Jacksonville Jags @ New England Pats -8.5/46
Well my friends, foes and football freaks the time has come for another championship Sunday. It all comes down to this. The winners move on to the Super bowl in Philly and the losers are forgotten. This sport we love, we follow and cheer and even cry. Now its come down to the final four. The Patriots are appearing in their seventh consecutive AFC Championship Game, " Belichick, who has guided New England to seven Super Bowls - winning five - since 2001, told reporters. "It is what happens Sunday, not what happened last year, two years ago, five years ago, 15 years ago, 1996 or whatever it is. Those games don’t make any difference, with all due respect." The third-seeded Jaguars are brimming with confidence, with star cornerback Jalen Ramsey predicting a victory over the Patriots in the wake of last week's 45-42 win at No. 2 seed Pittsburgh. Coach Doug Marrone acknowledged that New England presents "a great challenge for us" and fully expects to see Brady, saying, “I’m sure he could probably throw left-handed if he has a problem with his right hand and throw just as well.” That being said Jacksonville has a plan for the game today.. That plan is simple. Shut down Tom Brady. When the Patriots have struggled offensively, it’s been because teams are able to get pressure on Brady and hit him rushing just four defensive players. That is what the Jaguars do and it’s what the Jaguars have done all season. Sure they’ll throw in a few stunts on the defensive line or some blitzes from the defensive backs, but by in large the Jaguars are going to rush four and cover with their back seven. Those are the teams that have given Brady fits in the regular season, in the playoffs, whenever. Teams that can pressure and hit him just rushing four tend to neutralize his ability and make him a mere mortal. When he starts getting pressure consistently and getting hit, you start seeing him misfire and this is a defense that turns misfires into points. It’s not all because of the defense that I feel like the Jaguars are built to beat New England, but it’s also the way they play offense. The Patriots struggle against the run and the pass, but they do a nice job of limiting teams points. The Jaguars on the other hand shine when they’re in the redzone, especially quarterback Blake Bortles. The Jaguars also run the ball well, overall. I’m not going to pretend like I didn’t say a few weeks ago the Jaguars No. 1 rush offense was fraudulent, but in a game against the Patriots the way the Jaguars get their rushing yards is going to be a big key. The Jaguars will want Bortles to run, they’ll want to pound Leonard Fournette at New England and hit them with play action. Those are the things the Patriots have struggled with and when Bortles is “on” those are the areas the Jaguars can just dominate other teams.
The things that have given New England fits traditionally are all things the Jaguars not only do well, but are the best at. This is a team built to beat teams like New England. Now we just need to play the game.
I am gonna go against the norm and say Tom Brady and the boys will not be at the Super Bowl this year.
Jacksonville +8.5