Jacksonville Jaguars: 3 Keys to winning the AFC Championship
By Larry Brake
The Jacksonville Jaguars have a opportunity to advance to their first ever Super Bowl appearance, and here are three keys to defeating New England.
Sunday’s game will be the third appearance by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC Championship Game. In 1996, the New England Patriots defeated Jacksonville 20-6. In the 1999 game, Tennessee defeated the Jaguars 33-14 in Jacksonville. Hopefully, the third time is the charm.
After defeating Pittsburgh, Jacksonville was greeted by fans as they arrived at EverBank Field. Perhaps in an emotional outburst, Jalen Ramsey addressed the gathered crowd concerning the Jaguars destiny.
John Reid of jacksonville.com reported the comments:
"“We going to the Super Bowl, and we gonna win that b—-!” Ramsey said to the crowd that was captured on video and posted on Twitter by Sports Illustrated. Shortly afterwards, Ramsey took to Twitter and wrote, `Excuse my profanity. Just be hype & talking lol.’"
Before the Jaguars order championship rings, there is a game to win in New England. The Patriots have, no doubt, posted Ramsey’s comments on the locker room bulletin board. Most of all, Tom Brady appears to be on a mission to cement his legacy as the greatest quarterback of all-time.
Jacksonville will have to play error free to win due to the Patriots unflappable confidence. The Patriots have won five NFL championships since 2001. In addition, they have appeared in nine Super Bowl games since 1985. Here are three keys to a Jaguars victory.
First of all, New England is a heavy pass offense. Ramsey and the Jaguars can not allow Rob Gronkowski to run wide open. Instead of playing their soft zone, Brandin Cooks and Danny Amendola will have to be blanketed in coverage.
On offense, Leonard Fournette must run vertically not horizontally. Fournette is a power runner that should be able to have success against the Patriots run defense. The Jacksonville offensive line must impose their will on the twentieth ranked run defense.
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Finally, the Jacksonville play action passes are very effective. Tommy Bohanon was wide open for a touchdown reception on Sunday, due to the threat of the Jaguars running attack. Expect New England to play for the running attack first.
Jacksonville has a good chance of winning but must play smart. Expect Doug Marrone to keep the young Jaguars under control. Expect Jacksonville to just win the game any possible way.