by Tom Weppel
Amazing what a couple of wins can do to a town and for a team.
The Jaguars were able to defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers last weekend, 31-29, for their first playoff win since 1999. It was also the first time EVER that a team had beaten the Steelers at home twice in one season.
But the Jaguars were damn lucky.
After playing a stellar first half in Pittsburgh, the Jags were up 28-10, going into the 4th Quarter. Then, Pittsburgh mounted a strong comeback, eventually taking a 29-28 lead. On the Jaguars ensuing drive, it took an incredible 32-yard scramble by QB David Garrard on 4th and 2 with only a few minutes left in the game, to keep hope alive. That set up Josh Scobee to kick a game-winning 25-yard field goal with 37 seconds left. Then, the defense forced Roethlisberger to fumble in their last possession.
As a result, the Jags’ season is still alive, and now they will go to New England to face a vaunted Patriots squad that has not lost yet this season.
Around town, there is a considerable buzz about the team. It seems the Jaguar bandwagon is completely full. People can’t stop talking about the possibilities for this team. Of course, this flies in contrast to what we had during the regular season, when the Jaguars faced TV blackouts due to a failure to sellout home games.
In many ways, the Jaguars are still considered a hot team around the league. They have won seven of their last nine ballgames. They are a strong 6-3 on the road so far this year. They have certainly shown their ability to play and beat a lot of teams around the NFL.
Also, the Jaguars have shown they have some depth. In the Pittsburgh game, after losing standout DT John Henderson to a hamstring strain, we saw Grady Jackson and Derek Landri come in and actually make some very solid plays, including pass rushing and run defense, to prove the Jaguars’ defense is quite stout. Landri himself had a sack, an interception, and a fumble recovery in the Steeler game.
And of course we also saw the playmaking skills of Maurice Jones-Drew emerge. Jones-Drew has shown us time and again he can make things happen, whether it’s with a kickoff return, pass-catching, or rushing. The guy has simply become a key player for the Jaguars offense and special teams. He is without a doubt a fan favorite.
This weekend, they will face a Patriot team that set all kinds of records, including scoring, touchdowns, and passing yardage. They are a very, very solid group of veterans that has simply taken care of business each and every weekend, compiling a 16-0 record that obviously has drawn beaming spotlights from all over.
What else can be said about Tom Brady? The guy has been on fire all year. He threw FIFTY touchdown passes this season, averaged about 300 yards a game for almost 69% completion, and his 117.2 rating was by far the best in the NFL. No wonder he was voted the league MVP. Along with Peyton Manning, he is simply THE BEST QB in the NFL.
Everyone always hears about Randy Moss, and I would admit he is gonna be tough to stop. But the guy I think the Jags need to cover is Wes Welker, who has been outstanding this season, catching 112 passes for 8 touchdowns and 1,175 yards. That is the reason the Pats are the #1 passing team in the NFL, by far.
Defensively, New England has been very good, ranking 4th overall. They especially have been good in pass defense and their D-line has been very good as well. While the Patriots went 16-0, it should be noted that not all their wins were easy. They beat the Colts by only four points, the Eagles by only three (at home), and the Ravens by three as well.
Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick has praised the Jaguars, feeling they are a good group. “They are a real physical team. Any team that runs as well as they do, and stops the run as they do, they are able to do a real good job on the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball,” he said.
For the Jaguars to win this game a number of things will have to occur. They must win the turnover battle, without question. IF they can force a fumble or two, and pick off a Tom Brady pass, like they did last weekend with Ben Roethlisberger, that will help their quest immensely.
They must run the ball effectively, which I feel is actually possible against a Patriot defense that ranked only 10th best in stopping runs in the league. Fred Taylor will have to have better runs against the Pats than he did against the Steelers. And the Jaguar defense absolutely MUST be effective in hindering the Patriots passing game. This, without question, is a very important aspect to this contest.
Jacksonville’s success against the Patriots has been minimal, winning only one time in seven games. Last year, the Pats won 24-21 in Jacksonville, and of course the Jags lost in the playoffs in Foxboro in 2005, 28-3. Jack Del Rio is very aware of what he has to do to mentally get his troops ready to face this outstanding opponent. It will be up to him to get in to the heads of each and every player and convince him that the Patriots can be beat. I think that will be the most important aspect of this whole contest for the Jags.
