Steelers open 5.5 point favorites over Jags

[steelergenie]

Keep the pedal to the metal with more No Huddle.

The Pittsburgh Steelers are now preparing to play the Jacksonville Jaguars on the road in Week 11 and as of Monday morning they are 5.5-point favorites in that contest, according to vegasinsider.com.

The Jaguars enter Week 11 with a record of 3-6 following their Sunday 29-26 road loss to the Indianapolis Colts. In that game, Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles completed 26 of his 38 total pass attempts for 320 yards with two touchdown passes and no interceptions. His two touchdown tosses in that game went to wide receiver Donte Moncrief and running back Leonard Fournette.

For the season, Bortles is 201 of 328 passing for 2,341 yards with 12 touchdown passes and 8 interceptions. He’s also been sacked 18 times in total and sports a quarterback rating of 84.9.

The Jaguars leasing rusher to date is running back T.J. Yeldon as he has registered 346 yards and one touchdown on 84 total carries. Yeldon has been the Jaguars primary ball carrier to date because of Fournette being sidelined several games with a hamstring injury. Fournette, however, is now back contributing as of Sunday.

Yeldon is also the Jaguars leading receiver when it comes to total catches entering Week 11 as he has 42 for 397 yards and 4 touchdowns. However, Moncrief does currently lead the Jaguars in receiving yardage with 477 yards on his 32 total receptions.

The Jaguars defense is currently led in total tackles by linebacker Telvin Smith with 73 and he also has one of the 5 interceptions registered to date by that unit. Defensive ends Calais Campbell and Yannick Ngakoue are currently tied for the team lead in sacks with 5 each. As a unit, the Jaguars defense registered just 8 takeaways in their first 9 games.

The Steelers obviously don’t have a great recent history against the Jaguars as they lost to Jacksonville twice last season with the final time being in the Divisional Round of the playoffs. Both of those games were played at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh.

The Jaguars also currently lead the series between the two teams with a 14-11 record and that includes two wins over the Steelers in the two playoff meetings between the two teams. In the 12 games played between the two teams in Jacksonville to date, the Jaguars have won 7 of them. However, the Steelers have won 4 of the last 5 games played in Jacksonville.

For his career in games played against the Jaguars, Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is 4-5 and that includes two playoff losses. He registered 17 touchdown passes and 12 interceptions in those 9 games. Roethlisberger, however, is 3-1 against the Jaguars in games played in Jacksonville with 6 touchdown passes and 3 interceptions.

[Ice]

The fact that the series record is 14-11 Jags is a little embarrassing.

[jeemie]

The fact that the series record is 14-11 Jags is a little embarrassing.

The Jags were pretty damn good when they and the Steelers were in the same division.

Jags made the AFCCG in their second-ever season.

Although we did lose the first-ever matchup with them in 1995.

Jags have won 6 of the last 9, which is where the three game difference comes from (before that, the teams split 8-8, with five of those eight losses coming in years when Jacksonville was very good, and a sixth coming when the Steelers also had a non-playoff year).

To be fair:

The first of those six losses in the past was with Tommy Maddox at QB.
The second was Ben coming back from going through a windshield and recovering from his appendix being taken out.
The next two were in 2007 when the team faded badly in Tomlin’s first season (also the infamous QB sweep in the playoffs and the blatant holding missed on Garrard’s run that set up the Jags’ winning FG).

That leaves last year- yeah- those were embarrassing losses.

[Ice]

True, many of those games were during the Coughlin vs Cowher rivalry of uber-conservative coaching, and yeah, those were tough divisional games, we've had some seriously embarrassing losses to Jacksonville even when they weren't. Pick sixes (authored by Tammy and Ben), David Garrard, 4th and 6, those twin beauties from last season; and the list goes on.

Would love to see a big win on Sunday.

[jebrick]

The Colts exploited their TE coverage in the 1st half. Most of the time they had 2 TEs out their and sometimes 3. A TE was always open.

[steelergenie]

Pittsburgh’s so balanced on offense that the Jaguars should be in trouble from the first kickoff. The Steelers can exploit Jacksonville’s awful rush defense with James Conner. If the Jaguars adjust to stop the rush, Ben Roethlisberger will torch their secondary.

[Legacy User]

Pittsburgh’s so balanced on offense that the Jaguars should be in trouble from the first kickoff. The Steelers can exploit Jacksonville’s awful rush defense with James Conner. If the Jaguars adjust to stop the rush, Ben Roethlisberger will torch their secondary.

Everybody has been sucking off Big Ben and the whole team this week because of our blow out win, but I have a feeling things will come crashing back to Earth this Sunday. Shitty road Ben will show up and we'll have a garbage game against the Jags that will end with them winning yet again. I hope I can eat these words after the game.

[Legacy User]

I have to admit I'm a lot nervous about this game. They always seem to look like the Pats and we look like the keystone cops. I sure hope the upward trend continues. This game will go a long way to restore my faith. Our game last week was so surreal it's hard to believe. I cannot remember the last time I enjoyed seeing such dominance and pure luck. Everything went our way.

[Orangesteel]

Where is that loud mouth dumbfuck shit talker Jalen Ramsey?

