The Jacksonville Jaguars (0-1) will host the Houston Texans (1-0) in their home opener at Everbank Field on Sunday, in a divisional game that the Jaguars need to win. Last week, the Jaguars lost a heartbreaker in overtime against the Minnesota Vikings, while the Texans defeated the Miami Dolphins at home. With the slew of injuries in Jacksonville as of late, Sunday’s game may be a tough task for the Jaguars.

Yesterday should have been Blaine Gabbert's time. With 20 seconds left on the clock, he had just led the Jaguars on an improbable touchdown drive, securing a Jaguars victory and a quick start to the 2012 campaign.

But the defense let him down.

Let's face it. Last year, the Jaguars' defense kept them in a lot of games. They didn't pull many of those games out, but they were competitive. Yesterday, the unit that had kept them close most of 2011 melted down, and it was painful to watch.

During Sunday's game, Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Blaine Gabbert showed that his first year in the NFL is in his rear-view mirror.

The second-year quarterback thought he led the Jaguars to a come-from-behind victory when he completed a 39-yard touchdown pass to Cecil Shorts with 20 seconds remaining on the clock.

But a lackluster defensive effort from the Jaguars secondary cut short the jubilation on the visiting team's sideline, as the Minnesota Vikings kicked a 41-field goal as time expired to send the game into overtime, where they would lose by three points.

Despite the loss, the Jaguars' QB showed something that he did not display an ounce of in his rookie campaign: fight.

The regular season has finally arrived, as the Jacksonville Jaguars (0-0) travel to Minnesota to face the Vikings (0-0) on Sunday afternoon at the Metrodome. This game is significant for the Jaguars, as it's the team's first regular season game under new Head Coach Mike Mularkey, and an offensive unit with key additions, including wide receivers Justin Blackmon and Laurent Robinson. It will also be a battle of two second-year quarterbacks, as Blaine Gabbert faces Christian Ponder, two quarterbacks that were selected tenth and twelfth overall, respectively, in the 2011 NFL Draft.

A couple of weeks ago, a report came out that some of the Jaguars' players wanted Maurice Jones-Drew fined for his holdout. That's an understandable position, and according to Jason Cole of Yahoo! Sports, they got their wish.

Jones-Drew, Jax did confid settle of $1.2m fines. Am told means much less, but MJD did forfeit some bonus $. Jax will get cap cred in '13

— Jason Cole (@JasonColeYahoo) September 8, 2012

This should be the last step in putting the Maurice Jones-Drew 2012 holdout in the rear-view mirror. It's all about playing winning football from here on out, and it finally appears that the Jaguars' off-field distractions have been pretty much eliminated.

As for the fine itself, it was something both sides knew had to be done. Players not in camp for such an extended period of time have to be fined for their team to save face, but as noted above, the fine settlement is probably insignificant.

The 2012 regular season is upon us. As the Jacksonville Jaguars travel to Minnesota to play the Vikings in the season opener, two players are on my mind – but for different reasons.

Russell Allen and Greg Jones are both pivitol to the team's success this season. But what about the future of each player? One looks bright, but the other, not so much.

With game time just over 48 hours away, it's appropriate to begin thinking about the Jaguars, Vikings matchup on Sunday. For most analysts and fans across the nation, it's a lackluster game between two poor teams, but one of them will be 1-0 by about 4:30 on Sunday, and that's something.

With apologies to Jared Allen, Adrian Peterson and the rest of the Vikings, this game will almost certainly be decided by the Jaguars' offensive line. Don't believe me? Keep reading.