Jacksonville Jaguars Advance In The Playoffs

What once was a walk in the park for the Jaguars turned into a cliff-hanger. But thanks to Josh Scobee's late 25-yard field goal, the Jaguars defeated Pittsburgh.

Never in the Steelers' 75 seasons had a team beaten them twice in Pittsburgh in the same season. The Jacksonville Jaguars beat history -- and the Steelers -- despite a memorable fourth-quarter collapse that nearly cost the visitors their season.

Thanks to three Ben Roethlisberger picks in the first half, the Jags were walking over the Steelers. Not anymore. Big Ben's big second half placed the Steelers in the lead. However, the score that made the Steelers take the lead was a result of a false pass interference call on the offense. Hines Ward clearly had his hand in the face of the defender's mask, but the refs called pass interference on the defense. This gave the Steelers a fresh set of downs in which they eventually scored to take the lead 29-28

However, David Garrard single-handedly led his team downfield. He daringly attempted a fourth down in which he ran the ball himself to put his team in position to take the lead, which they did via a field goal by Josh Scobee. The Jags took the lead 31-29 and this became the final score after Ben Roethlisberger fumbled the final drive.

Jacksonville appeared to be done after Najeh Davenport's second 1-yard TD run of the game gave the Steelers a 29-28 lead with about six minutes remaining. But quarterback David Garrard, not a great runner, found a seam on a convert-or-else fourth-and-2 play and rambled 32 yards to the Steelers 11 with 1:56 left.

Garrard aided the Steelers' comeback by throwing two interceptions -- one less than he had all season -- only to come up with the play that may have saved the Jaguars' season.

The Jaguars came in off six wins in their last eight games, while the Steelers -- missing five starters, including star running back Willie Parker -- limped into the postseason with three losses in four games and four in seven.

Jacksonville Jaguars really deserve this win. If they would have lost because of that clearly obvious false face mask call, it would have been ashame. The Jags were the hottest team coming into the playoffs. Their young. Their hot. Their fresh. Their hungry and have the will to win. If the Titans win tomorrow, I really believe the Jags have the aggressive defense that will cause the Patriots trouble.

Willie Parker Is Out For The Season (Which Is Only 1 More Game)

The Pittsburgh Steelers' 41-24 victory over the St. Louis Rams was overshadowed by the injury sustained by leading rusher Willie Parker. Willie Parker's season ended after his first carry, and the Pittsburgh Steelers will miss the NFL's leading rusher if they get to the playoffs. But they don't miss him yet.

Najeh Davenport, a career backup running back with typical non-descript statistics, has two huge games since entering the league as a fourth-round draft pick of the Green Bay Packers in 2002. Both have come against the St. Louis Rams, with Davenport's three-touchdown, 123-yard rushing effort pacing a 41-24 victory on Thursday night.

Parker, who has 1,316 yards, limped off the field with a broken bone in his lower right leg in the first quarter after only one carry for minus-1 yard. Davenport eased any worries with a game that rivaled his 178-yard effort for the Packers against the Rams, in a 45-17 Monday Night victory in 2004. He was filling in for Ahman Green at the time. The Steelers are lucky to have such a good backup running back, as Willie Parker's injury could really effect them in the playoffs, if they make it in.

The Steelers, 8-8 last season, can clinch the division with a Cleveland loss at Cincinnati on Sunday. They also can clinch a playoff berth if the Titans lose to the Jets.

It must be a curse to be a leading rusher this season. First, Ronnie Brown gets injured very early in the season and was out for the rest of the year. Then Adrian Peterson, who was the hottest running back in the league at one point, was injured and has produced mediocre numbers the past few weeks. Now, Willie Parker, who entered the game leading the league in rushing yards, will be out if the Steelers make the playoffs.