Steelers vs. Jaguars: Breaking Down Pittsburgh's Game Plan

The Pittsburgh Steelers found themselves smack dab in the middle of a good old-fashioned debacle last Sunday. The Steelers invited the winless Tampa Bay Buccaneers to town and let them leave with their first victory of the season. This week the Steelers travel to take on the Jacksonville Jaguars in an attempt to extract a bit of revenge.

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It was a deadly combination of crippling penalties and poor defense that led to what was perhaps the biggest upset of the season. Jacksonville is one of only two winless teams left in the league, and Pittsburgh is just trying to keep pace in the AFC at 2-2. Pittsburgh started 2013 0-4 and still nearly made the playoffs, so there is no reason to panic this early in the game.

Nevertheless, Pittsburgh needs this win to regain some momentum and show that it is not a franchise that plays down to its opponents. The Jaguars are giving rookie quarterback Blake Bortles his second career start in hopes of improving an offense that ranks near the bottom in most statistical categories.

Let’s break down the Steelers’ game plan for getting back over .500.

When the Steelers are on offense

For all of the things that have gone wrong with the Steelers this year, moving the football hasn’t been one of them. They are putting up 412 yards of offense per game, 268 of which have been through the air. By contrast, the Jaguars defense has allowed at least 300 yards passing in three of their four games so far.

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Pittsburgh has dabbled with some different looks and philosophies on offense this season. One week it is lots of wide receivers and throw it around, and the next it is two tight ends and run right at teams.

Against the Jaguars, I am counting on the Steelers opting for the high-flying passing attack led by quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Going back and reviewing the Jaguars' first four games, you can see that their secondary is spread pretty thin. Guys are out there hustling and trying to make plays, but similar to the Steelers, the talent just isn’t there. 

Pittsburgh needs to take advantage of that in a big way. If there were ever a week for wide receivers Martavis Bryant and Lance Moore to make their big debut, it would be against this group. Nonetheless, if they can’t get onto the field, wide receivers Antonio Brown and Markus Wheaton, along with tight end Heath Miller, should put ample pressure on the Jaguars defense.

Speaking of pressure, keeping pressure off of Roethlisberger will be vital as well. This is where running back Le’Veon Bell comes in. Those delayed handoffs can freeze the Jaguars’ pass rush and force them to respect Bell’s dynamic running. When that happens, play action over the top should be able to deal a knockout blow to Jacksonville.

When the Steelers are on defense

Pittsburgh is entering its second week of its new-look defense. It’s a new look in the sense that new starters Arthur Moats, Sean Spence and William Gay should be better than they were a week ago. Nevertheless, what should the Steelers prepare for? A massive dose of the rookie quarterback Bortles.

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Comparisons of Bortles to Roethlisberger started well before the NFL draft. I’ve always defended the fact that Bortles has a long way to go before he lives up to those comparisons.

And if he is going to do it this week, he is going to do it with a skeleton crew. According to the Jaguars’ injury report, wide receivers Marqise Lee and Cecil Shorts III both missed Wednesday practice.

The plan of attack is for the Steelers to attack. No one is worried about the Jaguars’ rushing attack. And if the wide receiver corps is hobbled, that means the Steelers just have to impose their will on Bortles by whatever means necessary.

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What this doesn’t mean is blitzing around all willy-nilly. Bortles is too athletic to just play man and send the neighborhood. If Pittsburgh can’t get to Bortles and he sees the backs of those Steelers’ jerseys, he will gash this group on the ground.

No, what has to happen is the edge-rushers contain, forcing Bortles to stay in the pocket. Look for the Steelers to assign a spy, either Lawrence Timmons or Sean Spence, to keep him honest. The Steelers will play off-man behind them and bring some pressure wide or up the gut.

This will be an interesting test for the Steelers, because pressuring a mobile quarterback brings its own set of problems. It worked against Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton, so it needs to work against Bortles. 

X-Factor

There is one X-factor in this game that trumps everything else. If Pittsburgh wants to get this win, no matter who is on the other side, they must cut down on penalties. Pittsburgh Tribune-Review writer Mark Kaboly reported that head coach Mike Tomlin employed an interesting strategy this week to try to help the Steelers prepare for a game with fewer flags.

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Referees were at Steelers practice today like Tomlin promised. I can say have never saw anything like that in my 13 years covering the team

— Mark Kaboly (@MarkKaboly_Trib) October 1, 2014"

If the Steelers can’t keep their penalties in single digits, it might not matter who they are playing. 

Prediction

My hope is that the Steelers are humiliated by their performance at home last Sunday. So much so, that they travel to sunny Florida and exact some vengeance on a Jaguars team just primed for it. However, everyone thought a home game against the winless Buccaneers was a sure thing too.

Steelers 27, Jaguars 17

All stats courtesy of NFL.com.