The Jaguars beat the Steelers 45-42 in an AFC Divisional Playoff matchup Sunday to advance to the conference championship for the first time since January 2000.
The victory was an impressive one for a team that went 3-13 just last season and entered the game as significant underdogs against a team that already seemed to be looking ahead to next week. And afterward, the Jaguars were not exactly what you’d call diplomatic about the victory.
As usual, the Jaguars’ most rambunctious postgame talker was cornerback Jalen Ramsey, who colorfully called out the Steelers for looking past them.
Jags CB Jalen Ramsey: “I was wondering why they were so confident. We stung their ass last time.” …Were they mad about the disrespect? “We don’t give a f***. We really don’t care.”
— Jeff Darlington (@JeffDarlington) January 14, 2018
Jalen Ramsey: "They asked for us, and they got it. Let's keep it real, we should have blown them out." #Jaguars #DTWD
— J.P. Shadrick (@jpshadrick) January 14, 2018
Elsewhere, defensive tackle Malik Jackson interrupted teammate Calais Campbell’s postgame interview to clap back at Titans defensive end Jurrell Casey, who said earlier this month he expected Jags quarterback Blake Bortles to choke in the postseason.
https://twitter.com/AlyssaLang/status/952662345951653888
Jaguars cornerback A.J. Bouye was generous enough to praise Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell, but only before blasting Bell and his teammates for acting as if a rematch against the Patriots next week was a foregone conclusion.
AJ Bouye on Bell: “He’s a heck of a player. He deserves everything he’s got, but if you’re looking past us and then you get hit in the mouth, look what happens. They’re going home and they’re gonna watch us next week."
— Sean Gentille (@seangentille) January 14, 2018
The general theme of the Jaguars’ shit-talking was, for good reason, other people watching them next week.
Even the Jaguars’ official team Twitter account got in on the action, mocking Steelers safety Mike Mitchell for talking prematurely about New England…
You can play them on @EAMaddenNFL all offseason. #DTWD https://t.co/ykG44quI7d
— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) January 14, 2018
… and calling back to an earlier Steelers tweet with a pointed and well-timed “Winter is here.”
Winter is here 👑#DTWD pic.twitter.com/XgN9HWt4ZT
— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) January 14, 2018
Unless you’re a Pittsburgh fan, you’ve got to appreciate what the Jaguars are doing here. When you win one of the biggest games in franchise history, especially against a hubristic favorite, you deserve to gloat a little bit. And as for the Steelers, when you talk a big game and then lose, you deserve to be stunted on a little bit.
However, it’s worth noting that the Jaguars and Steelers will face off again in 2018, and just as Pittsburgh gave Jacksonville plenty of bulletin-board material before this game, the Jags are giving the Steelers similar ammunition for that one. Not that anyone in Jacksonville is thinking about that right now. The Jaguars and going to the AFC Championship game, and they should talk shit while they can.
