PITTSBURGH – The Jaguars entered the postseason touted by many as the one team no one wanted to face.
On a raw, rainy Saturday night at Heinz Field, the Steelers now know why following an exhilarating 31-29 wild-card loss to Jacksonville.
Jaguars quarterback David Garrard afterward called his team one of “destiny.”
If destiny is, indeed, in the Jags’ back pocket and they are able to move further into the playoffs, Jacksonville has waited a long time for this.
The Jaguars, who next face the Patriots Saturday night at Foxborough, hadn’t won a playoff game in eight years before Saturday night and they hadn’t won a road game in the postseason since 1996. If they’re going to complete this ride they’re going to have to win two more road games before getting to the Super Bowl.
“I needed one of these,” Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio said. “I wanted a win in the postseason.”
Now he and his team, after blowing a 28-10 lead to the Steelers before coming back to win the game on its final possession, crave more. And, based on the resolve the Jaguars displayed, they might just have the formula to keep winning.
They have a quarterback in Garrard who, despite not throwing the ball particularly well Saturday (9-of-21, 140 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs) is tough-minded and a winner (he’s 10-3 as a starter this year). His 32-yard quarterback keeper on fourth-and-two on the Jaguars’ final drive was the biggest play of the game, putting Jacksonville well within game-winning field goal range.
They have an aggressive defense that can disrupt – as evidenced by six sacks and three INTs of Ben Roethlisberger – and stop the run well (the Steelers rushed for 43 yards on 26 carries).
They have a running game that includes Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew that can win in bad weather.
“We’re not some soft southern team,” Jaguars offensive tackle Tony Pashos said.
“That Florida weather thing . . . that doesn’t apply to us; that’s for another team,” Jaguars DE Paul Spicer said.
Indeed, the Jaguars, who set team records this season in points scored (411), TDs (50), TD passes (28) and yards per play (5.6), appear built to win in the postseason.
“This was a test for our team,” Garrard said. “This shows what this team, what this offense, is made of.”
Afterward, Garrard was asked what he “learned” about himself in the game. After entering Saturday having thrown only three INTs in 325 attempts, he threw two against the Steelers.
“That I can make mistakes and rebound from them,” he said. “That’s what’s important – how you handle it, how you bounce back from it.”
