Steelers need to keep Jaguars away from Big Ben
Associated Press
Ben Roethlisberger rolls out as a Jacksonville defensive end pressures him during a game in 2014.
Jaguars Jets Football
New York Jets quarterback Josh McCown (15) eludes Jacksonville Jaguars defender Malik Jackson during the first half Sunday's game in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
MEMORABLE SERIES MOMENT
Jaguars 23, Steelers 17 OT
Oct. 16, 2005, at Heinz Field
The Steelers won the last three October games against the Jaguars since losing this one in overtime with Tommy Maddox at quarterback. Ben Roethlisberger hyperextended his knee the previous Monday night in a thrilling win at San Diego, and Maddox got the call against the underdog Jaguars, who were led by second-year quarterback Byron Leftwich. The Steelers tied the game early in the fourth quarter on a short Jeff Reed field goal, and then blew a chance to win the game after reaching the Jacksonville 25, from where Maddox was sacked and Jeff Reed missed a 46-yard field goal. The Steelers opened overtime at the Jacksonville 26 courtesy of Quincy Morgan’s kick return, but once again, instead of Jerome Bettis, Bill Cowher used Willie Parker, who lost three, gained two and watched Maddox fumble the ball away. The Steelers did manage to get the ball back, but Maddox turned it over for a fourth time, this one to Steelers killer Rashean Mathis, who returned an interception 41 yards for the win. The Jaguars went on to a 12-4 finish, while the Steelers of course went on to win their fifth Lombardi Trophy.
TALE OF THE TAPE
“Jacksonville is very simple. Probably half of their rushing attack is simply 14 and 15 straight. That’s simply people coming off cheek-to-cheek and double-teaming and double-chin-strapping their way and trying to blow you up. That’s all it is. It’s very simple. They’re going to run a 4 and 5 trap, but they are really going to spend a great deal of time running it straight with Leonard Fournette. It could be a battle of the fullbacks. They’ll come out with two tight ends and a fullback and try to hammer away. It’ll be interesting to see if the Steelers come out with Rosie Nix and their tight ends and run the ball similarly.” — Steelers Radio analyst Craig Wolfley.
TOP QUESTION
Can the Steelers keep the Jaguars’ pass-rushers away from Roethlisberger?
The NFL’s leading pass-rushers, the Jaguars will line up against the Steelers without their best tackle, Marcus Gilbert. The Jaguars have recorded 15 of their 18 sacks in games at Houston and New York (Jets). The Steelers have allowed an average of 1.25 sacks of Roethlisberger in home games the last two seasons.
THREE QUESTIONS:
With DL TYSON ALUALU
Q: Jacksonville surprised everyone by making you the No. 10 pick of the 2010 draft. Were you surprised?
TA: “For sure. I didn’t even know Jacksonville had interest in me. I probably met with them at the Combine, but I was told by a lot of teams they were going to draft me late in the first. So to get that call, to be called, at No. 10, yeah, I can’t lie. I was definitely surprised.”
Q: How would you sum up your seven years there?
TA: “I’m thankful. I’ve grown a lot just as a person from that experience. It was just unfortunate how things played out. There was excitement year after year and things just never turned around. So frustration definitely came from not having winning seasons, not winning a lot of games. When you compete, you want to reap those benefits, and for it to not turn out that way, it’s tough. I always wanted to be part of the turnaround.”
Q: And now you’re trying to prevent that turnaround. Ironic, isn’t it?
TA: “Right. They have a good thing going on, especially on the defensive side. They have a lot of great playmakers and everybody’s playing pretty well from the guys up front to the guys on the back end. This is going to come down to who’s going to play better defense. I know they’ve given up some rushing yards but I know they are coming in thinking they’re going to face a good O-line and good running game, so this will be the game that they’re trying to prove they can stop the run.”
GAME BREAKDOWN
What to look for from the Steelers at 1 p.m. today at Heinz Field:
ON OFFENSE:
The Jaguars possess the NFL’s No. 1 pass rush and No. 1 pass defense, but run up against a Steelers offense that loves playing at home in October. In the last seven October home games over the last three years, the Steelers averaged 31 points per game.
