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SPORTS A19
Saturday 13 January 2018

Titans, Jaguars AFC

favored. Part of that owes In this Sunday, Jan. 7, 2018 file photo, Jacksonville Jaguars
to Atlanta’s impressive
work in winning at the Los quarterback Blake Bortles (5) warms up before the start of an
Angeles Rams last week.
Part has to do with the Fal- NFL wild-card playoff football game against the Buffalo Bills in
cons nearly winning the Su-
per Bowl last February. Jacksonville, Fla. Associated Press
And part has to do with
At left, in a Dec. 23, 2017, file photo, Minnesota Vikings’ Case Nick Foles being the Eagles’
Keenum throws during the first half of an NFL football game quarterback instead of the
against the Green Bay Packers, in Green Bay, Wis. At right, in a injured Carson Wentz.
Dec. 24, 2017, file photo, New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Foles, though, has had
Brees (9) drops back to pass in the first half of an NFL football some success in Philadel-
game against the Atlanta Falcons, in New Orleans. phia.
“It’s just going out there
Associated Press and playing and staying in
the zone and trusting my in-
Continued from Page 17 The Jaguars ranked first stincts,” Foles says.
stopping the pass, but 21st “I’ve played this game a
Tennessee has lost six in a against the run. long time.
row to New England, but “I feel great, especially There’s a reason I’ve been
comes off a stirring second- not playing these last two able to do what I’ve been
half rally at Kansas City from weeks, not going to (train- able to do.
18 points down, the largest ing) camp earlier in the When I play my best and
postseason comeback on year,” Bell says. I’m most comfortable, I just
the road in the Super Bowl “I can’t complain. I like go out there and play.”
era. where I am. This is the fresh- By contrast, Atlanta’s Matt
Jacksonville (11-6) at Pitts- est I’ve ever been going Ryan has a passer rating of
burgh (13-3), Sunday into the playoffs so we’ll at least 100 in five straight
Ben Roethlisberger had the see how it goes.” postseason games, tied for
worst game of his career Pittsburgh also gets back the second-longest streak
in that October loss to the receiver Antonio Brown, in league history.
Jags. like Bell an All-Pro this sea- Only Joe Montana had a
Pittsburgh lost only once son. longer string with eight.
after that, at home to the Jacksonville needs far bet- New Orleans (12-5) at Min-
Patriots in a game that de- ter passing from Blake Bor- nesota (13-3), Sunday
cided the AFC’s top seed. tles. He gained more yards Minnesota easily handled
While Roethlisberger prob- running than throwing vs. New Orleans in the season
ably will play far better than Buffalo in the wild-card opener, eons ago in NFL
that, the biggest challenge round. terms.
for Jacksonville could be Atlanta (11-6) at Philadel- The Vikings had a different
stopping Le’Veon Bell in phia (13-3), Saturday quarterback then in Sam
the running game. Although Philly is the No. 1 Bradford. Case Keenum
NFC seed, the Falcons are has put together a superb
stretch of games since re-
placing the injured Brad-
ford.
The Saints’ RB tandem of
Mark Ingram and rookie
Alvin Kamara wasn’t quite
in place yet, either. And
the New Orleans defense
didn’t come to fruition until
Week 3.
Minnesota’s D is balanced
from front to back, so how
Drew Brees deals with it
could be the decider here.
“There’s no doubt about
it,” Vikings defensive coor-
dinator George Edwards
says, “you have a first ballot
Hall of Fame quarterback
that does an excellent job
of going out and execut-
ing their game from week
to week.
Our work will be cut out
for us keeping them con-
tained and hopefully giv-
ing them some things that
can cause them some
problems.”q