1999: Jags VS Bucs

[74_75_78_79_]

Would Tampa's D be stingy vs high-octane Jags' O as they were to Rams? Who wins this contrast-in-styles hypo-Florida-SBXXXIV? My pick is TB. They would slow the game down in their favor.

[ChrisBabcock]

Granted I'm using the "defense wins championships" fallback argument but the Bucs had a 6-5 lead late in the 4th quarter over the Greatest Show on Turf. No reason they shouldn't be able to shut down the Jags too. Not only would they win but I think it could have been like one of those late 80s/early 90s NFC over the AFC blowouts.

34-17 Tampa Bay

[CSKreager]

Jags were no slouches defensively themselves (and ran the ball well with Stewart/Taylor- not exactly late 80s Denver) and the Bucs offense was so bad it made the 2000 Ravens look like Air Coryell.

I think that Jags team was built to beat anybody not named the Titans (lest we forget, JAX beat TB with basically the same teams the year before).

[conace21]

Jacksonville actually has the #1 scoring defense in the NFL in 1999, along with the #4 ranking in yards. (Tampa Bay was third in both categories.) Jacksonville had loads of weapons in Stewart (who led the team in rushing that year,) a healthy Taylor, Smith and McCardell. Brunell was a bit limited in the postseason with a hamstring injury.