Although the Pittsburgh Steelers had a tough matchup in the form of the determined Jacksonville Jaguars, many players already had their mind on a rematch with the New England Patriots. This didn't sit well with 0ffensive guard David DeCastro.

Their loss to the Patriots just a few weeks earlier left an undeniable sting that the players and coaches felt determined to get rid of. As a result, various players commented on how epic their rematch against New England would be for over a month.

Unfortunately, their season ended with their disappointing 45-42 loss to Jacksonville. According to Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette , DeCastro could not be more embarrassed by how his team seemingly overlooked the Jaguars:

“They were ready to go; they were mad; they were angry; they had something to prove, and they did it,’’ DeCastro said. “Yeah, it’s embarrassing. It really is, man. It just blows my mind. They beat us 30-9 [on Oct. 9]. We played like crap, and we want to talk about New England?

“I don’t know what to say about that. It’s just stupid. It’s just not what you do. You don’t need to give a team like that more bulletin board material.”

DeCastro added that although he loves the competitive fire of his teammates, they should have been more focused on the task at hand.

“I’m never a guy to say anything about the other team but respect them and congratulate them, which is what you should do,’’ DeCastro said. “They’re a talented team and they proved that today.

“It should be obvious to me. I love my teammates and care a lot about them, but that’s not something I like to see.”

While it is never wise for a player to look too far ahead, they likely felt permitted to after head coach Mike Tomlin initially fueled the flames of a rematch with New England following their loss in late-November. Since then, one bold statement after another came from the Steelers regarding how they'd beat the Pats.

That said, perhaps it would have been wiser to take a note out of DeCastro's book of taking the season one game at a time. Unfortunately, Pittsburgh will have to wait another year to do so.