Trying to get the offense into rhythm, the Steelers unwittingly played into the Jaguars’ hands. Instead, Ramsey uses his closing speed and makes a great play on the ball: Roethlisberger, presumably expecting a blitz, locks onto Smith-Schuster and throws early, anticipating Smith-Schuster getting open on his comeback route. But at the snap, only the four down linemen actually rush the Jaguars drop back seven players into coverage. Pittsburgh is lined up in the shotgun with 1-1 personnel, 1 and Jacksonville has its nickel package in.īoth linebackers are up at the line of scrimmage, along with safety Barry Church, indicating a blitz is coming. This seems like a mistake, given that Pittsburgh only needs 6 yards to convert. Here’s how Jacksonville lined up:Īt the top of the screen, Ramsey is giving Steelers wideout JuJu Smith-Schuster almost 10 yards of cushion. ![]() Down 7-3 with 1:20 still on the clock, they still had plenty of time to score before heading into the locker room. ![]() Just before the end of the first half, the Steelers were facing a 3rd-and-6 at their own 19-yard line. The strategy also limited downfield options, giving the Jaguars’ second-ranked pass rush plenty of time to create pressure and force Roethlisberger to make mistakes. After the snap, the Jaguars frequently dropped back into middle-of-the-field zones while the corners clamped down on the outside receivers.īy rushing four and dropping seven, the Jaguars allowed a lot of short completions, but they limited post-catch damage. They also flashed different blitzes, but according to the ESPN Stats & Information Group, they only blitzed once. With second-year cornerback Jalen Ramsey lined up tight on All-Pro wideout Antonio Brown, Roethlisberger tested Ramsey by going long - and completing a 49-yard bomb.īut if Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley had faith in Roethlisberger and his wide receivers, Jaguars defensive coordinator Todd Wash had faith in his athletic secondary.Įarly in the game, Jacksonville showed a lot of tight man and off-man looks, with a single high safety. On the Jaguars’ first defensive play of the game, at least, they didn’t do much. So just what did they do to the Steelers? Yet they opened as 6.5-point underdogs, with Vegas bookmakers not believing they can do what they did to the Steelers a second time. On Sunday, the Jaguars will return to the scene of their triumph. The Jaguars didn’t throw the ball well either, but they didn’t need to: Tailback Leonard Fournette rumbled for 181 yards and two touchdowns, while two Jaguars defenders returned interceptions for touchdowns. The Steelers managed just three field goals on 12 offensive possessions. ![]() Roethlisberger threw 55 passes in that Week 5 matchup, netting just 5.67 yards per attempt with no touchdowns and a whopping five interceptions. The last time the Jacksonville Jaguars came into Heinz Field, the 7.5-point underdogs embarrassed quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and his Pittsburgh Steelers so badly, Roethlisberger wondered aloud if he didn’t “have it anymore.”
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