***SWAMP DIVISIONAL ROUND - AFC GM 2 - JAX @ PIT***
***JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS @ PITTSBURGH STEELERS***
A very intriguing matchup kicks today off as we make our way through the Divisional round when the pesky Jacksonville Jaguars head into Pittsburgh to try their luck again against the Steelers. The winner will determine who goes up to Foxboro next week to take on the defending Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots in the AFC Championship. What makes this game extra spicy is that it is a rematch of the stunning week 5 matchup between the two where the Jags caught the Steelers sleeping and whooped them by a final score of 30-9. Looking back, that was the game in my opinion that the Jags let the rest of the league and world know that they are for real and will be a force to be reckoned with moving forward. The organization has done a great job of consistently making stellar moves through the draft and free agency and have now built in my opinion the best defense in the NFL next to Minnesota. Needless to say by ending the year with a playoff appearance and Wild Card win under their belt, the dog days in Jacksonville are done. The craziest part to me and what Jags fans I'm sure are excited about is the youth factor of this defensive unit and entire team really. This is just the beginning and this team will be a dangerous contender moving forward, so long as they get a real NFL style QB! Literally the only thing holding them back from a Super Bowl run is QB Blake Bortles and it is a shame. Now the man takes a beating through the media and naysayers so I will keep this light because I do like the dude. I feel like he's a good locker-room guy and I'd like to see him prove everybody wrong, but I got to be real- and the guy just doesn't have enough or that "it" factor where you can rely on him to take you to the promised land. That will be something that they address I'm sure during the offseason either through free agency or the draft. It is definitely an attractive job for any QB and will draw some attention I'm sure. The good thing here is that this defense is THAT good to where it can make up for the limited play of their QB, after all that's the reason they are here today. Some more good news for Jags fans is, I don't think our boy Blake can play any worse than he did last week while in the Wild Card round versus Buffalo, ha! I do believe that the offense struggles during that game can be mostly chalked up to the first time playoff jitters. I will say that I was impressed with the single TD during the game and how Blake remained composed, stood strong in the pocket and deliver a strike on 4th and goal in a high pressure situation. That was big time and told me a lot. It gave me the confidence to believe that he will have himself a better game today because I also think that the Jags now shook out whatever yips there may have been. That was a Bills team that was playing with everything they had while also riding the emotional surge from snapping their playoff drought and hungry as can be for a W. Today the Jags can go back to taking the play with that 'nothing to lose' mentality that suits them much better than last week, where they were expected to win as the home favorite. Today there is no doubt that the pressure is back on Pittsburgh, and that is extremely important.
With New England blowing out the Titans last night, it is official. Should the Steelers win today, they will get a chance to avenge that controversial battle with NE a couple weeks ago that resulted in a home loss while conceding the number one seed in the AFC, and once again sent the NFL world into chaos over what is a catch and what isn't. My point here is, that the Steelers typically could be looking ahead to the Pats, even if they don't want to be. I feel like it's kind of inevitable. I mean despite getting whooped by the Jags earlier this year, they know they are better than Jacksonville. Their real obsession is beating the Pats and I think it will be hard for them to focus completely here on the Jags because of it. Also, most importantly the comments of Pitt Safety Mike Mitchell's earlier this week about playing the Patriots confirms it, and the Jaguars know it. The Jags defense is definitely adding this to their list of reasons to motivate themselves as the underdog in this game and the most dangerous thing here that is important to mention is that because of that HUGE upset win in Pitt earlier this season, they have all the confidence in the world in themselves, and that is everything! The Jags defense picked off Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger FIVE times in the previous matchup. The terrible performance by Big Ben even brought out some post game comments where he stated that maybe "he didn't have it any more." Needless to say, the Jags successfully got in this man's head on that day and had him second guessing himself and his worth afterwards, wow. After the Steelers got back to form throughout the season, Ben stated that he wanted to play the Jags again in the playoffs and redeem himself. Add it to the bulletin board baby, Jaguar CB AJ Bouye simply replied "be careful what you wish for." I love it, and I am extremely pumped for today's game. I do expect the Steelers to win when the fat lady sings, but I don't think it will be easy by any means and I think the Jags do enough here to keep this one well within the number. It looks like it is going to be a cold weather game which should play into this being a close hard fought battle throughout. I expect the Steelers to try to keep it on the ground this time around and avoid fueling the Jags with momentum off of turnovers. They have one of the best RBs in the game in LeVeon Bell so why wouldn't they? That being said, the Jaguars also bolstered their defensive front with the acquisition of DT Marcell Dareus midway through the season from the Bills. I also love the LB core with veteran guys like Paul Posluszny doing the dirty work of plugging gaps and has to be absolutely loving being in the playoffs after so many years stuck on a bad Jags team. I can't wait to see this young Jags secondary take on the Steeler WR core as well and I believe Jax will once again do a great job against both the run game and Big Ben to frustrate them and force FGs. On the other side of things I don't expect Bortles to light them up of course but I do expect him to play looser and take some chances down the field. The Steelers defense can be had through the air and if the Jags want to win they will have to take some shots. They have the speed at WR to surprise and get it done, just a matter of Bortles being accurate and that remains to be seen. That being said, just like Bell, Jags Rookie RB Leonard Fournette will be heavily relied on here and like the first time around I do expect him to put the offense on his back and have himself a game today. Big Ben will have to overcome this amazing defense in the end and I think he will, just not by more than a TD on the final scoreboard. JAGUARS+7
