The Jacksonville Jaguars are putting up two points at home against the world champion Pittsburgh Steelers. Pittsburgh got past the Dolphins in the NFL opener without Ben Roethlisberger and it’s still up in the air whether Big Ben will make his season debut this week. Jacksonville took care of the Dallas Cowboys with strong performances from quarterback Byron Leftwich, who threw for one touchdown and rushed for another, and running back Fred Taylor, who had 115 yards of total offense. Despite a decent showing in Game 1, the Jags feel they have a lot of room to improve this week.
Perhaps a bigger and more crucial question mark than Roethlisberger, who is listed as probable, is Pro Bowl strong safety Troy Polamalu, who is listed as questionable on Monday. Polamalu is excellent in run support and without him, Fred Taylor could be looking for another good game this week. On the other hand, Jacksonville will have to deal with Pittsburgh’s great offensive line and its rushing attack led by Willie Parker, who rushed for 115 yards on 29 carries. Expect Parker to be a workhorse again, whether Roethlisberger is still playing or not.
At first glance, the loss of Jacksonville defensive end Reggie Hayward, who had 8 1/2 sacks last season, seems detrimental, but the Jags may not experience a big drop with Rob Meier, who had six sacks off the bench last season. one year.
Both teams have key defensive injuries. Polamalu is the heart and soul of Pittsburgh’s defense and Hayward was Jacksonville’s sack leader last season and is responsible for putting most of the pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Meier appears to be a suitable replacement, but he doesn’t have Hayward’s speed from the end. These injuries will not be the difference in this game. I’ve found out which team has the decisive advantage in Monday night’s matchup. This one won’t come down to Ben Roethlisberger, Troy Polamalu or Reggie Hayward. I’ve got the winning angle nailed down for the big Monday night game and you can pick an easy winner by picking my Monday Night Football winning side.