Week two of the Preseason takes us to Florida where not surprisingly, it’s going to be hot and humid (and potentially rainy). Here’s everything you need to know about the Pittsburgh Steelers and Jacksonville Jaguars.
What: Pittsburgh Steelers 1-0 at Jacksonville Jaguars 0-2
Where: TIAA Bank Field, Jacksonville, Florida
When: 7pm Saturday August 20th, 2022
Weather: 88 degrees and rain
Wagering Information: Jaguars -3.5
Last Week: The Jags lost to Cleveland 24-13 while the Steelers won their opener at home 32-25 over Seattle.
TV: KDKA Bob Pompeani (play-by-play), Charlie Batch (color analyst), Missi Matthews (sideline reporter)
TV Coverage in Your Area: Local unless you have NFL+
Radio: Steelers Nation Radio/WDVE Bill Hillgrove (play-by-play), Craig Wolfley (color analyst) and Max Starks (sideline reporter)
Westwood One Radio: N/A
Head Official: Tra Blake
Key Injuries/Game Status (courtesy steelers.com) PIT: JAX:
Injury Notes: Teams do not have to file injury reports for the preseason. Cam Heyward tweaked his ankle in practice this week and I doubt he plays.
FINAL 2021 NFL Ranks:
Total Offense: PIT 23rd JAX 27th Passing Offense: PIT 15th JAX 22nd Rushing Offense: PIT 29th JAX 22nd
Total Defense: PIT 24th JAX 20th Passing Defense: PIT 9th JAX 17th Rushing Defense: PIT 32nd JAX 24th
AFC North Rankings: It’s Preseason… We should not care.
This Week in the AFC North: See above.
What You Need to Know: The Jags are playing their third preseason contest after participating in the Hall of Fame Game to kick off the season… Doug Pederson is in his first season as the Jags’ Coach… The Quarterback Rotation this week will be a bit telling for Mike Tomlin. Kenny Pickett ran with the second team at Camp this week and he’ll get the call after Mitchell Trubisky. Mason Rudolph will follow… Jaylen Warren is expected to get snaps with second and perhaps first teams Saturday night.
Jacksonville Jaguars Names to Know: QB Trevor Lawrence, RB Travis Etienne, QB C.J. Beathard, WR Christian Kirk, WR Zay Jones, LB Devin Lloyd, LB Chad Muma, LB Josh Allen, CB Shaquill Griffin
What’s at Stake: Staying as healthy as possible.
All-Time Series: Jags lead all-time 14-13
Playoff History: Jags lead 2-0
Last Meeting: November 2020 in Jacksonville. Steelers 27 Jaguars 3
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. Trench Warfare #1 – The offensive line did not inspire much confidence last week that they turned the corner from last season’s brutal performance. To be fair, the running lanes were better as both Anthony McFarland and Jaylen Warren found some success. The pass protection however has to be better. While Mason Cole was respectable, the rest of the starters all had moments that were less than impressive. There’s no sugar-coating this. They have to be better whether they have mobile QBs or not.
2. Trench Warfare #2 – On the flip-side is the defensive line and again there are caveats here. None of the top 3 played last week but that doesn’t mean we should expect less. Rookie Demarvin Leal flashed a couple of times when he got the chance and I think he’s going to see more snaps this week. Behind Cam Heyward, Tyson Alualu and Larry Ogunjobi are Chris Wormley, Isaiahh Loudermilk and Montravious Adams. That’s six and typically the Steelers only keep six on the roster. They sure as heck aren’t cutting Leal so unless they go with seven someone is getting the boot. My guess as it has been in recent weeks is that it’s Wormley. He struggles to against the run and the younger guys just have higher ceilings at this point.
3. Inside Backers – As far as I’m concerned, Devin Bush is on thin ice. His only saving grace is that his competition isn’t much better than what he’s showing. Robert Spillane is better against the run however and is a willing participant. I can’t say the same about Bush right now. This is also opening the door for Buddy Johnson and Mark Robinson. Both have limitations to be sure but they also showed some potential last week as well. I’m keeping a close eye on this Saturday night.
Prediction: Last week I took the Steelers 11-9. It was more high-scoring than that but hey, I got it right! This weekend they are expecting a lot of rain so I see lots of mistakes coming. I’ll take Jacksonville in a nail-biter!
Jaguars 19 Steelers 16
Season Prediction Record:
