An uncertain destiny
PITTSBURGH – David Garrard keeps calling this whole thing destiny, as if in some cosmic book somewhere in the universe, a greater being actually has set aside a passage or two for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Absurd? Definitely. Entertaining? Absolutely.
At the very least, the Jaguars proved to be both in Saturday's win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, streaming to an impressive 28-10 lead at Heinz Field before squeaking out a 31-29 comeback win. In many respects, this was Jacksonville at its best and worst: a team dominating tempo and pummeling Pittsburgh at its own game; and a team losing its poise and nearly allowing the biggest fourth-quarter comeback in playoff history.
Ultimately, those two bouts of momentum converged at one moment in the fourth quarter, with Jacksonville trailing 29-28 and needing to convert a fourth-and-2 at Pittsburgh's 43-yard line to have any shot at a victory. Enter Garrard, who took a quarterback draw 32 yards and set up the Jaguars for a euphoric game-winning field goal.
Garrard called the win destiny. And maybe it was, if you buy what politician William Jennings Bryan once declared: "Destiny isn't a matter of chance. It's a matter of choice."
"Even from the first week when (coach) Jack (Del Rio) named me the starter, I knew there was going to be something special about this season, and we're continuing to show that," Garrard said. "Even when it gets ugly sometimes and when it looks like something is slipping away from us. … That was a true test for our team, especially in the playoffs. The stage is as magnified as it (can be). It's a huge stage. That just shows what this team and this offense are made of."
Indeed, what Saturday showed is that Jacksonville can win despite not playing perfect football, which had been the hallmark of Garrard's game for much of this season. Garrard entered the game with only three interceptions in 12 games this season. But the quarterback who maximized his value by minimizing his mistakes made some crucial ones against the Steelers, including two passes that were picked off. Yet the Jaguars survived.
Not that Garrard was the sole culprit. Instead, a runaway win was spun into doubt by both the quarterback and a defense that had dominated much of the game. Trailing 28-10 late in the third quarter, Pittsburgh befuddled the Jaguars by operating multiple wide receiver sets out of the shotgun. That offset a furious amount of pressure from Jacksonville's defensive line, which produced six sacks.
With the shotgun look buying Roethlisberger time to set up, the Steelers drove 69 yards for a touchdown that resuscitated a comatose Heinz Field early in the fourth quarter, pulling Pittsburgh back into the game at 28-17. After a Jaguars punt on the next possession, the Steelers drove 69 yards for another touchdown, then seized on Garrard's worst interception of the season to mount a scoring drive that would put Pittsburgh ahead 29-28.
That spurt was a succession of mistakes for Jacksonville, which committed penalties, missed tackles and had at least a few questionable bouts of play calling. But in disappointment comes opportunity, and Garrard seized it, mounting a drive and converting the 32-yard fourth-down run that would be the difference. Four plays later, Josh Scobee would kick the game-winning 25-yard field goal, and the Jaguars would do what no team had done – beat Pittsburgh twice in one season at Heinz Field.
"It clearly exemplifies the kind of resolve this team has competed with all year," Del Rio said. "We lose Marcus Stroud, Mike Peterson, Gerald Sensabaugh, Chris Naeole – you go down the line. We've been able to plug guys in and play with resolve and keep winning. We lost David (Garrard) for a three-game stretch this season, and we were able to win two of those three games with our backup quarterback. That took tremendous resolve. I think our team has shown that all year. I think that's why we're able to stand here right now and talk about advancing in this playoff tournament."
But that impressive resolve didn't come without some lingering doubts. Unlike Jacksonville's 29-22 win at Heinz Field on Dec. 16, the Jaguars weren't able to run with total impunity. Instead, Pittsburgh's adjustment – bringing safety Troy Polamalu into the box and playing Cover 1 for portions of the game – helped curb the Jaguars' running back duo of Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew. Neither player had a run of more than 10 yards, and it was Roethlisberger's three interceptions and Jones-Drew's 96-yard kickoff return and 43-yard catch-and-run touchdown that propelled Jacksonville to an 18-point lead.
"Give them a lot of credit," Roethlisberger said of Jacksonville's defense. "They rushed four. They didn't blitz a lot, and when they did, we burned them for a touchdown. They dropped a lot of guys (into pass coverage). There weren't a lot of holes to throw to. It's frustrating because of the throws, the interceptions, only one of them was probably a stupid throw."
It may be how Pittsburgh adjusted in the second half that proves most costly for Jacksonville going forward. Once they moved away from the deeper and longer developing routes, the Steelers gobbled up yardage underneath coverage – a major strength of the New England Patriots. If San Diego wins Sunday, the Patriots will be the next team on the docket for Jacksonville, and those gaps will have to be shored up considerably.
"It's going to be a great opportunity to play a great team," Jones-Drew said. "Watching them – last year we played them – and you saw how they maneuvered and how they worked. You get a chance to go out there and watch film on them, but it's going to be a tough challenge. Like David (Garrard) said, it's going to take everybody giving 150 percent out there. Not one person can mess up with one play, otherwise they will torch you.
"It's going to be a great chance to see how far we've come."
