How the Steelers match up with potential NFL Playoff opponents
- Steelers playoff path could be through the Wild Card
- Ravens will be a tough playoff matchup
- We don't want anything to do with the Chiefs
By Scott Long
4. Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars have proven themselves as a formidable team in the AFC, after beating the Houston Texans last week and putting them in the driver's seat to win the AFC South. Jacksonville has playoff experience after coming back against the Chargers in the Wild Card round last season, and Head Coach Doug Pederson has won a Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Steelers did play the Jaguars earlier this season at home in Pittsburgh, in a game that the Jaguars won. However, of the current divisional leaders, the Jaguars might be the one the Steelers have the best chance of beating. The Steelers did lose against Jacksonville, but that was a game where Kenny Pickett left the game just before halftime, and the team turned the ball over several times with Mitch Trubisky at the helm.
Trevor Lawrence is an extremely talented quarterback and will be one of the best in the league for years to come, however, he has shown some inconsistency thus far this year. Going against a talented Steelers pass rush, with a healthy Minkah Fitzpatrick in the back end, the Steelers could force turnovers to make this tightly contested.
With a healthy Pickett, and the offense hopefully continuing to grow under Mike Sullivan and Eddie Faulkner, there's no reason to believe the Steelers couldn't pull off an upset over the Jaguars.