Jaguars vs. Steelers: What We Learned from Today's 17-13 Loss to the Steelers

The Jacksonville Jaguars played a Jekyll and Hyde game on defense today will the offense still tried to find an identity. 

In the end, the result was still the same, a 17-13 loss to Pittsburgh at Heinz Field.

The loss really hurt the Jaguars, 1-5 on the season, and their chances of possibly still being relevant in the AFC South, while the victory helped Pittsburgh show it can still move the ball on the ground and pressure the quarterback like Steelers teams of the past.

Pittsburgh forced rookie quarterback Blaine Gabbert into early releases and overthrowing his receivers while sacking him five times on the day, four in the first half.

Even when it appeared that Ben Roethlisberger, who was red hot in the first half, was under pressure and the Jaguars defense forced him into incompleted passes, his running game, led by Rashard Mendenhall, bailed him out with a stiff running between the tackles.

Here is what we learned from today's loss.

No Sense of Urgency

It appeared from the first snap, Pittsburgh was the better team and the Jaguars were to watch the game.

The offense could not get things going, although it did have a 10-play drive to start the game.

Pittsburgh clicked on all cylinders in the first half, making it difficult for the Jaguars to get into a rhythm.

The Team Needs to Find a Way to Get Marcedes Lewis Involved

He was open a few times and was not even looked to in the passing game.

And when he was thrown to, it looked like passes were too low or they were behind the target.

This may have been a problem because of the pass rush or because Gabbert was rattled because of being sacked four times in the first half.

Lewis needs to be the main receiver in this offense.

Maurice Jones-Drew Is Not Being Used Properly

I know there is a carry count they want to keep on MJD, but when the game is on the line, you want to have your best players in the game to decide the outcome.

Jacksonville had a chance to win the game late and their star runner was on the sideline. Deji Karim is a good runner, but MJD is the one who is a Pro Bowl player and he should have the ball in his hands when the game is on the line.

Gabbert Looks Lost

Five sacks and ton of quarterback pressures.

I guess you could say Gabbert got a rookie education today. I guess you could also say he learned a lot along the way.

Gabbert looked good coming out of the gate completing four of his first five passes.

Although he threw another touchdown pass to Jason Hill in the game, he really played like a rookie today.

The Defense Played Better... in the Second Half

It took two quarters and 15 minutes for the defense to finally show up. They contained the running game in the second half, finally sacked Ben Roethlisberger and shut down receivers.

They looked lost in the first half, as the Steelers walked through them. 

While the Steelers were stopped from scoring in the second half, they racked up 318 of total yards in the first two quarters alone.

The Offensive Line Was Affect by Injuries

Although MJD ran for 96 yards, the offensive line was missing their 2009 draft picks in Eugene Monroe and Eben Britton.

If the Jaguars are to move forward, then they need a healthy front line to protect Gabbert and open up more lanes for the running game.

Hopefully these two players will be on the field together against the Baltimore defense.

Clock Management Did Them in Again

This team could have won today, but let it slip away at the end.

It was only a little over a minute to make things happen, but Gabbert showed not initiative.

and the sack he took also took 35 seconds off the clock. There was no encouragement from the coaching staff or the veterans to get him going.

He suffered and the team suffered. This is the third time this has happened this year. All three games could have been won by the Jaguars.

The Ravens Will Be Just as Tough on MNF

The Jaguars have lots of issues going into the Monday Night Contest with Baltimore.

How will the team react to losing a close game? How will the passing game get any better against Ray Lewis, Ed Reed and the Ravens secondary? How will the team stop Ray Rice?

All these questions about the team. And what about Jack Del Rio? Did those hammer another nail in his coffin? 

At 1-5 on the season and maybe three games they could have or should have won, how hyped will they be for the game, and more importantly, will the team be able to sell out a national televised game or will the team have to look to find corporate help to get that accomplished?

The Jaguars' issues are not just coaches and performance of players, they are also financial and commercial.