Jaguars on offense: David Garrard is such an intriguing quarterback based on the fact he's got mobility to go with size (6 feet 2 inches, 240 pounds), and that he makes very few mistakes (18 TDs and just three INTs in 325 pass attempts). But he doesn't get enough credit for succeeding without a go-to receiver, unlike the other top-rated passers in the league. Ernest Wilford led the Jaguars with just 45 catches, and Reggie Williams had a team-high 629 receiving yards. (Oddly, Williams had a TD catch in 10 games, but finished with more than three receptions just four times.) But Garrard does have the luxury of one of the top rushing duos in the league. Fred Taylor not only padded his Hall of Fame credentials with 1,202 yards on the ground, he also averaged 5.4 yards per tote, nearly a half-yard more than his personal high set last season. And Maurice Jones-Drew nearly matched Taylor in total yards, rushing for 768 yards (plus nine TDs) and catching 40 passes for 407 yards.
Steelers on defense: The Steelers simply could not stop the Jaguars three weeks ago - in snowy conditions at home, no less - so how do they prevent Jacksonville from rolling up 421 total yards (and 224 on the ground) again? That contest was part of an inglorious four-game close to the regular season in which Pittsburgh went 1-3, the league's No. 1-rated defense allowing 28.5 points per game. Clearly, the season-ending injury to defensive end Aaron Smith last month was costly. However, the heart of the Steelers' 3-4 defense remains at linebacker, with Pro Bowl starter James Harrison having emerged as a true force on the outside in his fourth pro season. Pittsburgh tied for the fewest INTs in the league with 11.
Steelers on offense: The complexion of the Steelers' offense - and season, really - changed six plays into their Week 16 game at St. Louis, when star back Willie Parker broke a bone in his right leg. His replacement, Najeh Davenport, had no trouble against the Rams' sad defense, but he averaged just 2.3 yards per carry last weekend against Baltimore and now faces Jacksonville's sturdy 4-3 front. You'd figure the plan is for Ben Roethlisberger to hoist it often, but Pittsburgh went just 3-4 when Roethlisberger attempted at least 30 passes. That's not a winning proposition when you lose just five times all season with Roethlisberger under center. Roethlisberger spread his team-record 32 TD passes to eight players, with three hauling in at least seven TDs. Left tackle Max Starks has been ruled out with a knee injury, leaving the untested Trai Essex to bookend a line that allowed 47 sacks this season.
Jaguars on defense: Losing defensive tackle Marcus Stroud and linebacker Mike Peterson to season-ending injuries early on not only robbed Jacksonville of two of its top play-makers, it gave the Jaguars a new purpose; to prove they were still among the best at stopping the opposition. Veterans such as Paul Spicer and Rob Meier helped fill the void up front, the linebacker rotation has been solid, and 15 players accounted for the Jaguars' 38 sacks this season. Teams have stopped throwing toward cornerback Rashean Mathis (causing his INTs to drop from eight in 2006 to just one), but he's still exceptional in coverage. Two safeties have paid instant dividends, veteran and leading tackler Sammy Knight and outstanding rookie Reggie Nelson. The Jaguars did give up a whopping 49 pass plays of more than 20 yards.
Special teams: Pittsburgh's Jeff Reed (23 of 25) and Jacksonville's Josh Scobee (12 of 13) tied for the highest field goal conversion rate in the league at 92 percent. Scobee missed eight games because of a strained quadriceps . . . After making just 10 of 17 field goal attempts at Heinz Field last season, Reed missed only one of his 14 tries at home in 2007 . . . The Steelers' Daniel Sepulveda landed 28 of his punts inside the 20-yard line, double the amount of Jacksonville's Adam Podlesh . . . Podlesh struggled in the bad weather in Pittsburgh Dec. 16, averaging just 29 yards on five punts . . . Jones-Drew is the Jaguars' primary kickoff returner, averaging 26.2 yards over his 31 runbacks, including a 100-yarder Nov. 4 vs. New Orleans.
Miscellany: How does a team with 11 wins not get one player to the Pro Bowl? The Jaguars are wondering the same thing . . . Roethlisberger (104.1) and Garrard (102.2) finished second and third in the NFL in passer rating, behind Tom Brady (117.2) . . . Roethlisberger is 5-1 in the playoffs, throwing for 10 TDs and 8 INTs . . . The Steelers were 7-1 at home, the only loss against Jacksonville. The Jaguars' 29 points that game accounted for 31 percent of the total points Pittsburgh allowed at Heinz Field . . . The Jaguars are one of three AFC teams with a winning record against Pittsburgh all time (11-8) . . . Taylor's 147-yard effort Dec. 16 was the first 100-yard game by a Steelers opponent in Pittsburgh since Oct. 3, 2004. Taylor is averaging 121 yards rushing in his last six games against the Steelers . . . This is just the second playoff game for Jacksonville since the 1999 AFC title game. The Jaguars lost to the Patriots, 28-3, in the 2005 wild-card round.
