To get you ready for Week 15, FanHouse is previewing all 16 NFL games. Here is your Jaguars/Steelers preview.2007 Records:
Jacksonville Jaguars: 9-4 (2nd in AFC South)
Pittsburgh Steelers: 9-4 (1st in AFC North)
Last Week:
Patriots 34, Steelers 13
Jaguars 37, Panthers 7
Why We Care: This could be a AFC first-round playoff preview and even if it's not, it's one of the better matchups of the weekend. Last year the Jaguars humiliated the Steelers in Roethlisberger's first game back after an appendectomy, so the Steelers also have reason to want some revenge.
When the Jaguars have the ball: The Steelers defensive approach is pretty simple--they want to shut down the opponent's running game to get them in obvious passing situations, where Dick LeBeau can unveil all his tricky blitzes. It works well most weeks, but was disastrous against the Patriots, who don't ever try to run the ball. The Jaguars have a much more balanced approach, and one of the better running games in the league. So we'll find out if the combination of Maurice Jones-Drew and Fred Taylor can find some gaps now that defensive end Aaron Smith is sidelined with a torn biceps.
When the Steelers have the ball: The Jaguars don't have any reason to feel sympathy for the Steelers injuries. Defensive tackle Marcus Stroud is on the injured reserve, while linebacker Mike Peterson is also out. The Steelers finally got their running game going against the Patriots as Willie Parker found holes he hadn't seen for weeks. The Jaguars may rank 27th in the league in passing yards allowed and part of the problem is the lack of a dominant pass rusher, but the Steelers offensive line struggles in pass blocking, so Paul Spicer and company should get some opportunities to pressure Ben Roethlisberger. Roethlisberger has shown he's best at wandering around out of the pocket, buying time. He's been facing more spies recently, but it hasn't really bottled him up.
The Edge: This is a game where the weather might make a difference. There's a chance for snow showers, which is definitely something Pittsburgh is more used to then the Jaguars. But Jacksonville has been playing better football than Pittsburgh recently. If the Jaguars can run the ball at all on Pittsburgh the could pull off an upset.
