Raise your hand if you thought the Jacksonville Jaguars would be playing in the AFC Championship game this season? Yeah. I didn’t think so!
No one predicted that the downtrodden Jaguars would make it to the AFC Championship game under first year coach Doug Marrone but they have.
Marrone and President of Football Operations Tom Coughlin have done a great job of changing the culture and the identity of the Jaguars. Thanks to drafting well and hitting on key free agents like Calais Campbell, A.J Bouye and Barry Church, the Jaguars have gone from NFL afterthought to Super Bowl contender.
They will have their hands full going into Foxboro and beating the legendary tandem of Bill Belichick and Tom Brady. The NFL’s most decorated tandem have their sights set on a sixth Super Bowl title. It will take a monumental effort from the Jaguars today if they want to pull off the upset.
Here are 3 keys for both teams in this game.
3 Keys for the Jaguars
1. Duplicate Last Week’s Offensive Game Plan: The Jaguars got off to a good start offensively last week because they ran the football and called play action passes that got the ball out quick. They will have to do the same thing today. Balance is the key. The Jaguars have to be balanced offensively and keep the Patriots guessing.
2. Blake Bortles Has to Stay the Course: Bortles was terrific last week. He has to stay the course in this game. He cannot put unwarranted pressure on himself. Bortles has to manage the game in order to win the game for the Jaguars. He cannot turn the ball over and he has to be accurate throwing the ball.
3. The Front Four Must Dominate: The Jaguars defensive line should dominate in this game. New England’s offensive line is well coached, but undermanned. Calais Campbell and company must get consistent pressure on Tom Brady and throw him off his spot. If they don’t, the GOAT will pick Jacksonville’s talented secondary apart.
3 Keys for the Patriots
1. Establish the Running Game: The best way to slow down an aggressive pass rush is to run the football. The Patriots must establish Dion Lewis and Rex Burkhead and control the line of scrimmage. Make the front four have to get off the blocks and force the secondary to have to make tackles.
2. Get Creative With Formations and Pass Protections: The Patriots will have to use more six and seven man protections based on down and distance. Look for the Patriots to use more wing formations and more chip releases from their tight ends and running backs. They have to be creative in protecting Brady and slowing down Calais Campbell and Yannick Ngakoue.
3. Stop Fournette, Win the Game: Its quite simple. If the Patriots stop Fournette and force Blake Bortles to have to shoulder the load offensively, they will win this game. Fournette is the table setter for Jacksonville offensively. If the Patriots bottle him up, they’ll win.
Final Prediction: Patriots 31 Jaguars 17: The Patriots are virtually unbeatable at home. Belichick and Brady don’t lose at Gillette in the playoffs and they won’t lose today. Jacksonville poses some match up problems but I don’t think they can score enough I win this game. Conversely, I think the Patriots will score on the vaunted Jaguars defense and punch their ticket to their third Super Bowl in four years.