Jaguars at Patriots

When the Jags travel to New England for this wildcard playoff game the computer sees a close contest.

Our killer stat, yards per pass attempt will likely play a key role in deciding the winner.

The Pats' offensive passing efficiency game is stronger than league average as shown in the chart below.

Yards per Pass Att New England Patriots 2005 through Week 17

While the Jags pass D is stronger than league average (see chart below), in their last 5 games 3 of 5 performances were poor (giving up more than 7.5 yards per opponent pass). The two strong games came facing modest opposition: 49ers and Titans.

Opp Yds per Pass Att Jacksonville Jaguars 2005 through Week 17

Coach Belichick keeps his cards to close to the vest during the regular season. Then pulls some aces out of his sleeve during the playoffs in the big money games. Look for some surprises and open receivers when QB Brady drops back to throw.

While the computer call this a dead-even matchup, Bill and Bud like the Pats.

Bill Sanders and Bud Goode

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