It's a Trap! (Rich)

This game has all the makings of a classic NFL trap game:

• It's sandwiched between two apparently bigger games, the emotional Charger win on Monday night, and the first of two games with Cincinnati that look like they'll decide the division.
• The Steelers have a short week following a red-eye flight. I've taken two red-eye flights this fall, and they screw you up for a couple of days afterward, even if you have no need (ok, ability) to perform at world-class-athlete levels that week.
• Jacksonville is stout. They may be tougher than they are good at this point, but that means they could easily manhandle any team that comes in without being at the top of their game.
• The injury situation is grim. Tommy Maddox will probably be the QB, although you can't help but feel that the uncertainty all week isn't good for anyone. Perhaps more importantly, Hines Ward seems likely to miss the first game of his career. Ricardo Colclough is also out, which means Bryant McFadden probably goes from inactive all season to the dime cornerback against a WR corps that goes four-deep (Smith, Williams, Jones, Wilford).

On the other hand, the Steelers have several things going for them as well. Fred Taylor might not play, which is a big loss for the Jags. Last year's team survived several equally troubling looking games, including a late-season battle with these very Jags that added mightily to the lore of Big Ben. And of course the biggest one is home-field advantage.

Given all that, I expect this game to be just as close as last year's. There shouldn't be any panic if we lose this one, provided we use the week to get healthy. The real potential for disaster is if one or more times this week we hear: Oh, it looks like he's aggravated that injury, and they aren't talking about Fred Taylor.

--rich erenberg