Steelers are wary of Jaguars in high-stakes rematch

PITTSBURGH » At the time the score looked like a misprint.

Jacksonville 30. Pittsburgh 9. On the road. A result so stunningly one-sided Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger stood in the locker room on that gray October afternoon only half-jokingly wondering if he still had “it.”

Throwing five interceptions, two of which the Jaguars returned for momentum-swinging, confidencesapping touchdowns, will do that.

Yet Roethlisberger insists he’s not out for revenge in the rematch on Sunday when the Jaguars (11-6) visit Heinz Field in the divisional round with a trip to the AFC title game on the line.

There’s too much at stake for him to settle some sort of personal vendetta. Or so he says. “I’ll play anyone in the postseason,” Roethlisberger said.

Only Jacksonville isn’t “anyone.” Not anymore. Not after the NFL’s top-ranked defense proved that breakout performance three months ago was a sign of things to come.

The Jaguars don’t play a particularly pretty brand of football. They also don’t particularly care.

Doubt them all you want. Mock their offense at your leisure.

Last they checked, there will be 24 teams watching the playoffs this weekend and Jacksonville isn’t one of them.

“We’ve just got to score one more point than they do,” Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles said.

“It doesn’t matter who scores it, where it comes from, how we do it, what it looks like, we score one more than them and I’m happy with how we did it.”

Bortles and the other 52 guys on the roster might be the only ones.

The Steelers (13-3) entered the season as one of the favorites to reach the Super Bowl.

Despite a fall filled with drama (much of it self-created) Pittsburgh was really only pushed around once. By the Jaguars.

Take Jacksonville lightly at your peril, something the Steelers found out on Oct. 8.

“Some people come in thinking a team may be easier by their record or tougher by their record, but we know that can’t be on our mind,” Pittsburgh running back Le’Veon Bell said.

“I think that kind of got us in the first game because the Jacksonville Jaguars, they’re normally not a good team but those guys got players this year. They’ve been making plays.” AB’S BACK» Pittsburgh AllPro wide receiver Antonio Brown is expected to play after missing the final 2 ½ games of the regular season with a left calf contusion. Brown practiced all week, though he was sent home on Friday because of an illness.

Brown caught 10 passes for 157 yards in the first meeting with Jacksonville.