Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said he wanted another shot at the Jaguars in the playoffs, but the first 30 minutes of Sunday’s game in Pittsburgh haven’t done much to show that Jacksonville’s regular season win was a fluke.
The Jaguars opened the game with a quick drive down the field for a touchdown and kept on finding their way to the end zone on the way to a 28-14 halftime lead. The final score came courtesy of the defense as defensive end Yannick Ngakoue forced a Roethlisberger fumble that linebacker Telvin Smith returned for a 50-yard touchdown.
The Steelers were able to answer that score just before halftime, thanks in part to a taunting penalty on Smith that helped them start their drive near midfield. They opted not to try a 54-yard field goal and Roethlisberger dropped a 36-yard touchdown pass into Martavis Bryant’s hands. It was Roethlisberger’s second touchdown pass of the second quarter and the Steelers will need more of the same in the third quarter if they’re going to totally erase Jacksonville’s lead.
Ngakoue has now forced 11 fumbles in his two NFL seasons and the Jaguars have now scored eight defensive touchdowns since the start of the 2017 season. They also intercepted Roethlisberger to set up their second touchdown of the game and they stuffed a fourth down run by Le’Veon Bell to get them the ball back for their third touchdown.
One concern for the Jaguars is running back Leonard Fournette’s right ankle, which was injured at the end of a 10-yard gain in the second quarter. Fournette went back to the locker room, although Evan Washburn of CBS Sports reported that he did not go for X-rays upon heading inside.
The Steelers have seen three players -- right tackle Marcus Gilbert, linebacker Vince Williams and running back Fitzgerald Toussaint -- go for concussion evaluations.
Fournette’s run well and his absence would hurt as Jacksonville tries to hold onto a lead the Steelers can try to take another bite from when they get the second half kickoff.
