The New England Patriots enter their seventh straight AFC Championship Game as the overwhelming favorite to knock off the Jacksonville Jaguars and earn a return trip to the Super Bowl.Although their spot in Minneapolis has been penciled in by some, the Patriots aren't underestimating the AFC South champion ahead of Sunday's clash at Gillette Stadium.The game still has to be won on the field, and with little pressure on the Jaguars as the underdog, the Patriots must deliver their best performance of the season in order to fulfill their dreams of becoming back-to-back Super Bowl champion.Will The Jaguars Struggle Against Tight Ends Again'One of the unexpected top performers in Jacksonville's divisional-round victory over Pittsburgh was Steelers tight end Vance McDonald, who made 10 receptions for 112 yards.McDonald wasn't seen as a threat to the Jaguars defense going into the contest, but he was able to exploit the gaps in the middle of the field between the pass-rushers and the secondary.If Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski thrives in a similar fashion on Sunday, the Jaguars could be in for a disastrous end to their season.The New England star poses much more of a physical threat than McDonald did a week ago.The eighth-year pro out of Arizona caught six of his nine targets for 81 yards and a touchdown in the win over the Tennessee Titans on Saturday, and he has only been targeted fewer than five times once by quarterback Tom Brady in games he's played in this season.Although the Jags boast a solid collection of linebackers, they may not be enough to contain Gronkowski, who recorded all three of his 100-yard receiving games in the regular season against teams that qualified for the postseason.Even if Jacksonville's defensive backs shut down the New England wide receivers, or the front four gets a strong pass rush on Brady, there's still a good chance the ball will end up in Gronkowski's hands at some point.What the visitors must do on Sunday is limit how many touches Gronkowski gets and where his targets occur. If the Jaguars can keep Brady from finding him on third down or in the red zone, they stand a chance of containing the beast.New England Enters with Respect for BortlesJacksonville quarterback Blake Bortles hasn't seen his name and respect in the same sentence much this season, but his AFC Championship Game opposition has plenty of that for him."I've seen some of his interviews, and it seems like he has a great attitude, laughing about it, cracking jokes. I think you see that on the field. The guy is a winner," Patriots defensive back Devin McCourty said, per ESPN's Rich Cimini.Fellow defensive back Eric Rowe chimed in with a similar sentiment, one that some opponents have not had throughout the 2017 season."You can't be trash and be in the championship game," he said, per Cimini.Since they are a well-prepared organization, you expect to hear these kind words from the Patriots about Bortles heading into their seventh consecutive conference championship game.New England isn't going to underestimate anyone on the other side of the field no matter what the perception of him is in other locker rooms.Bortles' divisional-round performance wasn't the best by anyone's standard, as he completed 14 of his 26 passes for 214 yards and a touchdown, but he didn't turn the ball over to put the Jaguars in significant danger.If the Jaguars quarterback is able to match his production from the victory over the Steelers, he should be able to at least keep his team in the game heading into the second half. Patriots Defense Looking to Prove Itself Once AgainMany perceived New England's defense to be its biggest weakness entering the postseason because of its porous stats.The Patriots came into the playoffs with the 29th-ranked total defense that conceded 366 total yards per game, with 251.3 of that average coming in the passing game.In their first playoff game, the Patriots held the Titans to 267 total yards and contained the threat of quarterback Marcus Mariota.Although the numbers may not have represented progression throughout the season, the Patriots knew they were capable of a performance such as the one they produced on Saturday.PerRich Garven of theWorcester Telegram& Gazette, McCourty said:"I think for us it was all about just progressing and getting better. I thought guys locked in on that, and I think the key part of our season is not getting away from that. We've continued to have that mentality and mindset week after week, fixing whatever we didn't do well the game before or the games before and try to get those things better."The key for the Patriots on Sunday will be limiting the production of Jaguars running back Leonard Fournette, which should put more pressure on Bortles to make plays. Even though they have respect for the Jacksonville quarterback, the Patriots would much rather have him try to beat them than Fournette.Prediction:Patriots 34, Jaguars 16Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90Statistics obtained from ESPN.com
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