Last week there was a lot of talk about how the Steelers play like they did against the Jaguars every week, every play. Maybe the Jaguars took something from that, but they didn’t play like it against Chicago. The played as if they could afford a few mistakes and still come away with a win. They were right, but turning it on and off each week isn’t what championship teams do. They dictate what’s going to happen from the start. It might sound like I’m picking, but if they had brought the same game to the stadium on Sunday afternoon against Chicago that they brought last Sunday night against Pittsburgh, the Bears game wouldn’t have been close.

Did the red zone, the Jaguars biggest glaring weakness get better? Just barely. Did they get better in 3rd down conversions? Not really. Twenty seven percent. But the Bears didn’t have any offense, and the Jaguars defense knew it. They stuffed the run, allowing only 31 yards rushing and recorded 5 sacks. They easily won the field position game, the special teams and the defensive aspects of the contest. Against Chicago, it was good enough, and good enough to keep them in the playoff race.

“We talked about the need to win to stay in,” Head Coach Jack Del Rio said in his post game press conference. That seemed to be the theme all week, and it carried over into the post-game locker room. “We’re hungrier, we want more, we need to go to Green Bay and get a win and stay in this thing,” Jimmy Smith noted.

Smith exceeded 1,000 yards receiving Sunday, the 8th time in 9 years he’s reached that mark. Fred Taylor topped 1,000 yards rushing for the third straight year, and expected more of his team. “I expected a blowout, honestly,” Taylor said after the game. “After watching the tapes, I thought we’d win big.” Chicago seemed determine to stop Taylor, putting eight men at the line of scrimmage, forcing Byron Leftwich to throw the ball 45 times.

“People don’t realize how close we are,” Leftwich said, referring to the playoff hunt. “I hope its 10 degrees next week in Green Bay. It’s fun to go to these stadiums you saw as a kid.”

Leftwich is steadily improving, and doesn’t appear to be part of the Jaguars problem on offense in the “red zone.” Apparently they’re not letting him check off at the line of scrimmage, so the plays we’re seeing are the plays being called by Offensive Coordinator Bill Musgrave. Obviously, they’re not working.

Leftwich is right when he says the Jaguars are close. And they’ve gotten to this point in a very unconventional manner. You’re supposed to win your home games and steal a couple on the road. You’re supposed to beat the people you’re supposed to beat, and jump up and surprise some of the teams you’re supposed to lose to. They’ve done none of that, but it’s December and the team is still talking about the playoffs.

Baltimore and Denver have tough games remaining on the schedule so they’re no lock for the playoffs either. This week in Green Bay, the Jaguars can go a long way to not only making the playoffs but proving they belong. Beating the Packers at Lambeau field while they’re trying to make the post season would qualify as the “breakout” game Del Rio has been looking for. No matter what the score.