[Orangesteel]

I have to admit I'm a lot nervous about this game. They always seem to look like the Pats and we look like the keystone cops. I sure hope the upward trend continues. This game will go a long way to restore my faith. Our game last week was so surreal it's hard to believe. I cannot remember the last time I enjoyed seeing such dominance and pure luck. Everything went our way.

It will be a tight game. Marrone and Coughlin have assembled a solid team that matches up good against us. What we have going though is 1) Bortles isn’t playing nearly as well and Fournette will not be the same RB this year because he hasn’t played and 2) they have injuries.

We put up 40 on them last January was some disasterly defensive play. Sure it up and I predict a 28-20 or 31-23 Lers’ victory.

[jeemie]

We win this one...end of story.

The boys have been dying for payback for last season's embarrassments.

They get it this week.

[Legacy User]

I think this will be a very telling game as to where we are as a team. The Jag's are not going to be an easy win. They aren't going to lay down like Carolina did after getting smacked in the mouth. I really think that Cam and Co. didn't know what to do after the right, left, uppercut rocked them. They just weren't the same.

But I do think that the Jags can be had if we don't let up on them. Just can't make mistakes and give them cheap opportunities.

If we handle our business and put together a solid 60 minute effort, walking away with a decisive win, that's going to show that there is something different about this team. Because this is exactly the type of game we lose in the past.

If we play 60 minutes of turnover free, focused ball, and minimal penalties, we win by 3 touchdowns.

[Quixotic]

Our 21 point first quarter was key to the Panthers blowout. The Steelers offense is one of the few that can come back from something like that (and we only can a fraction of the time). We do that again this week, it will take Fournette out of the picture. And a one-dimensional Blake Bortles is NOT going to get it done.

So, maybe last week was a sign of things to come. Maybe we no longer ease into games. Wouldn’t that be great?!?!

[steelergenie]

Jags may put a safety in the box and go with an 8 man front to stop Conner. Should open up the passing game if Road Ben is on target.

With the Jacksonville Jaguars hosting the Steelers in Week 11, head coach Doug Marrone outlined just how difficult it will be to defend such a potent offense. This per Teresa Varley of the Steelers’ official website:

“There is always a concern with the tight ends from the scheme of things. It is tough when you look at it and you see one of the best wide receivers in football on one end. Another young, upcoming star on this end and then a running back that is playing well and a quarterback that has been doing it for all these years. You can go down the line. An offensive line that has played together for a long time. There are different guys and different things you have to look at, but they are part of it. They are a big part of it. We have to be able to – I think that is what makes it so difficult when you defend Pittsburgh – they have a bunch of good players out there. They have a Pro Bowl running back, potentially two Pro Bowl wide receivers, a Pro Bowl quarterback and some Pro Bowl offensive lineman. Then you look at the tight ends. Vance [McDonald] – I have known for a long time. We wanted to take him when I was in Buffalo. We were trying to take him. I did a lot on him. I know what type of player he is and obviously Jesse [James] is from Penn State, and I know the job that he has done. It is a challenge and that is why it is going to take all eleven guys to do the right thing, do their job, know their role to defend this team.”

[Pabst]

Yardage-wise, the Jags D is still very good. The big difference between this year and last year is their pass rush and turnover margin

The Jags were 2nd in the NFL in sacks and turnovers last year, they're 27th in both categories in 2018.

[Legacy User]

Throw the records, the betting line and recent trends by both teams out the window

This will be a very tight game

I’d feel fortunate to win after the two beatdowns they put on us last year

[Steelafan77]

That's the thing I think is different this time. I have a good feeling about this one. Me thinks the Steelers have Not Forgotten about being humiliated Twice @ HOME once in the playoffs to send them home in January. I think this game is a statement game and I believe the Steelers go into this one like starving, rabid dogs after a wounded boar. Sooey!!

[Legacy User]

That's the thing I think is different this time. I have a good feeling about this one. Me thinks the Steelers have Not Forgotten about being humiliated Twice @ HOME once in the playoffs to send them home in January. I think this game is a statement game and I believe the Steelers go into this one like starving, rabid dogs after a wounded boar. Sooey!!

Wasn’t it supposed to be different in the playoff game last year after the regular season ass kicking?

Hey, I hope you’re right. My expecatation is for a hard fought game.....I don’t see us blowing them out. A win would be great by any means.

[Legacy User]

Wasn’t it supposed to be different in the playoff game last year after the regular season ass kicking?

We had little opportunity to acquire new players and coaches between the regular season loss to the Jags and the playoff game last year. Now we have both new players and new coaches.

This isn't 2017.

[Steelafan77]

Where is that loud mouth dumbfuck shit talker Jalen Ramsey?

Dude kinda reminds me of that one Steelers safety that got his ass handed to him playing the cheats. Was that Anthony Smith?

[Legacy User]

Where is that loud mouth dumbfuck shit talker Jalen Ramsey?

Dude kinda reminds me of that one Steelers safety that got his ass handed to him playing the cheats. Was that Anthony Smith?

It was, though I blame the reporter more for the "guarantee".