The Jaguars' playoff hopes seem to be hanging by a thread at the halfway mark, but they're still hoping for a second-half surge that can carry them into the playoffs for the first time since 2007.
Even though they're trailing the 5-3 Houston Texans by three games at the halfway mark, coach Jack Del Rio said, "Until you drive a stake through me, I'm going to always fight for every inch so we're not conceding anything. But we're in a situation now, we're got such a big hole, we've just got to put the next game in front of us and go out and win that game. Worrying about anything else would just be counterproductive."
Del Rio also knows he must make the playoffs to keep his job.
The 2-6 Jaguars start the second half of the season at winless Indianapolis and then play the Colts again in the final game of the season.
They also play two other division games at home against the Texans and at home.
If they win all four division games, it would be the first step towards climbing out of the hole although they still need help from other teams in beating the Texans.
As Maurice Jones-Drew said, "They switched it up where now you play most of your division games at the end of the year, so we still have a chance to come back and win it."
The Jaguars keep plucking wide receivers off the waiver wire in an attempt to rebuild their wide receiver corps.
Last November, they claimed Jason Hill after he was cut by the San Francisco 49ers. He was given a starting job this year, but has just 19 catches.
On Oct. 18, they signed one of their former players, Mike Sims-Walker, after he was cut by St. Louis. On Wednesday, they claimed Brian Robiskie off waivers from Cleveland and put Sims-Walker on the injured reserve list with chronic knee problems.
Sims-Walker wasn't at the two bye-week practices Tuesday and Wednesday, but he said after practice Tuesday he couldn't talk because he had a tooth pulled.
He started against Baltimore and had one catch and played part-time in Houston and didn't have a catch. His signing in the first place was a surprise because the Jaguars didn't make an attempt to re-sign him when he became a free agent at the end of last year and he signed with the Rams.
Robiskie was a second-round draft choice in 2009 and the 36th player selected in that draft. He played in 31 games overall with 24 starts. He had 39 career receptions for 441 yards and three touchdowns. He appeared in six games this season with two starts but made just three catches for 25 yards.
It is unlikely that Robiskie will make much difference after failing in Cleveland.
It is increasingly obvious that they will have to draft a wide receiver on the first round next year.
They did that in 2004 and 2005 when they took Reggie Williams and Matt Jones on the first round in back-to-back years, but they were both busts.
They haven't drafted another one in the first two rounds in the last six years and only one - Sims-Walker - on the third round in 2007.
Their leading receiver, Mike Thomas, has just 31 catches and Hill is second with 19. Thomas was a fourth-round pick in 2009.
They had thought tight end Marcedes Lewis would be a big factor in the passing game, but he has only 15 catches and running back Maurice Jones-Drew has just 12.
It hasn't helped that rookie quarterback Blaine Gabbert is struggling, but they need to upgrade the receiver corps.
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