Led by their running back, the Jaguars scored a fifth straight victory in Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh Steelers (4-3) – Jacksonville Jaguars (6-2): 10-20
Being one of the teams in good shape in the AFC Conference, the Steelers and the Jaguars faced each other this Sunday to consolidate their respective good momentum. And in this little game, it was Jacksonville who came away winning, without really shining but carried by a very good Travis Etienne Jr. (79 yards rushing, 70 receiving, 1 TD).
Rain, punts and field goals
While it is raining heavily on Pittsburgh, the start of the match is logically to the advantage of the defenses.
Kenny Pickett’s Steelers (10/16 passing, 73 YDS) chained four punts on their first four drives. We had to wait until… the middle of the second quarter to finally see Pittsburgh advance under the leadership of receiver Diontae Johnson (8 REC, 85 YDS). But the long drive of 12 plays and 93 yards ended with nothing more than a field goal.
On the Jacksonville side, things are progressing more steadily thanks to running back Travis Etienne Jr. and some big plays from receivers Calvin Ridley (6 REC, 83 YDS) and Christian Kirk (4 REC, 46 YDS), but things are struggling to conclude. Trevor Lawrence (24/32, 292 YDS, 1 TD, 1 INT) – often under pressure – notably sends an interception in the red zone, tight end Evan Engram (10 REC, 88 YDS) makes a fumble on 18 yards opponents, and Jacksonville must be satisfied with three field goals in five drives. 3-9 at the break.
Kenny Pickett out, Mitchell Trubisky in
Hit in the ribs at the very end of the first half, quarterback Kenny Pickett was replaced by Mitchell Trubisky (15/27, 139 YDS, 1 TD, 2 INT) for the second half. A second injury for Pittsburgh after that of safety Minkah Fitzpatrick at the start of the match. And unsurprisingly, the Steelers’ offensive difficulties continue.
Worse still, Pittsburgh’s defense is cracking: while the Jaguars started the second period by losing a third ball, Travis Etienne Jr. allows Jacksonville to finally find the end zone on a 56-yard reception followed by a two-way conversion points. 3-17, it’s hard to see how the Steelers can get their heads above water.
And yet…
And yet they succeed. How ? Firstly by Mitchell Trubisky (yes yes!), who produced an excellent series at the end of the third quarter, where he notably found George Pickens – very discreet until then – for a 22-yard touchdown (10-17). Then it was the defense which once again mistreated Trevor Lawrence through the unstoppable TJ Watt.
The problem for the Steelers is that Trubisky remains Trubisky. The latter breaks all the momentum of his team by sending an interception nine minutes from the end. And the Steelers won’t recover. On the next possession, Jacksonville added a field goal to take a two possession lead. 10-20 final score.
