Down inside the 5-yard-line early in the second quarter and already leading 14-0, it looked like the Steelers were about to turn this game into a blowout, but the Jaguars' defense stiffened and they were able to claw their way back into the game.
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The Steelers managed to cling on for a 17-13 win when Blaine Gabbert overthrew his last-second Hail Mary pass by 10 yards, resigning Jacksonville to its fifth consecutive loss.
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With the win, Pittsburgh moved to 4-2 on the year and remains a game behind the division-leading Baltimore Ravens, who face the Jaguars themselves next Monday night. Pittsburgh must ensure they don’t overlook their next opponent – Arizona – with New England looming the following week.
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Let’s take a closer look at some of the key figures from Sunday’s game:
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Jacksonville – Three Performances of Note
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Jones-Drew Plows Through
Maurice Jones-Drew (+2.3) did his best to grind out yardage against the Steelers' run defense. On 22 carries, Jones-Drew broke five tackles and picked up 96 yards, 54 of which came after contact and he's now the third-ranked back in our Elusive Rating. With Marcedes Lewis struggling, Jones-Drew is the only thing remotely scary about this Jacksonville offense and the fact he has remained productive even though teams are well aware of that fact is a credit to him.
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Who’s That Chick?
It’s not often we will highlight someone who was only in the game for 14 snaps, but John Chick (+2.2) had a big impact as a weakside rusher on passing downs. Chick had a sack and two pressures, as well as a forced fumble, in just 10 pass rush attempts. This was his fourth solid performance in a row and he has registered two sacks and 10 pressures on just 53 pass rush attempts over that span.
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Rackley Plays Slackly
Although fellow rookie Cameron Bradfield was making his first NFL start alongside him, it was Will Rackley (-5.5) who struggled most. Rackley gave up a sack, a hit and a pressure and also graded out negatively in run and screen blocking. He was also called for a holding penalty to negate a third down conversion. Rackley has had a negative grade in all five appearances so far, but this was by far his lowest. Only Houston’s Wade Smith has a lower overall grade among NFL guards this season.
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Pittsburgh – Three Performances of Note
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Rashard To Bring Down
Despite Jones-Drew’s performance, it was Rashard Mendenhall (+2.1) that ran for the most yards in this encounter. Mendenhall gained 146 yards on 23 carries and added a touchdown to spark the Steelers’ early dominance. Most of his yards came early in the game as he had exceeded the 100-yard barrier three minutes into the second quarter. His last 14 carries netted just 39 yards as the Steelers were held to 55 total net yards in the second half. 68 of Mendenhall’s yards – and 53 of his 87 yards after contact – came on a burst over the left side early in the second quarter. This was only his third run of over 15 yards all season and he is only 12th in the NFL in terms of Breakaway Percentage, but if he continues to hit the hole hard like he did on Sunday, he should climb up the list.
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A Starks Contrast
After re-signing and stepping straight into the starting lineup to have one of the best performances of last week, Max Starks (-2.0) looked more like the player the Steelers let go after last season on Sunday. Starks was beaten for a sack, gave up two pressures and failed to make an impact in the running game. It can’t have helped that Doug Legursky dislocated his toe early in the game and had to be replaced by Trai Essex alongside him. The Steelers have had a different starting line in each of the six games so far and look set to make it seven-for-seven next week.
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Keisel Comes Up Big
Brett Keisel (+2.9) was a disruptive force for the Steelers, recording two sacks, including one with a minute remaining that helped prevent the Jaguars from completing a game-winning drive. He added a pressure, deflected a pass that was almost intercepted and – although he graded out negatively against the run – he did have a tackle for a loss. With Aaron Smith and Casey Hampton out, Keisel is thriving as Pittsburgh’s most important defensive lineman.
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Game Notes
● Gabbert dropped back to throw 34 times, but didn’t throw a single pass to his left.
● The Steelers ran 44 offensive plays in the first 33 minutes, but only 18 in the last 27 minutes.
● After connecting on seven of his first eight passes, Ben Roethlisberger completed just five of his last 15.
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PFF Game Ball:
Rashard Mendenhall carried six times for 26 yards before diving in at the pylon to finish the opening drive off with an eight yard touchdown run, then set up a field goal with his 68-yard burst over he left side. This opened up a 17-0 lead that would prove insurmountable and earns him the game ball for this week.
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