ON DEFENSE:
The Jaguars have scored on every opening drive this season with an average drive of 12 plays for 55 yards. Their plan is to get a lead and let their pass rush go to work. Without injured wide receiver Allen Robinson (tore ACL in opener), the Jaguars aren’t a come-from-behind team. QB Blake Bortles has struggled with a passer rating of 81.7 and he’ll be going up against a Steelers defense that’s completely healthy for the first time this season.
PREDICTION
Roethlisberger has a passer rating of 121.1 in his last six home games, and Matavis Bryant, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Le’Veon Bell have been nurtured to the point where they’re poised to help Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown and the Steelers in a big way. And I believe the young and healthy defense is on the cusp of becoming a dominant unit. It just might all come together today. … Steelers, 37-10.
BY THE NUMBERS
3: Sacks allowed by the Jaguars, fewest in the NFL.
5.7: Yards per carry allowed by Jaguars, dead last in the NFL.
10: Sacks in opener by Jaguars, the only team with more (18) this season than the Steelers (15).
38: Honorary number at Ole Miss once worn by Chucky Mullins that was bestowed upon Mike Hilton his senior year. “Anybody wearing 38 for Ole Miss is going to get your attention. That’s the first way he got our attention,” said Mike Tomlin.
51: Touchdown passes from Roethlisberger to Brown, team record by two over Terry Bradshaw and Lynn Swann.
112: Touchdown passes from Peyton Manning to Marvin Harrison, the NFL QB-WR duo record.
DOWNLOADS
n The Jaguars must be a dull topic for local media obsessed this week with the “distraction” of Brown upending a Gatorade bucket on the sideline in Baltimore. “You just try to understand that guys are passionate and want to contribute and want to make plays and there’s going to be some emotion out there,” said coordinator Todd Haley. “I’ve been one of the emotional ones at different times, so I’m understanding of it.”
n Jaguars defensive end Calais Campbell is co-leader in the AFC with 5½ sacks, followed by second-year end Yannick Ngakoue with four. “I was with Calais when we drafted him in Arizona,” Haley said of the 6-8, 300-pound “elephant end.” As for Ngakoue, “I’m not going to pronounce 91’s name and disrespect him, but he’s a great up-and-coming guy.” Steelers safety Sean Davis played with Ngakoue at Maryland. “Yon-ick N-gok-way,” Davis said. “People are starting to see what he’s doing now and I’m happy because that’s my brother. But we’ve got to shut him down this week. He can be my brother next week.”
n Joe Haden had back-to-back interceptions during Wednesday’s practice and could be on the verge of breaking his 10-game streak without an interception. He’s had 19 in his 6¼ seasons. “The thing I’ve learned over the years is I can’t chase them,” he said. “They’re going to start coming, and when they start coming they come in bunches.”
n New Steelers tight end Vance McDonald impressed with his blocking skills while on the move Sunday in Baltimore. He said he mastered the skill during his first two years in San Francisco. “Bruce Miller got hurt and I played fullback pretty much the whole season under Greg Roman,” McDonald said. “In his offense that’s all we did was run gap schemes for Frank Gore. So we went into the Ravens game with a game plan to pound the ball and be physical up front and we ran a lot of big-people packages. That’s how we attacked them.”
n Fournette rushed for 100 yards in the opener, his NFL debut, and has gained 285 yards at 3½ per carrry so far. He was the fourth pick of the last draft after compiling 3,830 rushing yards (6.2 avg.) in three seasons at LSU. Steelers reserve tackle Jerald Hawkins was on the LSU line for two of those seasons. “He’s elusive, he’s fast, he’s big. He’s one of those complete backs, especially for his size,” Hawkins said of the 6-0, 240-pound Fournette. “We were playing Auburn in one of his first years and he threw a guy over his head. He was running, stopped and launched him.”
PARTING SHOT
“I wouldn’t characterize their play as up and down. They’ve been consistently tough. Some of the games have been blown open because turnovers tend to do that to football games. As I watch them, I see a group that’s tough on defense. I see a group that runs the ball.” — Mike Tomlin.