There aren’t too many overly plausible scenarios in which the Pittsburgh Steelers make the playoffs without the Jacksonville Jaguars losing (or tying) Sunday. Whether the Steelers win or not. Pittsburgh will be playing a very good but perhaps unmotivated Baltimore Ravens team that has already secured a first-round bye. That makes it potentially a winnable game if they don’t have much to play for other than pride. Getting out of the game healthy is far healthier than winning.
But the Jaguars’ Week 18 opponent reminds us that there is a lot more to playing the game than winning championships. There’s pride. And there’s anger, frustration, disappointment. The Tennessee Titans are already eliminated from postseason contention, but head coach Mike Vrabel was asked what reasons he had to be motivated to beat the Jaguars yesterday and gave a passionate answer.
“Because it sucks to lose, Gentry”, he said in response to the initial question, referring to Gentry Estes of The Tennessean, who asked the question. He paused as another reporter asked a question before continuing to go on, through his frustration. “Did you have another thought, or not? I’m just curious”.
“It fucking sucks. Losing. Awful. That’s why I want to win”, Vrabel said. “Because you don’t sleep. You want to win for the players that bust their tail. That’s it. It’s not about, ‘Hey, we’ll go into the offseason with a good note’. Nobody knows what you did on January 7 or 8 or 6 in April when you come back”.
Since winning his first game in Week Eight against the Atlanta Falcons, rookie QB Will Levis has gone 2-6. The Titans are 2-7 overall since then with three consecutive losses, twice to the division-rival Houston Texans. They were blown out 26-3 on Sunday against Houston.
“You want to see it all come together and just put four quarters together, win a game”, Vrabel said about his motivation to win a game that has no playoff implications for his team. “I think that’s why. You just put yourself in a competitive situation, come up with a way to make a play in the second half to win the game. That’s what I hope for.
“Sorry about my language”.
The game has plenty of playoff implications for the Steelers, though. If Vrabel’s Titans can beat (or tie) the Jaguars, then Pittsburgh only needs to beat the Ravens to make it to the playoffs. And they might not even have to win.
Of course, they will play their game on Saturday, and won’t know the result of the Titans-Jaguars game until the following afternoon. They could know by around 4 PM on Sunday whether they have another game to prepare for.
The Jaguars have not been a hot commodity either, however. Prior to trouncing the hapless Carolina Panthers on Sunday, they had lost four games in a row. They could get QB Trevor Lawrence back, but he won’t be 100 percent either way. So here’s to hoping Vrabel earns himself a good night’s sleep on Sunday, a birthday present for me.
