DT Jackson: Jaguars 'tired of being disrespected'

Jacksonville defensive tackle Malik Jackson didn't take too kindly to having Pittsburgh Steelers safety Mike Mitchell verbally dismiss the Jaguars prior to their divisional-round game last weekend.

"We earned the respect we had when we went out there and handled them the first time, to be disrespected the second time, people said it was a fluke and this and that, it was disrespectful," the 28-year-old Jackson told Pro Football Talk Live. "Just tired of being disrespected, tired of being questioned. In the final four, nobody can question you."

The Jaguars intercepted Ben Roethlisberger five times en route to a 30-9 triumph in Week 5. Despite the lopsided result, Mitchell told Sports Illustrated last week that the Steelers were expecting to redeem themselves against the New England Patriots in the postseason -- thus, casting aside the Jaguars before the teams' game.

"We're going to play (the Patriots) again," the 30-year-old Mitchell said at the time. "We can play them in hell, we can play them in Haiti, we can play them in New England. ... We're gonna win."

As it turns out, the Steelers did not win last weekend -- dropping a 45-42 decision to Jacksonville.

The third-seeded Jaguars will test their mettle on Sunday (3:05 p.m. ET) when they visit the top-seeded Patriots in the AFC Championship Game at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass.