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New England Patriots vs Jacksonville Jaguars: NFL live scores, blog

Roar Guru
21st January, 2018
When: 7:05am AEDT
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. (AP Photo/Fred Vuich, File)
Roar Guru
21st January, 2018
167
2512 Reads

This year’s AFC Championship game will be held at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, where the New England Patriots will play host to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Join The Roar for live scores and a blog of the match on Monday morning, starting at 7:05am AEDT.

The Patriots are the most well-oiled machine I’ve ever seen. Every player on the park knows his role and executes it to perfection, most of the time anyway. They improved on the side that won the Super Bowl last year and haven’t been challenged much this season. Coach Bill Belichick has an answer for every play that is thrown at him.

Then there’s quarter back Tom Brady. I’m not going to waffle on, but this bloke is 40 years of age and has broken every NFL record there is for a quarterback, or is on his way to doing so. He is clinical in everything he does and it’s hard for me to say, but he is probably the best quarterback the league has ever seen. He is currently nursing a hand injury, but he will play.

This year, I’m most impressed by the big tight end #87 Rob Gronkowski. I have never seen him this fit so late in a season. He looks younger by the day. Especially with those twinkle-toe dance moves around defenders. Expect him to have a say in this game.

The Patriots on average leak 18.5 points per game and allow 366 yards. That’s not a pretty defensive stat. That’s 114 yards on the ground but a whopping 251 yards in the air. Once the ball is thrown into the secondary, they seem to fall apart. But hey, when you can score more points than your opponent, you win. That’s why they have a record of 14-3.

Last weekend against the Titans, they fell behind on the scoreboard early, but then ran riot for 11 minutes in the second quarter and sailed home with ease. They barely got out of second gear for three quarters. They didn’t have to. This game will prove much more of a challenge for them.

The Jacksonville Jaguars have surprised everyone this post season. Especially me.

Can they do it again? Probably not, but let’s be honest. They will give it a red-hot go. I haven’t tipped them all playoffs, so why spoil it now?

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They do have a solid defensive structure. They are on par with the Patriots in terms of yards allowed from the run with 116 per game, but they only leak 169 yards in the air.

It’s a scary defense to line up against. Names like Jalen Ramsey and A.J. Bouye on the edge as cornerbacks, Calais Campbell on the edge of the defensive line, Tashaun Gipson and ‘Big Bad’ Barry Church behind the line. If I was Tom Brady I wouldn’t want any of those blokes running at me.

Between them, they have 324 tackles and 18 intercepts in 2017.

The only thing we know for sure is, they will be coming for Brady and his sore hand from the first kick-off.

The Jags have a young running back by the name of Leonard Fournette, who I cannot speak higher of. I watched him play college football for LSU but thought he might struggle with the step up in class. He has proved me wrong many times over. He has grown in size and stature and commands respect when close to the line. The three touchdowns he scored last week took him to 10 for the season and showed he can turn a game all on his own. Look for him to have a huge impact late in the game when the Pats defense is tired.

As for the offense, I’m still not sure how Blake Bortles has made it to the AFC Championship game. But we will leave that one alone. He will need to channel Kenny Rogers for this clash. He has to know when to hold em’, know when to throw em’ and know when to run’
If all else fails, throw the ball into the secondary, the Patriots are weak in the backfield.

Prediction
I have personally written off the Jags since the playoffs began. The more research I do, the more I realise they have a shot at winning. A small shot, but still a shot. I think it will be close for most of the game, but the Patriots class will shine through when it matters.

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Patriots to win 24-17

Join The Roar for live scores and a blog of the match, starting at 7:05 am AEDT

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