JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- As the Steelers continue to win games, their fan base continues to worry about the dreaded T word -- as in trap game.
But in order for a game to be considered a trap, the Steelers would have to be overlooking an opponent. And no matter what your belief, they don't overlook opponents, certainly not ones that have embarrassed them the way the Jaguars did just a couple of years ago.
Jacksonville has long been a thorn in the side of the Steelers. That's why when the Steelers take their 9-0 record into TIAA Bank Stadium Sunday to face the 1-8 Jaguars, there's little chance they'll overlook Jacksonville.
In nine previous meetings with the Jaguars, Ben Roethlisberger has been, well, take his word for it.
"The last 10 games against them have not been good at all," Roethlisberger said. "Extra motivation, whatever you want to call it, we’re not taking these guys lightly because they’ve had our number. I know we won the last one barely, but they’ve come here. I know it’s different teams. It’s nothing like that, but you have to understand this game, this group and these two guys against each other and these two teams it’s complete focus."
Roethlisberger is 5-5 against the Jaguars in his career, including a pair of playoff losses. The first came in 2007, Mike Tomlin's first year as the team's head coach. The second came at the end of the 2017 season, as the Jaguars handed the Steelers two of their four losses that season.
Given that, you can bet the Jaguars will have the full attention of the Steelers, even though they have just four players remaining from that team on their current roster.
That playoff loss remains a sore spot for the Steelers, who have 12 starters who were part of that team.
"We let them stay comfortable in their offense," said one of those 12, defensive lineman Cam Heyward of that 45-42 playoff loss. "They were able to run the ball. They were able to control the tempo. And they didn’t put their quarterback in harm’s way, whether it was rolling out the quarterback, staying on schedule with the run, and then being quick and decisive in the approach. We’ve got to stop the run early to the point where we want to get the sacks and everything."
The quarterback that day was Blake Bortles, whom the Jaguars cut bait with after the 2018 season. Now, it will be rookie Jake Luton making his third career start in this game against the Steelers.
The Steelers are 25-4 against rookie quarterbacks since the start of the 2004 season, when they were starting a rookie quarterback named Roethlisberger. That's the best record in the NFL over that period against rookie starters.
"I think going into my third weekend to get out there and play, I feel more and more confident every day that I get to go out to practice, every day I get to step on the field on Sunday," said Luton, a sixth-round draft pick out of Oregon State. "This week will be no different. I'll continue to build confidence and put good stuff on tape and try to put my team in position to go win."
He'll try to do that against a Steelers defense that has been tough on all quarterbacks, not just rookies. The Steelers lead the NFL with 36 sacks and are tied for the league lead with 11 interceptions.
And while getting to 10-0 would be nice, it's not the biggest thing with which they are concerned.
"The goal isn’t to go undefeated, right? The goal is to win the Super Bowl," said Roethlisberger. "We’re just going one week at a time. We’re not worried about anything other than this week. You look at the past history of this game, and it hasn’t been pretty for us. We have yet to play a really good game against these guys. I’m hungry to come out and get this game."
So don't bother talking about trap games. The Steelers are more interested in continuing to win. And that's the only thing on their collective mind.
"I’m not into the trap game discussion," Tomlin said. "This is the NFL. More than anything, the guys know my attitude regarding that. We are not a Big Ten team playing a MAC opponent this week. Every time we step into a stadium, we are playing professionals, players and coaches, and we have a ridiculous level of respect for that.
"We understand what we are going into in Jacksonville that that’s a group that is trying to kick our butt, a professional group, a capable group, and we are prepared with that understanding."
THE ESSENTIALS
• Who: Steelers (9-0) vs. Jaguars (1-8)
• When: 1:02 p.m. Eastern
• Where: TIAA Bank Field
• Forecast: 78°, 20% chance rain
• TV: KDKA, CBS (national)
• Radio: 102.5 WDVE, ESPN Pittsburgh
• Streaming: Steelers Nation Radio
• Satellite: Sirius XM 382, online 826
• Boxscore: NFL Game Center
• Media notes: Steelers | Jaguars
THE INJURY REPORT
Steelers: RB Trey Edmunds (hamstring, out), RB Jaylen Samuels (quad, out), LB Jayrone Elliott (illness, out)
Jaguars: WR Laviska Shenault (hamstring, out), TE James O'Shaughnessy (knee, out), CB Sidney Jones (Achilles' tendon, questionable), WR Collin Johnson (hamstring, questionable), QB Gardner Minshew (thumb, questionable)
THE KEY VARIABLE
Rookie quarterback. Rookie running back. That's not usually a winning formula to beat the Steelers.
