The memories of 30-9 loss by Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 5 of 2017 NFL season are still fresh in the memory of Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin. Now the Steelers will face the Jaguars once again on Sunday, this time in AFC divisional round. According to Tomlin, the Jags will see a new team on the opposite side this time.
“We’ve evolved since then. They have evolved a lot since then,” – said Tomlin. “(Revisiting that game) is a good physical reference in terms of the matchups. You get to see Calais Campbell versus our people, for example. I think that is the value in it, but … I am sure that they are as different as we are since the last time we’ve seen them.“
Many Steeler players wished for a chance to make up against the Jaguars after a heavy loss. They got their wish come true but that, however, might not be a good thing. In Ben Roethlisberger era, the Steelers had a losing record at home field against only two teams in the league. The first is New England Patriots (2-5) and the second are the Jaguars who managed to win four games and lose only one on the Heinz Field. Also, in Week 5’s game against the Jags, Roethlisberger played one of the worst games in his career, throwing five interceptions. Despite all of this, the Steelers will enter the game as the overwhelming favorites.
Tomlin also discussed the Steelers chances of making a deep playoff run, saying the team is only focused on the game ahead of them.
“We don’t take it for granted. There are 24 teams on vacation. There are eight teams remaining,” – he said. “It’s great to be within that eight. We are singularly focused on this week, and specifically the journey that is the preparation of this week.“