Jacksonville is a huge underdog for this game. The Vegas line already started at 11.5 points. The Patriots will have a strong fan base. It will be loud in Gillette Stadium. The game will be played at night, magnifying the excitement that much more. And of course, the Patriots are a damn good football team that no one has beaten this year.
With all this said, I can tell you that I think the Jags will show us some good things, and they will stay competitive throughout the contest. If they can force a few turnovers, then capitalize on those opportunities, they have a decent shot at pulling off a win. If they were to do so, it would be an IMMENSE VICTORY! They would certainly make history if they won this game.
But honestly, I think the Patriots will take care of this game, beating the Jaguars in the second half, then cruising to a win.
While all the attention this season has been almost totally centered upon the Patriots, its amazing how NO ONE is talking about the reigning Super Bowl Champion, the Indianapolis Colts. In any other season, the Colts would simply be THE team to beat. They would be THE team favored to go all the way again, considering their stellar 13-3 record and their play over the course of their schedule.
But the Patriots have accepted the spotlight, leaving Tony Dungy, Peyton Manning, and the rest of the Colts, to fend for themselves. They will start doing that this weekend when they host the San Diego Chargers, a team they are very much looking forward to playing. This year, the Chargers beat the Colts 23-21, with the San Diego defense intercepted Manning SIX TIMES!
San Diego comes into this game after beating the Titans last weekend. They are on a seven-game winning streak overall. Their team is known for creating turnovers, a hard hitting defense, and a solid offense keyed by All-Pro RB LaDainian Tomlinson, who led the league in rushing. They are a solid group, and will pose some problems for the Colts.
Of course, we all know Indy has been strong on offense, with Manning throwing to WR Reggie Wayne and company. Joseph Addai has been good in rushing as well. And their defense has been surprisingly strong this year, led by the Defensive MVP, S Bob Sanders.
While the Chargers are a good team, I think the Colts will do what it takes to win this game and move on to the AFC Championship game. They will be ready to go.
After beating Washington, The Seattle Seahawks will now go to Green Bay to face the Packers at Lambeau Field. Of course, we all know the connection here, with Mike Holmgren and Matt Hasselbeck both coming from there. Holmgren coached Green Bay to their Super Bowl title a while back.
This season, the Packers came out rockin’, with Brett Favre filling the air with his passes to a solid corps of receivers. Towards the end of the season, the Packer running game started to emerge as well, with RB Ryan Grant pulling the load. He will be THE KEY to the Packers winning this one. Seattle looked pretty good in their win last week. However, Hasselbeck seems to be still hurting a little with his wrist giving him problems.
Defensively, both teams have done a solid job this season. It will be important for each to take care of business in order to pull out a victory. I would say we should all look for Favre to lead his Packers to a win, playing at home in front of a frigid, raucous crowd.
The Giants and Cowboys have been strong rivals for quite a long time. They have played some competitive, entertaining games. However, for all the times these two franchises have faced each other, this will be the FIRST TIME EVER they will play each other in the playoffs. I found that to be quite amazing.
The Giants go to Dallas after beating the Buccaneers last weekend. In that game, we all saw Eli Manning emerge with a strong performance, which indeed was the key to New York’s offense being productive. That, and their ability to get decent yardage on the ground, will again be an important aspect of their play against the Cowboys.
This season, Dallas beat the Giants on both occasions, winning by scores of 45-35 in Dallas, and again by 31-20 in New York. The strength for the Dallas offense lies in their passing game, of which they were ranked 4th in the League. However, their playmaking WR, Terrell Owens, is still hobbled by an ankle injury. If he does play, he won’t be 100%. And so it will be up to the rest of the Cowboy receivers, including Patrick Crayton and TE Jason Witten, to make plays. We will also need to see QB Tony Romo take care of business as well.
Defensively, both teams are ranked in the top ten in the NFL overall. They both can do a good job of stopping the run. Both also have done a good job of pass defense, with the Cowboys having All-Pro Safeties Ken Hamlin and Roy Williams. The Giant secondary is hurting, and it will be important for their reserves to come through and do the job when needed.
Tom Coughlin has kept his boys very competitive on the road this year, going 7-1 during the regular season. It will be very tough for them to beat the Cowboys in Dallas, but I think it is also quite possible. I’m not totally convinced the Cowboys have this one in the bag. We’ll see how it shakes out.
Tom Weppel talks trash with Greg Larson, Lonnie Marts, Eugene Chung, Artis Gilmore, and Ron Duguay on SportsAvengers.com 24/7.
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