targets
Jones-Drew's play was better than his numbers suggest. Almost always hit at or behind the line of scrimmage, Jones-Drew kept his pad level low and powered forward for short gains against a stacked front. When given a chance to get to the corner on a designed pitch sweep with offensive linemen pulling ahead of him, Jones-Drew was able to gain 13 yards on a fourth and short play in the fourth quarter. He was also impressive in the open field on a circle route in which he broke four tackles for a 17-yard gain.
Rushing: 27 / 110 / 1
Receiving: 5 / 30 / 1 on 5 targets
Maurice Jones-Drew carried the ball well for the Jaguars in Week 15, topping 100 yards on the ground and finding the end zone twice in the first half --- once as a rusher and another as a receiver. Jones-Drew's touchdown catch was on a broken play where he just ran to an open corner of the end zone as David Garrard scrambled and ultimately found him wide open. Jones-Drew performed well all game long and in a close contest he had a nice balance of at least five carries in each quarter of the game. He was more successful in the first half as he had six carries for seven or more yards and a touchdown in 14 attempts (73 total yards in the first half) and looked stronger and more powerful prior to halftime.
Rushing: 18 / 63 / 0
Receiving: 3 / 35 / 0 on 3 targets
The Jags key offensive weapon was held in check all afternoon as a young Patriots defense put on their third fine performance in three weeks. Jones-Drew was held under 100 total yards, and wasn't able to use his powerful lower body to break away for any big plays. While he ran hard on all of his 21 touches, the NE defense wrapped him up like a calf in a rodeo, limiting him to minimal gains throughout the contest. His afternoon was epitomized in the first quarter by a huge 4th and 1 play deep in Jacksonville territory where Jones-Drew was drilled for a loss, giving NE fantastic field position.
Rushing: 16 / 82 / 0
Receiving: 1 / 6 / 0 on 2 targets
Drew had trouble getting his feet moving at times on the frozen field, but was able to break two long runs. He was effective between the tackles, bouncing off defenders for tough yards and showed good speed in the open field. He left the field limping after a low hit from a Cleveland defensive back, but came back on the next series.