[Tommy]

The Steelers are now the favorite as their quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger is expected to play after undergoing an emergency appendectomy just two weeks ago.

The champs opened their Super Bowl defense with a 28-17 win over Miami, coming from 17-14 down to post a late victory. Backup quarterback, Charlie Batch was in superb form when given the start, throwing three touchdown passes, two more than he’s thrown in the past four seasons combined.

In their first ‘real’ game since the Super Bowl, the Steelers looked flat for long stretches. However, they have now posted nine wins in a row, including five in the regular season, and took plenty of positives out of the game.

For starters, Batch proved himself a capable back-up for Roethlisberger, who spent much of the off-season recovering from a motorcycle accident, only to suffer this latest setback.

Running back, Willie Parker had 115 yards rushing, tight end Heath Miller came up with 101 receiving yards, and wide receiver Hines Ward showed he has overcome a nagging hamstring injury with a fine touchdown.

Miller looks set for a huge season, and it was his controversial fourth quarter touchdown that proved the turning point against the Dolphins last week.

Jacksonville (1-0) was the only team in the NFL to beat both Super Bowl combatants (Pittsburgh and Seattle) last year. They finished a very productive 12-4 overall, but the season fell apart with an inglorious 28-3 loss to the Patriots in the playoffs.

Quarterback, Byron Leftwich was much maligned for the loss, and had to wear the blame in Florida all summer. Leftwich did bounce back in style in the opening week of the season, spurring the Jaguars to a 24-17 win over Dallas.

With Terrell Owens making a powerhouse debut for the Cowboys, the Jags needed to be at their best to get the “W”. Leftwich threw one touchdown pass and ran in another, and running back Fred Taylor had 115 total yards.

The critics have been putting plenty of question marks over Jacksonville since the retirement of five-time Pro Bowler, Jimmy Smith over the summer. Wide receivers, Matt Jones (71 yards), Reggie Williams (47 yards) and Ernest Wilford (58 yards) all stepped up last week to show there is life after the prolific Smith.

The win was costly, however, with the Jaguars losing defensive end Reggie Hayward for the season with a torn Achilles tendon.

Summary: The Jaguars took the last meeting between the teams 23-17 in overtime last season, and there’s likely to be little between these two solid contenders again this time around. Jacksonville is the slight underdog, but they are more than capable of producing the upset.

By Tony Adams of VIP Sports Edge.

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