Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are the favorites entering the AFC Divisional Round playoff game against the Jacksonville Jaguars this Sunday as they are the No. 2 overall seed in the conference and are coming off much-needed rest they had after a bye in the Wild Card Round.
Jacksonville, on the other hand, won in the Wild Card round after defeating the Buffalo Bills in a forgettable game where they won by a 10-3 score. That game saw quarterback Blake Bortles have an excellent game running the football with 10 carries for 88 yards, but also go 12-for-23 for 87 yards passing and one touchdown pass.
Simply put, a performance like that by Jacksonville’s quarterback just won’t cut it for them this week against the Steelers Pittsburgh enters Sunday as a game-time decision as he’s recovering from not just his calf injury suffered in Week 16, but also illness as well.
The Steelers haven’t played in a meaningful game since Week 16, so it will be very interesting to see where they stand after basically two weeks of rest to their star players, which was needed for not just Antonio Brown to recover, but it couldn’t have hurt others such as Ben Roethlisberger, either.
Steelers Keys To Victory
1. Wear down the Jaguars defense — The Steelers need to wear down the Jacksonville defense because they are a premier defense in the NFL. They held the Bills to just three points in the Wild Card game, but Pittsburgh is on another level compared to Buffalo. The Steelers offense needs to pound the football with their 104.2 yards per game average this season, especially having Le’Veon Bell, who had 1,291 yards and nine touchdowns on 321 carries.
2. Stop Jacksonville’s rushing game — The Jaguars were the best at rushing the football this season with Leonard Fournette rushing for over 1,000 yards and nine touchdowns. They totaled 141.4 yards per game rushing in the regular season. To win, the Steelers must stop all aspects of the Jacksonville rushing game and force Bortles to beat them by throwing the football, which is doubtful to occur.
Jaguars Keys to Victory
1. Use defense to advantage — The Jaguars defense allowed 16.8 points per game during the regular season and just three points in their first playoff game. For Jacksonville to have success again and potentially move on to the AFC Championship, the defense will have to play their best game to date. They’ll have the task of stopping Bell in the Steelers rushing game, which is much easier said than done.
2. Force turnovers — Back to the Steelers defense, as the last time these two teams met this season Roethlisberger threw five interceptions against Jacksonville. That most likely won’t occur again, but Jacksonville’s defense must force some turnovers, then have the offense take advantage of them for this to be a second straight win in the playoffs. Jalen Ramsey is key in this game, as he could be the one who sends Jacksonville to the AFC Championship.
Odds
Point Spread: Steelers -7.5
Moneyline: Jaguars+265, Steelers -330
Over/Under: 41
Next: 2018 NFL Mock Draft: Divisional Round edition
Prediction
As good as the Jaguars have been with their defensive play, trusting Bortles to be productive by passing the football isn’t likely. After having under 90 yards passing vs. the Bills, that type of performance could happen against the Steelers defense as they always seem to increase their level of play when the playoffs arrive.
Look for this to be a game where the Steelers control the pace of the game, and they will not give Jacksonville any extra opportunities like they did in the regular season.
Pick: Jacksonville Jaguars: 13, Pittsburgh Steelers: 23