Jacksonville Jaguars Super Bowl chances five big questions

Jacksonville Jaguars' Super Bowl chances; five big questions Published: Jan 12, 2018 at 05:31 AM NFL Network Insider By how many points will the win the Super Bowl? KTW (@Lord_Bojack) I know this is a fan begging the question, but it raises one I asked myself as I left EverBank Field after : Can Jacksonville's formula -- a loaded defense dominating and hoping an offense and quarterback that have sputtered in recent weeks can do just enough -- really win a title in this playoff field? "I sure do hope so," star end told me during a break in preparations for . "I'm just worried about this one game. We'll figure out the rest of it as it comes. We know we have to be very smart with the ball, we've got to be physical, we've got to own the line of scrimmage and we've got to make plays -- make our plays. Hopefully, it works. "We're very confident, when we do it the right way, that we're very, very good." The were good enough last week to grind past the 10-3 on a day when had more yards rushing than pa sing, averaged an uninspiring 2.7 yards per carry and the offense sustained only one drive -- a 15-play, 86-yard march featuring all of three pa s attempts, ending in over the past two games. Last time they visited Pittsburgh, in Week 5, the ' defense led the way, too, and returning two of the picks for touchdowns on the way to , the high-powered ' worst offensive performance this season. Myles Garrett Jersey Those are two of the eight games in which the have allowed fewer than 10 points -- twice as many as any other team this season, and tied for the third-most of any team since 2000, according to NFL Research. The had 12 such games in 2000, and they won the . So did the 2002 , who had eight such games. (The 2005 did it nine times, went 11-5 and lost in the Divisional Round.) The 2000 famously got their title with Trent Dilfer at quarterback. Dilfer's 76.6 pa ser rating that year was lower than Bortles' 84.7 this season. So was 's 73.9 with the 2007 , Roethlisberger's 80.1 with the 2008 and Peyton Manning's 67.9 with the 2015 -- all champs. Brad Johnson was more efficient, but he wasn't exactly doing the heavy lifting with the 2002 Bucs, either. Point is, if you want to buy into the ' chances, there is recent precedent for winning this way. These guys aren't all household names, in part because last week was the first time Jacksonville has played on national TV all season, but Campbell, cornerbacks and , linebacker and end , among others, are playing at a very high level. The are among the NFL's most disruptive defenses this season, (55) and (21) and (17). On offense, Fournette topped 1,000 yards in Year 1, as the Jags . They're second in red-zone TD rate. Bortles had a three-game hot streak pa sing in Kendall Lamm Jersey December and last week. After a brief preseason demotion, Bortles' production was much improved from 2016, despite losing top receiver to a torn ACL in Week 1 and ending the season without leading receiver , who was targeted only once in his return from an ankle injury last week. If you want to doubt the even get out of Pittsburgh with a win -- and none of the coaches or scouts I asked for a prediction this week believes they will -- it really comes down to margin for error against high-octane teams like the , especially since Jacksonville's weakne s on defense has been stopping the run. The six teams that beat the this season averaged 155. Morgan Burnett Jersey 3 yards on the ground. Fall behind, and the Jags may be in trouble. As one opposing coach who faced the late this season put it: "The way the league is now, it's so liberal in the pa sing game, you've got to score, man. It's hard to win 10-3, 6-3. These quarterbacks and these skill players are so good today. I think you have to have a balance. "If the Steelers can score and make Jacksonville a one-dimensional offense, I think it could be a long day for Jacksonville." Now, the have scored; they , though that number is boosted by a league-high seven defensive touchdowns. They averaged 35 points during that three-game run in December that secured their first playoff spot since 2007. They put up 33 , but Bortles threw three interceptions in a shootout on a rare, ugly day for the ' defense, then two more the following week in in which Ngakoue scored the ' only touchdown on . , the focused on stopping the run and did that well for the most part, except that Bortles kept finding escape lanes and put up 88 yards on 10 carries. Buffalo used heavy disguise on defense, showing different looks to confuse Bortles' pre-snap reads, and brought a lot of pre sure in pa sing situations. Bortles mi sed some throws and finished 12-of-23 pa sing for 87 yards. Coach Doug Marrone acknowledged the ' offense never got into a rhythm: "Obviously, if you want to continue to keep playing, you are going to have to do a better job." The are better equipped to do what the couldn't: Get a lead, make the air it out more on offense and turn loose even more pre sure. Same goes for the , the likely opponent (on the road again) in the AFC Championship Game if Jacksonville does advance. Of course, last time against the , the ' defense allowed them to play their type of game. Campbell downplayed pre sure on the D right now, but it's unavoidable when the past couple weeks suggest that unit might have to play a nearly perfect game Sunday. "It's playoffs, so mistakes Seth DeValve Jersey can hurt you a little more. Just because it's playoffs, every play is a little more critical," Campbell said. "But we've got to play with that swagger, play loose, have fun and good things will happen." The Five Ws for the Divisional Round WHO do you think are the front-runners to replace Bruce Arians in Arizona? ( ) The ' interview list has been eclectic, which makes it tough to peg. But I have spoken to multiple people in the know who believe OC Pat Shurmur is the front-runner. Worth remembering: , and all three of Minnesota's veteran QBs, including starter , . Even if Arizona drafts a signal-caller high, there would be players available who know Shurmur's system and could run it in the short term. Others to keep an eye on include OL coach Mike Munchak and DC Steve Wilks, who interviewed with Arizona on Wednesday. WHAT are the odds the go after ? ( ) Any team with a QB need at least has to consider Smith, who -- another early playoff exit notwithstanding -- is coming off his best statistical season and has productive years left at age 33. His pa sing yards (4,042), TD-to-INT ratio (26:5) and pa ser rating (104.7) were all career bests. His numbers were much improved on deep throws. The questions are, what would it take to acquire him from the ? And what would it cost to extend Smith, who has one year and $17 million left on his contract? The also have to figure out and whether they want to keep stringing along with veteran QBs, as they have throughout the Todd Bowles-Mike Maccagnan era while and have mainly ridden the bench. WHEN will everyone stop disrespecting the VIKINGS? SMALL MARKET TEAM? ( ) WHY ARE WE YELLING? Coach Mike Zimmer and receiver remarked this week Jaelen Strong Jersey about people doubting them, too, but I hear the opposite from scouts and coaches. I bumped into one NFL executive last week who brought up -- unprompted -- how hard he thinks the will be to beat in the playoffs. Another exec predicted the win the , saying they're the most well-rounded team in the field and have the best defense along with Jacksonville. "The reason people aren't picking Minny is ," the second exec said. "I watched six games on the guy and he is playing at a level." Keenum even got an MVP vote in . He makes his playoff debut . WHERE do the go in the draft? Is the answer if and when he returns? ( ) Pa s rush and offensive line are two obvious targets when scouts look at the ' roster. But given what GM Chris Ballard inherited last year,
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