But that's what the Jaguars will put on the field Sunday in Luton, a sixth-round draft pick, and running back James Robinson, an undrafted rookie.
The Steelers lead the NFL with 36 sacks and 17 forced turnovers. Asking rookie quarterbacks and rookie running backs to decipher who is blitzing and who is dropping into coverage might be a bit much to ask.
"The study this week, really diving (in) and making sure we're watching the tape that they've put out there this year and making sure we're (as) prepared as we can be (is important)," said Luton, who has made two career starts in place of injured Gardner Minshew, who is officially listed as questionable for this game after being limited in practice all week with a broken thumb.
"Obviously, they get paid to game plan, too. They're going to bring some stuff and try to get home, and we'll just have to be ready, have to adjust, have to prepare and be ready for whatever looks they give us."
The Steelers haven't been as blitz happy as they were early in the season. Their blitz percentage, which was over 60 percent after the first two weeks of the season, is now at 41.7 percent for the season.
Part of the reason for that was because nickel cornerback Mike Hilton, one of the best blitzing defensive backs in the NFL, missed the past four games with a shoulder injury. Hilton will make his return in this game.
"They are going to have to deal with (Hilton) because of the things that he has done in the past, he comes off the edge every now and then," said Keith Butler of Hilton, who had three sacks in the Steelers' first five games before being injured. "They have to deal with that, a lot of people don’t."
One key will be whether the Jaguars can get their running game going with Robinson, who is fifth in the NFL with 689 rushing yards.
If they can do that, they'll keep Luton out of bad situations. If not, well ...
Luton has a 69.9 passer rating in his first two starts when pressured, completing 15 of 25 passes for just 109 yards. No team pressures more than the Steelers, who lead the NFL with 126. The Jaguars have allowed 28 sacks.
"I think it's a great challenge," Luton said. "I think every week is. I think every week's a great opportunity and this one's no different. It's a really good football team coming here, and to have the opportunity as a team to go out there and try to go out and win a ball game, I think is a great opportunity."
THE HISTORY LESSON
In 2000, the Steelers were coming off a 6-10 and 7-9 seasons in 1998 and 1999 and lost the first three games of the new season. Pressure was certainly building on Bill Cowher to turn things around.
Who would have figured that turnaround would start at a place that had been a house of horrors for the Steelers, Jacksonville.
Since entering the NFL in 1995, the Jaguars had the Steelers' number. Head coach Tom Coughlin had spent the entire 1994 season scouting the Steelers -- attending several of their games in the press box -- and built a team specifically designed to knock off Pittsburgh, the top dog in the AFC Central.
He was highly successful doing so, winning six of the first 10 meetings, including all five in Jacksonville.
At 0-3, things looked bleak for the 2000 Steelers heading to play in a place they had never won.
But after giving up an early field goal, the Steelers scored 17 points on three consecutive possessions, getting a 5-yard touchdown run by Chris Fuamatu-Ma'afala, a Kris Brown field goal and a 1-yard scoring run from Jerome Bettis to take a 17-3 lead.
The Jaguars finally stopped the bleeding by getting a 48-yard Steve Lindsay field goal to cut the lead to 17-6 with 37 seconds remaining in the half, but the Steelers added another Bettis touchdown run, this one from 3 yards, to go ahead 24-6 with just over four minutes remaining in the third quarter.
Things were looking good for the Steelers to get their first win of the season and ever in Jacksonville.
Sensing that, the Jaguars gambled on their next possession. After driving to the Pittsburgh 14, Jacksonville faced fourth-and-3. Instead of kicking a field goal to cut the lead to two scores, Coughlin decided to go for it. But Jason Gildon sacked Mark Brunell for a 7-yard loss, turning the ball over on downs.
Gildon also got to Brunell with just over five minutes remaining in the game, forcing a fumble the Steelers recovered, as Brunell was knocked out of the game, as well.
Jamie Martin came in and led a late touchdown drive capped off by an 11-yard pass to Keenan McCardell, but it was too little too late.
Kordell Stewart threw for just 132 yards, but rushed for 61 as the Steelers gained 209 yards on the ground. Bettis had 97 yards on 28 attempts.
Brunell was 15 of 32 passing for 137 yards and an interception, getting sacked seven times, including two each by Gildon and Aaron Smith. The Steelers also limited Fred Taylor to just 24 rushing yards on 15 carries.
