Jacksonville, who currently holds the second-longest win streak (4) in the NFL will head to Pittsburgh to take on the Steelers in a week 8 matchup. Both of these franchises have a lot of familiarity with one another, and the last time these teams faced off in Pittsburgh the Jaguars won 45-42 in the Divisional round of the playoffs in 2018.
Injuries are plaguing the Jaguars as of right now even after ten days of rest from their previous game on Thursday night football with a win in New Orleans over the Saints. Tyson Campbell, Andre Cisco, Walker Little, Brandon Scherff, and Trevor Lawrence are all listed as questionable. Zay Jones has been ruled out as he is still dealing with a lingering knee injury, but Davon Hamilton is expected to make his season debut. Pittsburgh may only be missing Levi Wallace, Joey Porter Jr, and potentially Patrick Peterson but this will loom large for the Steelers’ secondary,
Pittsburgh’s offense is in for a big challenge against this Jaguars defense which is number one in the NFL in takeaways with 16 on the season so far. Matt Canada, the offensive coordinator for the Steelers hasn’t done a great job as Pittsburgh ranks 26th in points per game, 25th in passing yards per game, and 28th in rushing yards per game. Second-year Quarterback Kenny Pickett hasn’t taken that next step up yet and has been struggling this year as he has thrown for 1,257 yards, with five touchdowns, and four interceptions, and ranks 30th in quarterback rating (QBR).
Jacksonville’s defense may potentially be missing a few key players but they still have a very talented group that can wreak havoc. Darious Williams is number one in the NFL with 11 passes defended, and both he and Andre Cisco are tied for second in the NFL with three interceptions. Josh Allen has been dominant all season long as he has recorded seven sacks, has 33 QB pressures, and is second in QB hits with ten of them. The Jaguars’ defense ranks fourth in run defense and will be looking to stop Najee Harris and their run game, forcing Kenny Pickett to beat them.
The Jaguars offense will have to play mistake-free football and be on their best game versus a very good Steelers defense led by Minkah Fitzpatrick and TJ Watt. Trevor Lawrence is second in the NFL average time to throw at 2.43 seconds (per NFL Next Gen Stats) and will need to get the ball out quickly again this week with Alex Highsmith and TJ Watt getting after him. Jacksonville’s offensive line last week allowed an 8.6% pressure rate which was the lowest recorded versus any defense in the NFL.
Look for Travis Etienne to be the key to the Jaguars’ offense as in the last three weeks he has 58 carries, for 244 yards, and six rushing touchdowns. Travis is also tied for first in the NFL with 32 forced missed tackles.
Both teams are looking to get a big win as the Jaguars will be chasing after the number one seed in the AFC, and the Steelers will be looking to snag first place in the AFC North. Jacksonville comes into this game as a -2.5-point road favorites and will be looking to make it five straight wins in a row.
Kickoff will be at Acrisure Stadium on Sunday the 29th at 1 PM EST.