We are closing in on the halfway point of the NFL season as we’ve hit Week Eight. Here’s everything you need to know as the Pittsburgh Steelers host the Jacksonville Jaguars in this AFC battle.
What: Jacksonville Jaguars 5-2 at Pittsburgh Steelers 4-2
Where: Acrisure Stadium Pittsburgh, PA
When: 1pmET Sunday October 29th, 2023
Weather: 61 degrees with light rain and winds to 8mph. Could see showers throughout the game.
Wagering Information: Jaguars -3 O/U 42
Last Week: The Jags beat the Saints 31-24 while the Steelers beat the Rams 24-17. Both teams were on the road.
TV: CBS Ian Eagle (play-by-play), Charles Davis (analysis), Evan Washburn (field reporter)
TV Coverage in Your Area: See if you’re getting the game! Click here 506sports.com.
Radio: Steelers Nation Radio/WDVE Bill Hillgrove (play-by-play), Craig Wolfley (analysis), Missi Matthews (sideline),
Max Starks (sideline)
Head Official: Alan Eck. Eck is in his very first season as a head official. He is a graduate of Bloomsburg State and is a tax manager. This is his first career game calling the Steelers. Based on what I’ve seen recently, I’m expecting controversial calls.
Key Injuries/Game Status (courtesy steelers.com) PIT: No. 24 CB Joey Porter Jr. (Calf) – Questionable
No. 29 CB Levi Wallace (Foot) – Questionable, No. 42 CB James Pierre (Ankle) – Questionable JAX: No. 32 CB Tyson Campbell (Hamstring) – Questionable, No. 5 S Andre Cisco (Hamstring) – Questionable , No. 7 WR Zay Jones (Knee) – Out
No. 34 CB Gregory Junior (Hamstring) – Out , No. 16 QB Trevor Lawrence (Knee) – Questionable, No. 72 OL Walker Little (Knee) – Questionable, No. 68 OL Brandon Scherff (Ankle) – Questionable
Injury Notes: While all three are expected to play, injury concerns with three of your cornerbacks are never good… Zay Jones being out hopes slow down the Jags’ receivers a bit.
2023 NFL Ranks:
Total Offense: PIT 28th JAX 8th Passing Offense: PIT 28th JAX 11th Rushing Offense: PIT 29th JAX 11th
Total Defense: PIT 12th JAX 19th Passing Defense: PIT 15th JAX 32nd Rushing Defense: PIT 23rd JAX 6th
AFC North Rankings: Baltimore 5-2, Cleveland 4-2, Pittsburgh 4-2, Cincinnati 3-3
This Week in the AFC North: Cleveland at Seattle 405pmET, Cincinnati at San Francisco 425pmET, Baltimore at Arizona 425pmET
What You Need to Know: Mike Tomlin is 5-2 all-time against the Jaguars… Since 1970, the Steelers have the best record in the NFL in the month of October 141-73 (.659)… Pittsburgh has played 108 games since 1970 against QBs drafted number one overall. They are 67-37-4 in those games… The Steelers are 4-0 when they have the turnover advantage this season… Pittsburgh has outscored its last two opponents 28-0 in the fourth quarter… Cam Heyward (184) and Chris Boswell (122) are the longest-tenured Steelers. T.J. Watt is third with 93 games.
Jacksonville Jaguars Names to Know: QB Trevor Lawrence, RB Travis Etienne, WR Calvin Ridley, WR Christian Kirk, LB Josh Allen, TE Evan Engram, LB Trevon Walker, K Brandon McManus
What’s at Stake: The Jags find themselves in a much more competitive AFC South than they probably anticipated. With both Houston and Indianapolis on their heels, they need to keep winning. Pittsburgh sees all three division foes on the road out west but the team ahead of them in the standings, Baltimore, has the easiest contest in Arizona. Keeping up with them is crucial to their postseason hopes.
All-Time Series: Jaguars lead 14-13 and lead in Pittsburgh 7-6
Last Meeting: November 2020 in Jacksonville. Steelers 27 Jaguars 3
Postseason History: Jaguars lead 2-0
Steelers Game Highs vs JAX: PASSING: 469 yards Ben Roethlisberger 01/14/2018 RUSHING: 146 yards Rashard Mendenhall 10/16/2011 RECEIVING: 196 yards Yancy Thigpen 10/26/1997 H 9 W, 23-17 SACKS: 3.0 Chad Brown 11/17/1996 INTERCEPTIONS: 2 Dewayne Washington 11/22/1998… Minkah Fitzpatrick 11/22/2020… Terrell Edmunds 11/22/2020
Check out the latest Steel City Blitz Steelers Podcast for more on the Steelers.
Three Things We Need to See for a Steelers’ Victory:
1. Throw—->Run. The Jags’ defense is DEAD last against the pass right now. That means you have to take advantage. Kenny Pickett and Matt Canada need to build off of their solid second halves from Sunday and come out firing. This doesn’t mean you abandon the run, in fact, you throw to set up the run. This is a perfect opportunity to get Pickett into rhythm early with some play-action which will then force those safeties and linebackers back a bit. Then… you come with the duo of Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren on the ground. Did I make it all sound too easy? Nothing in the NFL is “easy,” but sometimes you just have to do the obvious!
2. Come From All Areas. Defensive Coordinator Teryl Austin referred to this on Thursday and I’m going to add some significant exclamation points. He discussed getting T.J. Watt into better positions to rush the passer and not always from his typical spot on the edge. In recent games, offenses have been using tight ends and back to not just ‘chip’ on Watt but to try and delay him longer than usual. Then, we see a guard usually step out and become the next hurdle on his way to the QB. Austin has to get Watt more opportunities to come from over the center or guard gaps. Let him delay and spy a bit which also brings in his tremendous ability to knock balls out of the air. Austin has to counter what opposing offenses are doing and this should be a nice way to do it. Heck, maybe even go with three OLBs at the same time!
3. The Gum Chewer. When your offense is struggling to score points and sustain drives, especially early in games, you have to get creative with your Special Teams. Danny Smith’s units have played well all season long and they’ve already authored a huge blocked punt in the win over Baltimore. When you’re playing a team like Jacksonville whose offense has been clicking, you have to generate points and short fields. Don’t be surprised if you see something big in the punt return game or maybe a wrinkle or two when the Steelers are punting. I don’t have any inside information but the time just feels right for Danny Smith to come up with something that changes the momentum of the game.
Prediction: There aren’t many teams that have a winning record against the Steelers in Pittsburgh but Jacksonville is one of them. Two postseason wins and several other ‘upsets’ have left Steelers Nation is shock for years. The Jags are playing well and have gotten out early against teams in recent weeks which is extremely dangerous for a Steelers’ team that doesn’t exactly score a lot of points. I’d like to believe Matt Canada and company started some momentum with last week’s second half but my confidence level in that is low. I think the Steelers keep this one close but they won’t be close enough.
Jaguars 26 Steelers 20
Season Prediction Record: 2-4