With a win in hand, the Steelers would go on to win 8 of their final 12 games to finish the season at 9-7, just missing the playoffs for the third consecutive season. But at least they had their elusive win at what was then known as Alltel Stadium.
KARL ROSER / STEELERS
Ben Roethlisberger has been the focus of the Steelers' offense in recent weeks.
THE MAIN MATCHUP
The Jaguars have seen what the Steelers have done offensively this season, averaging 30.1 points per game, a total that would be a franchise record if the team continues on this track.
And they also see Roethlisberger serving as the trigger man for that offense and playing as well as he ever has.
"He’s a Hall of Fame quarterback," said Jaguars' second-year edge rusher Josh Allen, who grew up a fan of the Steelers. "We’re about to play two back to back. Last week we played (Packers QB) Aaron Rodgers and we saw what he can do for his team in situations and now we’re about to play against another one. You never know what to expect week in and week out with these guys and I just know we’re going to get 100 percent from them, and we’re excited about it."
How excited they'll be about it at, say 4 p.m. Sunday, remains to be seen.
While the Jaguars hung with the Packers last week in Green Bay, losing 24-20, Rogers completed 24 of 34 passes for 325 yards with two touchdowns and one interception.
That's been a common problem for the Jaguars. They're allowing 284 passing yards per game and have given up 19 touchdown passes -- more than two per game. Opponents are completing 70.2 percent of their passes against Jacksonville, which is allowing a league-worst 8.6 yards per pass attempt.
The Steelers have rushed for less than 50 yards in each of their past three games -- becoming the first team since 1940 to win three-straight games while failing to top that rushing total -- but the Jaguars look ripe for Roethlisberger and his deep and talented pass catchers to pick apart.
Nickel corner Tre Herndon has allowed 24 completions in 33 targets (72.7 percent) for 330 yards and three touchdowns. Rookie corner C.J. Henderson allowed 33 catches for 443 yards and four touchdowns before heading to injured reserve earlier this week. Inside linebacker Joe Schobert, formerly with the Browns, has given up 33 receptions on 40 targets (82.5 percent) for 420 yards and four touchdowns. And strong safety Josh Jones has been targeted 22 times, allowing a ridiculous 20 completions (90.9 percent) for 273 yards and two touchdowns.
Roethlisberger should have no issues finding open men.
"For him, it’s the vet, the captain in him," wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster said of the 17-year veteran. "He’s been there before. Now, he has so many weapons he can use in the red zone, from (Eric) Ebron to me, James (Washington), Diontae (Johnson), Chase (Claypool), even all the running backs, spreading them out wide. He has so many weapons, and he just gets the job done."
In his 10 career games against the Jaguars, Roethlisberger has 19 touchdown passes and 15 interceptions, though a career-high five of those turnovers came in a 30-9 loss to Jacksonville in 2017.
Those five interceptions are one more than he's thrown all of this season. He's got just four interceptions against 22 touchdown passes and is tied for the league lead with three fourth-quarter comebacks.
"He's had his moments, but I would say if you’re collecting 10 games I would say, yeah, pretty good," said Randy Fichtner when asked if this is the best the quarterback has played in his career. "He’s taking the approach that he’s throwing the balls to our colored jerseys. He’s taking pride in that. He hasn’t been risky, if you will, with the football. He’s had his moments. It’s hard probably not to. He knows. He’s not Big Ben for a reason. It’s still an attitude that he has of toughness and never giving up. Plays are never over until they get me down or until I can’t throw another ball.
"I do think he has done an excellent job of managing the group. Situationally, he’s been phenomenal in the red, a lot of great communication on and off the field with his guys that are out there. We talk on the sidelines. He’s been really awesome. I could say this would be his best collection of a bunch of games, but he’s a had a lot of great games. We’ve seen those over the past. I think he’s really zeroed in on the things that are going to help this football team have a chance to win every game or at least give us the chance in the fourth quarter to win the game."
THE TEN DATA POINTS
• The Steelers average 5.9 sacks plus turnovers per game, the most in the NFL. The Jaguars average 2.0, the fewest in the league.
• The Jaguars have held a lead for just 4.9 percent of their offensive snaps this season, the lowest in the league.
• Roethlisberger had been under pressure just 20.1 percent of the time according to Pro Football Focus. That is the lowest percentage in the league.
• The Jaguars have nine sacks this season, the same number that Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt has in the first nine games.
• The Jaguars have allowed 10 touchdowns to opposing running backs this season.
• Smith-Schuster is tied for the league lead in third down receptions with 22 on 27 targets. He has converted 16 of those into first downs.
