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The fact that Mathis has been ruled out already raises question about whether he'll be back in two weeks to face Houston.

When he was asked if this injury could sideline Mathis for three or four weeks, Del Rio said he won't have another announcement on Mathis's status until next week.

Assuming they can handle the trip to the West Coast, they have a good shot at beating the 49ers without Mathis because the 49ers' pass offense, despite showing some life Sunday in the second half against Green Bay, is ranked 23rd in league.

By contrast, Houston went into the Monday night game with Tennessee ranked No. 3 in passing offense and the Titans have an All-Pro wide receiver in Andre Johnson -- the Jaguars will need Mathis for that game.

With three consecutive victories and a 6-4 record, the Jaguars now control their own wild card destiny. If they win their final six games, they'll get a wild card spot.

But since they play both the Colts and Patriots (the Jaguars have never beaten Tom Brady), that might be a tall order. But even a 4-2 record would give them a 10-6 record, which would probably be playoff-worthy.

That means the Jaguars are probably in if they win the other four games against the 49ers, Texans, Dolphins and Browns regardless of what they do against the Colts and Patriots.

"We're staying alive," Del Rio said. "We talked about two weeks ago when we were on the way to the Meadowlands, it was a must win to stay alive. This past week was the same and this next week will be the same. Got to continue to win to stay alive."

Coach Jack Del Rio also announced that Bryan Smith, who started the last two games at defensive end, will go on the injured reserve list with a shoulder injury.

He'll be replaced on the active roster by defensive end Jeremy Navarre, who was promoted from the practice squad.

Smith's injury means that Quentin Groves, who already has been benched twice this season, could get a third chance because he's currently listed as Smith's backup. Julius Williams, an undrafted rookie from Connecticut, is the other backup defensive end.

--The Jaguars waived guard Cameron Stephenson from the practice squad, which means they have two openings to fill next week.

--Coach Jack Del Rio also announced that linebacker Justin Durant, who sat out the Buffalo game with a concussion, will start in San Francisco.

Del Rio said that Durant was actually cleared medically to play by the weekend, but the Jaguars decided to hold him out because he hadn't practiced all week.

Teams tend to be much more cautious about concussions than they were in the past because research has shown the long-term negative effects they can have on players.

Brackenridge, who was claimed off waivers from the Jets in May, got the start Sunday after Reggie Nelson struggled against Tennessee when the Jaguars moved him from safety to corner because Mathis missed that game with a left index finger.

So this time, they decided to give Brackenridge even though he had started only one other NFL game.

He gave up a 98-yard touchdown pass to Terrell Owens when he didn't get safety help, but also made what could have been a game-saving play on the Bills' last drive when he knocked a pass away from Owens.

"Tyrone has done a nice job," Del Rio. "He's a scrappy guy who's ultra competitive and physical. I think other than let one ball over the top of him, he played pretty solid."

--Coach Jack Del Rio, who said the Jaguars have a lot to be thankful for, also said he invited the players over to his house for Thanksgiving Day dinner, but he doesn't know if any of them will take him up on it.

"I told them my wife is a great cook and it's going to be a heckuva meal," he said.

--After the 18-15 victory over Buffalo, coach Jack Del Rio said the Jaguars have to continue to scratch and claw for wins because, "We're not going to overwhelm people. At this point, we don't have a roster full of Pro Bowl guys."

They also seemed to have developed the knack for pulling out games late. They've done it three times this year, twice in the last two weeks. Last year, they went 5-11 and had just two comeback wins.

Tight end Marcedes Lewis said the lessons the team learned last year are helping this season.

"You don't want to go 5-12 (5-11). You don't want to be a part of that. Last year, it was like we didn't care if we did it or not. It felt like it was a tug of war, some people were pulling over here, some people were pulling over there," he said.

Del Rio said, "Even though it's a younger group, it's a more mature group in terms of understanding how to punch a time clock and go to work every day. You can feel the trust and the faith is growing for our football team. It's great for us to experience. That being said, we recognize how much work we have to do yet."

--DE Bryan Smith will go on the injured reserve list with a shoulder injury.

--LB Justin Durant missed the Buffalo game with a concussion, but will return against San Francisco.

--DE Jeremy Navarre will be promoted from the practice squad to replace Bryan Smith.

--CB Tyron Brackenridge is expected to make his second consecutive start in San Francisco to replace Rashean Mathis, who's out with a groin injury.

REPORT CARD VS. BILLS

PASSING OFFENSE: B -- David Garrard had only an 87.5 quarterback rating against the Bills and threw for only 215 yards, but engineered a 68-yard touchdown drive at the end of the game to win it.

RUSHING OFFENSE: C -- Maurice Jones-Drew got only 66 yards in 25 carries, the lowest total in a game in which he's had 25 carries. But just the fact he had 25 carries was a positive for the team. It allowed the Jaguars to move the chains and control the clock. .

PASS DEFENSE: B -- Tryon Brackenridge gave up a 98-yard touchdown pass to Terrell Owens, but they intercepted Ryan Fitzpatrick twice and he had only a 74.3 quarterback rating despite 297 passing yards. John Henderson also got two sacks.

RUSH DEFENSE: A-minus -- They held the Bills to 53 yards rushing and that forced the Bills to throw, which enabled them to rush Ryan Fitzpatrick.

SPECIAL TEAMS: B plus --- Adam Podlesh averaged 40.8 net and dropped three inside the 20 and they held the Bills to no yardage in punt returns. Tyron Brackenridge also made a critical recovery of a fourth period muffed punt by Brian Witherspoon.

COACHING: B -- The Jaguars get credit for a game-winning drive at the end for the second consecutive week, but they also failed to score in the second half until the final drive for the second consecutive week. The Jaguars don't seem to be gaining much from halftime adjustments.