Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Jacksonville Jaguars: Breaking Down the Jags' Game Plan

At the quarter mark of the season, the Jacksonville Jaguars sit at 0-4, having been thoroughly outplayed through all four games. The defense has been abysmal, ranking dead last in points allowed per game (38), total yards allowed per game (451.2) and passing yards allowed per game (320.8). The Jags also rank 25th in the league in rushing yards allowed per game (130.5).

The offense hasn't fared much better, ranking 31st in both points per game (14.5) and yards per game (279.2), 25th in passing yards per game (209.5) and 30th in rushing yards per game (69.8).

One good thing the Jags have going for them is that since rookie Blake Bortles has stepped in as the starter, their offense has been able to move the ball more, with Bortles already amassing 476 yards in just six quarters (compared to 492 for Chad Henne in 10). 

This week they face an embarrassed Pittsburgh Steelers team that lost to the previously winless Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Pittsburgh will be looking to turn its fortunes around against the winless Jaguars. The Steelers are vulnerable right now coming off such a huge loss, and the Jaguars could pull out the upset, but they have a lot to work on this week if they want to achieve this. 

On Offense

The big matchup this week will be Blake Bortles vs. Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau. Bortles will be trying to do something no other rookie quarterback has done and beat a LeBeau-led defense. Bortles has been playing very well so far in his young career and has brought a spark to this offense. 

His 476 yards over six quarters equates to a per-game average of 317 yards. If he played a whole season at this pace, he would surpass 5,000 yards. Of course, this number is skewed since it is based off very limited data, but the one really impressive stat so far is his accuracy.

He is currently holding a 70.5 completion percentage, which ranks him third in the NFL for quarterbacks with 60 or more pass attempts.

Gregory Bull/Associated Press

Bortles will have a tougher time than usual this week, as his receiving corps is thinning out rapidly. According to The Florida Times-Union's Ryan O'Halloran, Cecil Shorts III, who made his season debut two weeks ago, is expected to miss Sunday's game with a nagging hamstring injury.

Tight end Marcedes Lewis will still be out, and Marqise Lee's status is cloudy at best right now. One boost they could get this week is the return of suspended receiver Ace Sanders. He is eligible for reinstatement on Wednesday and could be available to play against the Steelers.

Still, even if he is, Bortles will be relying on the pair of 6'3" receivers, Allen Robinson and Allen Hurns. These two have been the focus of the offense, combining for 29 receptions, 446 yards and three touchdowns. They will be relied upon heavily in the passing game and must find open room against this secondary.

One area the Jaguars may be able to find success is in the run game. The usually stout Steelers run defense ranks 17th in the league this year. The Jaguars' run game has been steadily getting better over the course of the season. Through the first two games, the running backs totaled 31 carries for 64 yards, yet over the past two weeks they have managed 136 yards on 38 carries. 

The Steelers will be missing linebacker Jarvis Jones, who was put on the short-term injured reserve list, and could be without Ryan Shazier as well. With these two young, athletic linebackers out of the lineup, it should open up running room for Toby Gerhart and Denard Robinson. They must get some semblance of a running game going so Bortles doesn't have to throw the ball more than 35 times again. 

Keys to Success

1. Get the running game going in order to take the pressure off Bortles. 
2. Get into a groove early on with Allen Robinson and Allen Hurns.

On Defense

This is where things get dire for the Jaguars. As mentioned previously, this defense is playing terribly. This won't be aided by the fact the Steelers possess a potentially explosive offense. Ben Roethlisberger has a plethora of weapons at his disposal, and they all can make this matchup a living nightmare for the Jaguars.

For starters, the Steelers possess a great one-two punch at running back. Last year's second-round pick, Le'Veon Bell, has proved himself to be a dynamic running back, posting the second-most yards in the run so far this year. They also have bruising running back LeGarrette Blount as the change-of-pace back. Together they form the fourth-ranked running attack in the league. 

Gail Burton/Associated Press

The Jaguars must find a way to slow down this rushing attack. They stifled the San Diego Chargers' run game last week, allowing only 42 yards on 20 carries. They need to continue this success in order to make the Steelers move away from their game plan.

The problem is, if they can get the Steelers to abandon their run game and have a one-dimensional attack, they may not be able to stop them.

The Jaguars' coverage has been terrible this year, and speedy receivers Antonio Brown and Markus Wheaton will be looking to pick up yards in huge chunks this week. Throw in underrated tight end Heath Miller, and the Jaguars are looking to be in serious trouble.

Covering this trio of pass-catchers will demand most of the attention of the defense. The Jaguars' struggles against tight ends are well-documented, but they did well against Antonio Gates last week, holding him to just three catches for 30 yards. If they can have the same success against Miller, it would take one of Big Ben's favorite targets out of the game.

Keys to Success

1. Bottle up Bell and Blount. Don't let them dictate the pace of the game.
2. Try and limit the big-play potential of Brown and Wheaton.

Conclusion

Once again, it seems unlikely the Jaguars will break their losing streak this week. The Steelers defense is vulnerable with missing its two starting linebackers, but Pittsburgh's offense can put up points with the best of them. This could turn into a shootout, but ultimately I believe Dick LeBeau's record against rookie QBs will stay intact.