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jacksonville.com]
From Jville newspaper:
1. Three years ago, the Jaguars blitzed Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger one time in 40 drop-backs. They didn’t change their approach for this game. Defensive coordinator Todd Wash dialed up one pressure on Roethlisberger’s 60 drop-backs (1.7 percent). The blitz was a five-man pressure in the first quarter – linebackers Paul Posluszny and Myles Jack rushed and nose tackle Abry Jones dropped into zone coverage. Posluszny was unblocked and hit Roethlisberger as he was being intercepted by cornerback Jalen Ramsey.
2. The last big play of the game – Leonard Fournette’s 90-yard touchdown run with 1:47 remaining. Right guard A.J. Cann pulled from right to left and blocked blitzing safety Mike Mitchell. Fullback Tommy Bohanon sealed out cornerback Artie Burns and Fournette scored untouched.
3. The Steelers emphasized getting the football out of Roethlisberger’s hands quickly, likely a nod to the Jaguars’ league-leading pass rush. Seventeen of his 55 attempts did not cross the line of scrimmage as Pittsburgh used quick passes to the perimeter. The Jaguars’ two sacks were in 2.77 seconds (split by Jones and Calais Campbell; Campbell blew up the play by beating left guard Ramon Foster) and 3.33 seconds (Dante Fowler beat right tackle Chris Hubbard).
4. Quarterback Blake Bortles didn’t have to do much but he did make a few nice plays. Trailing 3-0, the Jaguars had third-and-7 at their 28. The Steelers rushed five, including safety Sean Davis, who was unblocked when right tackle Jermey Parnell turned his attention inside. Bortles threw in 1.94 seconds before Davis hit him. Receiver Marqise Lee caught the pass 20 yards downfield and added 11 yards after the catch. Bortles’ only notable misfire was later that drive, on third-and-8 from the Steelers’ 39. Lee beat cornerback Joe Haden down the right sideline but Bortles overthrew Lee 26 yards downfield. Bortles also scrambled for nine yards to convert a third-and-9.
5. To start the second half, Pittsburgh turned up the tempo. The Jaguars played their “sub” (five defensive backs) personnel on the first 13 plays (including penalties) of the series. On second-and-goal from the 5, the Jaguars went to their base defense. Roethlisberger threw quickly to tailback Le’Veon Bell, but linebacker Paul Posluszny – in his first snap of the possession – stopped him for a three-yard gain. Roethlisberger threw incomplete on third down (Bouye tight coverage on Antonio Brown) and Pittsburgh settled for a field goal.
6. The Jaguars’ first second-half possession was a three-and-out: Three-yard Fournette run, Bortles incompletion (left tackle Cam Robinson gave up the hit and Fournette was also beat) and sack (left guard Patrick Omameh was beat by Stephon Tuitt and T.J. Watt cleaned up). Fortunately, for the Jaguars, interception return for touchdowns by Telvin Smith and Barry Church soon followed.
7. Cornerback Aaron Colvin had arguably one of his finest games as a pro. He played 55 of 79 snaps and was credited with a career-high 10 tackles, two for lost yardage. On the play before Smith’s interception touchdown, Colvin stopped receiver Martavis Bryant for a one-yard loss. In the fourth quarter, he tackled Bell for a one-yard loss on a short pass.
8. The Jaguars’ defense had a season-low four missed tackles: One apiece by Jones, Church, Ramsey and Campbell. They entered Sunday with 30 missed tackles in the first four games (7.5 average).
9. Bouye helped thwart a potential Pittsburgh scoring drive in the first quarter by drawing a downfield holding penalty by Brown. The Steelers ran a reverse with Bryant and he gained 13 yards to convert a second-and-10, but before Bouye made the tackle, Brown held him. Four plays later, Ramsey intercepted Roethlisberger.
10. The Jaguars’ epic 13-play drive (12 rushes and a field goal) to stretch the lead to 23-9 did not start well. On first-and-10 from the 4, center Tyler Shatley was beat and Fournette gained only a yard. But on the next two plays, Fournette broke tackle attempts by Mitchell (13-yard gain) and linebacker Ryan Shazier (11-yard gain) to get the drive going.
