If on the first day of the Divisional Round you could still assume that you would still be favourites, this is no longer the case today. At the Pittsburgh Steelers Ben Roethlisberger tries to make up for a 5-interception performance from his first encounter with the Jaguars. Later on, Case Keenum and the Minnesota Vikings will be able to prove that they can also confirm their strong season in the playoffs against a caliber like the Saints. You can watch both games live on DAZN from 19.05 pm.
The way to the playoffs:
Steelers: The Steelers season began with strong fluctuations in performance, but even against the Browns it was only a narrow victory at the start. As a result, the Vikings were clearly defeated, only to lose disappointingly in Chicago the following week. Ben Roethlisberger scored a clear victory over the Ravens before one of the big surprises came: Ben Roethlisberger threw five picks in his first encounter with the Jaguars and helped the Jaguars to a comparatively easy victory on foreign soil.
Steeler-Nation rehabilitated itself afterwards and marched with great self-confidence towards the playoffs, even though not all performances were convincing. But with a lot of experience, the three B’s and the up-and-coming rookie JuJu Smith-Schuster, they were in a great position to get the First Seed in the AFC.
In the decisive game on home soil, however, they failed due to the controversial catch rule, a misunderstanding between Big Ben and Mike Tomlin and the resulting interception in New England’s final zone. With the so-called “Chip on the Shoulder”, the Steelers have been going into the playoffs with additional motivation since Ryan Shazier’s serious injury.
Jaguars: Jacksonville had invested a lot of money before the season and was rewarded for it. Defenses are not many in the league who played better than the Jags. Whether it’s one of the most dangerous pass rushes in the league or the outstanding coverage: Defense Wins Championships. After this mentality, Jacksonville wants to do great things. But is that also possible with a quarterback like Blake Bortles? Anyway, he can’t afford to make any mistakes.
In the wildcard round, things didn’t look the way they had hoped from Jug’s point of view. Leonard Fournette’s paths were once again blocked by 8-men-boxes and also the passing game did not see any land. As a result, Bortles had to reinvent himself and took his legs in his hand. In the end, he had more rushing than passing yards on his back and ensured that the Jaguars made it into the divisional round despite a meager performance.
The current situation:
Steelers: After an injury shortly before the end of the regular season, the Steelers were worried about the deployment of Antonio Brown. The Elite-Wideout seems to be ready for the maybe most interesting receiver-corner matchup of the year at 100 percent. In addition to Brown, Pittsburgh can probably also hope for the use of Artie Burns. The Cornerback injured his knee on Wednesday, but according to his own statement should be fit by Sunday.
Meanwhile, the loss of Shazier is irreplaceable. Due to its explosiveness, the linebacker was able to fill an enormous number of gaps and shone against the run as well as in the passing game. Like many other teams, the Steelers will make sure that the box is delivered first and foremost. The Jaguars offense didn’t look so good against Buffalo. However, if the opponent plays more play action and Bortles intelligently sets his legs in motion again for space gain, you need a linebacker that can defend this continuously.
Jaguars: The Jaguars have lost a lot of momentum in the last three games. Worthless defeats against the 49ers and the Titans at the end of the season cost the rhythm that Bortles had actually built up in a strong December. The game against the Bills was anything but confident. Without a successful run game the Jaguars seem to have already pulled their teeth. Fournettes 2.5 yards per run won’t be enough in Pittsburgh.
On the defensive side, however, it continues to run smoothly. Standout-corner Jalen Ramsey beat Buffalo with his acrobatic pick against Nathan Peterman’s pass and won the match, how else could it have been? Turnovers were also an enormous factor in the first game against the Steelers.
The Run-Defense also kept Le’ Veon Bell on the ground at a puny 47 yards. Last week, Shady McCoy’s 75 yards in the boxing score look like more than the running game was really effective due to a 25-yard run. Against the race the Jaguars have improved a lot and this should not be any different on Sunday, if Jacksonville wants to have a chance.
Players to Watch:
Steelers: Antonio Brown. The Wideout is undoubtedly the go-to-guy in the Steelers’ receiving corps. The scores in the past season are outstanding: 101 receptions, 1,533 yards and 9 touchdowns collected Nr. 84 in the 14 season games until his injury. On Sunday evening he is expected to be the best cornerback of the league. It’s not the best time to go into a match when it’s too shattered. Brown, however, will find ways to reach the ball and try to repeat his stat line from the first encounter (10 REC, 157 YDS) with the Jaguars in a more promising starting position.
Jaguars: Leonard Fournette. The Jaguars won’t be able to beat Pittsburgh without an offense. Another such performance and Jacksonville’s dream ends. Fournette and the Jaguars must finally find a way to effectively stage the Run Game again. Like the first game against the Steelers, for example, when the Jacksonvilles top pick unwound 181 yards and ran into the final zone twice.
That’s what matters:
Roethlisberger’s five first-game interceptions may look like a lot, but not all of them were due to his mistakes. Often bad luck also played a major role in the case of falsified passports. Big Ben is allowed to keep throwing and does well to hit his quick as lightning fast receivers on short crossing routes, especially against Press-Man-Coverage this prescription should help against the strong corner. First and foremost, the run defense must be defensive. And watch out for Bortles’ Scrambles!
On the other hand, the passing game must finally become more effective. Jacksonville needs to be more risky and use play action more often. There are also fast receivers in their own ranks that can free themselves from coverage. Defensively, there is the big duel between one of the best pass rush fronts and, according to Football Outsiders, the best O-Line in terms of pass protection. If you manage to build up enough pressure on Big Ben, you can force mistakes.
forecast:
In front of home audiences in the playoffs, it just seems to be enough for Pittsburgh. Jacksonville’s offense simply has too few possibilities to march down the field. On the other hand, the Steelers play against one of the best defenses in the league, but always find ways to win games. This has been observed often enough in the current season. The great playoff experience, which you can also fall back on, doesn’t hurt either. Tip: 20:16 Steelers
Page 1: Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
Page 2: Minnesota Vikings vs. New Orleans Saints