• The Steelers rank second in the NFL in passer rating allowed at 79.2 behind the Colts (78.9). The Jaguars are 31st (107.8).
• The Jaguars are 28th in yards allowed per game to the tight end position (57.9 yards) and have allowed eight touchdown passes to opposing tight ends.
• The Steelers are second in the NFL in point differential (100), just two behind the Chiefs for the league lead. The Jaguars are 30th at minus-72. Only the Cowboys and Jets are worse.
• These two teams are polar opposites in scoring. The Steelers are fourth in scoring offense at 30.1 points per game and third in scoring defense at 19.0 points per game. The Jaguars are 22nd in scoring offense at 22.1 points per game and 31st in scoring defense at 30.1 points per game.
THE FANTASY CORNER
Winner, winner chicken dinner. My lineup last week didn't quite get it done, just missing out on the money with 112.8 points thanks to the stack of Jared Goff and Cooper Kupp not working out. We'll try to do it again this week. As I did last year, I'm going to build a fantasy lineup using Draft Kings and a $50,000 salary cap.
Quarterback: Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers ($6,700) -- Roethlisberger isn't going to get you anything running the ball, but the Steelers' passing game isn't going away. And he's throwing touchdown passes.
Running back: Dalvin Cook, Vikings ($9,000), Kalen Ballage, Chargers ($5,900) -- I'll pay up for Cook since the Vikings seem intent on riding him as far as they can go. Ballage is getting 20 touches on average over the past two weeks and faces the Jets.
Wide receiver: Chase Claypool, Steelers ($6,100), CeeDee Lamb, Cowboys ($5,000), JuJu Smith-Schuster ($6,400) -- We'll stack Claypool and Smith-Schuster with Roethlisberger and hope the Steelers take advantage of the Jacksonville defense. The Vikings have been one of the worst teams in the league against slot receivers. Lamb is a good bet to catch a touchdown pass this week, even with Andy Dalton at QB.
Tight end: Dallas Goeddert, Eagles ($3,800) -- The Eagles should target Goeddert early and often against the Browns.
Flex: Salvon Ahmed, Dolphins ($4,800) -- Ahmed got 21 touches for the Dolphins last week. At $4,800, that kind of volume is a bargain.
Defense: Rams ($2,600) -- The Rams play the Bucs, but I'm paying down for a defense and hoping for a few sacks.
Our football staff predicts the game:
Dale Lolley (8-1): This sets up as a classic mismatch. And there's really no way the Jaguars keep this close unless the Steelers turn the ball over a bunch of times. But Jacksonville has forced just nine turnovers all season, while the Steelers have coughed it up eight times. Luton doesn't handle pressure well, which should play into the hands of the Steelers. Maybe the Jaguars pull a switcheroo and bring Minshew in at some point. His questionable designation after being limited in practice all week was interesting. But even he doesn't make this game close. The Steelers are healthy and hungry. I've seen them struggle in games in Jacksonville in the past. But I just don't see that happening here. Steelers, 31-10
Ramon Foster (9-0): I see the Jaguars a lot, and every time, I'm like, 'Jacksonville can win.' They find ways to compete. They've got the mindset where they're trying to be the start of changing the culture there. I feel like they hit bottom last year. They had players who wanted out. They let them out. Now they're starting over. And the Robinson kid -- undrafted! -- his legs are like trunks. He's a beast. And if Pittsburgh can stop him, they can stop any back the rest of the way. Steelers, 30-20
Chris Carter (9-0): Look for the passing game early and often, with Roethlisberger feeling comfortable with all of his targets. The offense will jump out to a solid lead and, by the third quarter, the defense will be taking advantage of the Jaguars' desperation. Luton needs the deep ball to succeed, and that's where Fitzpatrick will be waiting. Expect a defensive or special teams touchdown in this one, as well. Steelers, 31-13
Tom Reed (8-1): Beyond history and home field, there's not much reason for optimism for the Jaguars. They have a penchant for giving the Steelers fits, but not with this troop. The Steelers are getting healthy as teams approach the stretch run. It will be interesting to see how much they emphasize the running game in order to get it going again. Either way, the Steelers should have little trouble getting to 10-0. Steelers, 28-13
Dejan Kovacevic (8-1): As a first-hand witness to the Steelers nearly losing to a low-talent opponent who showed up ready claw their eyeballs out -- the Cowboys in Arlington -- I won't dismiss the Jaguars, who've displayed that trait all season long against everyone. But then, I also won't lose my mind over any such abstraction. Steelers, 34-16
