Photo by Red Rain Photography

These are the players (and coaches) who, if they play at the top of their game, should create huge opportunities for their teams to win.

Jacksonville Jaguars:

Maurice Jones-Drew – Here’s a no-brainer.  If he runs well, the Jaguars’ chances of winning increase dramatically.

Eben Britton – As I stated in my “Matchups to Watch,” Britton, who is a second-round draft pick out of Arizona, needs to keep Calais Campbell (and sometime Darnell Dockett) at bay.  If Campbell has a big day, Gerrard will not, and that will put too much pressure on the run game.

Derek Cox – Last week, the Indianapolis Colts picked on this rookie all game long.  He did allow a huge touchdown, but he also grabbed an interception and recovered a fumble.  Expect the Cardinals to go after him as well and if he performs at a high level, the Cardinals could face some frustration.

Josh Scobee – The Cardinals defense looked tough against San Francisco and I expect more of the same.  That will make every field goal important and Scobee needs to hit when he has the chance.

Arizona Cardinals:

Larry Fitzgerald – Let’s again start with a no-brainer.  He needs to catch some balls, not because he’s the only Cardinals wide receiver that can make an impact, but because he makes big things happen.  At the end of the 49ers game, you could see Fitzgerald telling Warner to just throw him the ball.  I agree.  He can steal balls away from defenders, but you have to throw it his way to give him a chance.

Coach Whisenhunt – Whisenhunt is back calling plays and last week was less than encouraging.  44 pass plays vs. 15 run plays, conservative pass calls vs. very few long balls, and 12 passes to Hightower vs. 7 carries for Beanie Wells.  Those are very awkward numbers and Whisenhunt needs to have more control over those kinds of stats.

Adrian Wilson – Bill Davis will most likely leave Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Bryant McFadden to fend for themselves since the big threat to the Cardinals defense is Maurice Jones-Drew, so look for Wilson to be near the line of scrimmage often.  And if the Jaguars don’t run the ball, look out Mr. Gerrard…the noise is coming.

Chris “Beanie” Wells – If Coach Whisenhunt gives Wells a chance, he needs to take advantage of it, both for himself (concerning future workload) and for Cardinals fans everywhere (who have been waiting for a run game for a long time).