Our first installment of "Ideal Scenario" games didn't go as we'd have liked, so we'll hope for better luck this week.
WRAP-UP OF LAST WEEK'S KEY AFC MATCH-UPS
1. Chiefs slaughtered the Broncos... Not Ideal
2. Jets demoralized Cardinals... Not Ideal
3. Titans won...NEVER IDEAL
4. Chargers beat Oakland after the Raiders completed their textbook 4th quarter meltdown. Not Ideal
5. Buffalo Won... IDEAL!!! That was the single bright spot of this week's scenario because we need them to win their division so we are not in competition with them for a wild-card birth as they own the tie-breaker against us.
6. Baltimore Lost to the Steelers... Not Ideal, but Pittsburgh is in disarray after that win. They are battered and their O-line just lost the equivalent of our Vince Manuwai in Kendall Simmons. He was their right guard and was stout against the pass rush and could over power all but the best. They are hurting badly.
Cleveland beat Cincy... A tree just fell in the forest, but no one was around...
THIS WEEK'S KEY AFC MATCH-UPS
Titans at Ravens : We want a Titan loss, as if that wasn't obvious already.
Chiefs at Panthers : In AFC vs NFC match-ups, always root for the NFC unless it's a team we want to win their division.
Colts at Texans : Put a stake in 'em Houston, the dynasty that never was, is no more... ponder that
Chargers at Dolphins : We want a San-Diego loss. They need to fall behind before they get healthy, they could be a direct competitor for a wild-card spot, unless they overtake the Broncos; a possibility if the Broncos lose this week and lose to us the following week.
Bills at Cardinals : The Bills at 5-0?!? That would be best because we don't want to compete for a wild-card with them without the tiebreaker.
Bucs at Broncos : If the Broncos lose this week and we beat them then that's ok because we'll own the tie breaker against them in a bid for a wild-card spot. If they lose this week and then beat us, that's really bad; we'd lose the tie-breaker and most likely be in direct competition with them for a wild-card spot. If they win and San Diego loses, that's IDEAL for our playoff scenario.
Patriots at 49ers : Root for the NFC, we want Beel Beelichick's team to fall far, far behind.
WEDNESDAY INJURY UPDATE:
Below is the Wednesday injury report, don't be too frightened... Unless you're a Steeler fan, in which case you should be afraid... be very afraid.
A slug-fest on Monday night that one could only describe as grueling, took place between Pittsburgh and Baltimore. Two Pittsburgh players are done for the year now, their 1st round pick Mendenhall, and their stalwart RG Kendall Simmons. Simmons is a bigger loss; he is too good to be replaced, thus a drop-off in run and pass blocking is inevitable for the Steeler offensive line. Hopefully we'll blitz a little less.
Defensively, Pittsburgh is without their star nose tackle, Casey Hampton. One of their starting defensive ends, Keisel, is also out of the game due to an injured calf. These two men are fixtures against the run and without them, the Steelers will likely HAVE to commit 8 or 9 to stopping the run. That means Troy Polamalu (related to Jaguars RB coach Kennedy Pola) will be on the line of scrimmage, and not back intercepting passes!
Harvey and Groves will have to show us something this week. Hayward should likely play, but if he's hampered, he'll likely see limited action. Hopefully we'll see Justin Durant make his triumphant return, along with Reggie Nelson. I haven't heard about Florence's injury, if anyone knows anything... let us know.
-Collin
VS | ||||
Name | Position | Injury | Practice Status | Game Status |
---|---|---|---|---|
PIT | ||||
Patrick Bailey | LB | Hamstring | Did Not Participate In Practice | -- |
Carey Davis | RB | Ankle | Did Not Participate In Practice | -- |
Nick Eason | DE | Groin | Did Not Participate In Practice | -- |
Keyaron Fox | LB | Back | Did Not Participate In Practice | -- |
Andre Frazier | LB | Concussion | Did Not Participate In Practice | -- |
James Harrison | LB | Quadricep | Did Not Participate In Practice | -- |
Troy Polamalu | S | Quadricep | Did Not Participate In Practice | -- |
Ben Roethlisberger | QB | Right Shoulder | Did Not Participate In Practice | -- |
Marvel Smith | T | Not Injury Related | Did Not Participate In Practice | -- |
Hines Ward | WR | Not Injury Related | Did Not Participate In Practice | -- |
Santonio Holmes | WR | Neck | Limited Participation in Practice | -- |
Casey Hampton | DT | Groin | Out (Definitely Will Not Play) | -- |
Brett Keisel | DE | Calf | Out (Definitely Will Not Play) | -- |
Willie Parker | RB | Knee | Out (Definitely Will Not Play) | -- |
JAX | ||||
Drayton Florence | CB | Groin | Did Not Participate In Practice | -- |
Reggie Nelson | S | Knee | Did Not Participate In Practice | -- |
Justin Durant | LB | Groin | Full Participation in Practice | -- |
Tony McDaniel | DT | Biceps | Full Participation in Practice | -- |
Reggie Hayward | DE | Hamstring | Limited Participation in Practice | -- |
Rashean Mathis | CB | Shin | Limited Participation in Practice | -- |
Brad Meester | C | Biceps | Limited Participation in Practice | -- |
Chris Naeole | G | Knee | Limited Participation in Practice |
-- |