The Jacksonville Jaguars will be without middle linebacker Mike Peterson for this Saturday’s wild card Playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Peterson has missed the last 6 games with a broken hand but has not been ruled out for the remainder of the playoffs, should the jags advance in the tournament. In the most anticipated playoff matchup of the weekend, it’s actually the Steelers who are decimated by injuries, which could propel the Jaguars to New England next week.

Veteran Offensive Linemen Max Starks and Marvel Smith will be out for this game. Safety Troy Polamalu and return specialist Allen Rossum are questionable but are expected to play. Jacksonville however, will get a huge boost on the defensive line as Reggie Hayward will be making his return on Saturday.

Without star running back Willie Parker, the Steelers will turn to Najeh Davenport to carry the load on offense. The Jaguars, who boast the league’s 11th ranked run defense, should be able to contain Davenport and force Ben Roethlisberger to win the game with his arm. With that said, the Jacksonville secondary which has improved throughout the course of the season should be able to get enough pressure on Big Ben to force errant throws. As the defense did in week 14 against the bulky quarterback by sacking Big Ben 5 times, look for more of the same this time around because of the injury factor. Subtract two of the Steelers top linemen and add in Reggie Hayward on the defensive line and it could be a field day for the Jacksonville defense.

Tomorrow I will have an in depth preview for the game and break down what the Jaguars need to do to beat Pittsburgh for the 2nd time this year.