Unlike in 2005, when the Jacksonville Jaguars backed into the NFL playoffs only to get smoked by the New England Patriots in the first round, this Jaguar team is storming through the AFC on a mission. After that 28-3 pounding the Patriots laid on Jacksonville, the Jags were supposed to redeem themselves last season but faltered in December by losing their final 3 games and were forced to watch the playoffs on TV.

What a difference a year makes.

Going into the 2007 season, 5^th year quarterback Byron Leftwich was expected to be back under center for the Jaguars. However, Coach Jack Del Rio surprisingly cut Leftwich and anointed backup David Garrard the starter. When this first happened and caught the league by surprise it was questioned frequently by NFL analysts. Now there is not one expert second guessing Del Rio’s decision. “To make a decision this bold requires some strong conviction, and I have that…I believe David is our guy,” said Del Rio. “He’s proven to be a playmaker for us. He can be a threat both throwing and running it for us.” Garrard proved his coach made the right decision, while silencing his critics at the same time by throwing for 18 touchdowns to only 3 interceptions the entire season. He finished third in the NFL with a 102.2 quarterback rating and has become known around the league as one of the top game managing quarterbacks in the NFL because of his ability to keep the ball away from the opponent.

In order for Garrard to be effective tonight he will need another solid and productive game from his running backs. Pro Bowler Fred Taylor and his counterpart Maurice Jones-Drew will look to repeat their performances from week 15 against the Steelers. It has been well documented about what the two of them combined to do in that wintry grudge match. Taylor exploded for 147 yards on 25 carries and the decisive 12 yard touchdown with less than 2 minutes in the 4^th quarter. The Jaguars captain and franchise player will need to set the tone again in order for the rest of the offense to be effective. The Steelers will be again without the services of their top defensive lineman Aaron Smith so Taylor and MJD will be seeing an 8 man box from the Pittsburgh defense frequently tonight. This should set up the play action pass for Garrard and play into his favor. He likes to spread the ball around to all of his receivers, especially the resurgent Reggie Williams who is showing why the Jaguars took him in the first round a couple of years ago.

Unfortunately for the Steelers they are missing important starters on the other side of the line as well. Their two starting tackles (Max Starks and Marvel Smith) are both out for the game and will obviously weaken the Steelers protection of Big Ben. Jacksonville got to Roethlisberger 5 times in their win in the regular season and with the addition of defensive end Reggie Hayward for tonight it could be more of the same. The Steelers biggest injury without question is their All Pro running back Willie Parker, who suffered a broken leg against the Rams in week 16. “Fast Willie” ran for 100 yards against the Jaguars defense in week 15 and his replacement, Najeh Davenport, is suitable but nowhere near the home run threat that Parker possesses.

With all of the major injuries that Pittsburgh has and the style of football that the Jaguars play, it could be a major advantage for Jacksonville as the attempt to become the first team in history to defeat the Steelers twice in one season in The Steel City.