If last week’s impressive showing by the Steelers in a 26-9 victory over the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium seemed like a dream to many fans, the Steelers gave their fans the ultimate nightmare in this week’s performance against the Jaguars.
In perhaps the worst performance of his 14-year career, Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger threw five interceptions–including two that were returned for touchdowns–as the Steelers fell to visiting Jacksonville, 30-9, before a stunned and displeased Heinz Field crowd on Sunday.
- Pittsburgh jumped out of gate strong, when Roethlisberger found receiver Antonio Brown for a 49-yard pass on the team’s first offensive play of the day.
Barry Church takes it to the house as Ben Roethlisberger can only look on. Photo Credit: Barry Reeger, Penn Live
However, as has been a theme for the Steelers supposed high-powered unit so far this season, the offense reached the 13-yard line and had a first and 10, but ultimately could only muster a Chris Boswell 29-yard field goal and a 3-0 advantage.
On Pittsburgh’s next offensive series, Roethlisberger tried to find tight end Vance McDonald on a pass down the seam, but he was intercepted by cornerback Jalen Ramsey, who returned it to the Pittsburgh 46.
Speaking of themes, the Jaguars started what would become a theme on the day, by marching 47 yards and converting Roethlisberger’s miscue into a score, when running back Leonard Fournette skied over the Steelers defensive line and into the end zone for a two-yard touchdown to make it 7-3, visitors.
The teams traded punts over the next three series, but with less than a minute left in the second quarter, inside linebacker Ryan Shazier made a heads-up play, when he ripped a pass from the grasps of tight end James O’Shaughnessy and intercepted it at the 39-yard line with 41 seconds left in the half.
- The Steelers converted this into points, by driving 45 yards on six plays, setting up Boswell’s second field goal of the day–this time from 34 yards away–and headed into the locker room trailing 7-6.
Pittsburgh received the second half kick off and produced its best offensive series of the afternoon, by methodically moving the football down to the Jacksonville five-yard line. Unfortunately, after facing a first and goal, the Steelers elected not to hand the football to All-Pro running back Le’Veon Bell and instead passed three-straight times and failed to hit pay-dirt. Boswell trotted out for a 20-yard field goal, and the Steelers now led 9-7.
- It was all downhill from there.
After T.J. Watt ended the Jaguars first offensive series of the second half with a sack of quarterback Blake Bortles, Pittsburgh faced a second and 11 from its own 22. But a short pass intended for Brown was deflected at the line-of-scrimmage and fell into the waiting arms for of linebacker Telvin Smith, who galloped 28 yards for a touchdown and a 13-9 Jaguars lead.
Just six plays later, another Ben Roethlisberger pass intended for Brown was tipped by Ramsey and intercepted by safety Barry Church, who raced 51 yards for another score and a 20-9 lead for the team from Florida.
Early in the fourth quarter, following yet another disappointing drive by the offense, the Steelers defense had a chance to get the momentum back in the home team’s favor, when Jordan Berry pinned Jacksonville down at its own four-yard line with a 51-yard punt.
However, the Jaguars marched 67 yards on 13 plays–eating up 8:07 of game-clock in the process–and effectively put the game away, when kicker Jason Myers connected on a 47-yard field goal to make it 23-9 with 6:43 left in the fourth quarter
Photo credit: Jacksonville.com
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What followed would be two more interceptions by Roethlisberger, the second pick setting up a 90-yard touchdown scamper by Fournette to put the icing on the cake for the Jaguars.
- For the day, Roethlisberger completed 33 of 55 passes for 312 yards, zero touchdowns and those five interceptions.
Brown pulled in 10 passes for 157 yards, while Bell carried just 15 times for 47 yards against a Jaguars rushing defense that came into the game last in the NFL.
As for Pittsburgh’s defense, it kept the game close through two-plus quarters, but in the end, Jacksonville became the second team in three weeks to rush for over 200 yards against it (231), with Fournette accounting for 181 yards of his own.
Next up for the Steelers is a 4:25 match-up against the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs next Sunday afternoon at Arrowhead Stadium.
