COMON Network

By COMON Network Team

Final Score – Pittsburgh Steelers (10-0) 27 def. Jacksonville Jaguars (1-9) 3

The Steelers didn’t look great in the first quarter offensively, but responded well, and the defense was great all game as the Pittsburgh Steelers advanced to 10-0 for the first time in franchise history with a 27-3 win at Jacksonville Sunday at TIAA Bank Field.

Jacksonville got on the board first, on its first drive. Chase McLaughlin hit a 41-yard field goal to make it 3-0 but that was it for the Jaguars in what finished as their ninth-straight loss.

Pittsburgh scored 17 points in the second quarter. Chris Boswell connected from 44 yards, Ben Roethlisberger dialed long distance for a 31-yard score to Chase Claypool and Benny Snell Jr. scored from one yard out. Boswell made a 47 yarder with 10:24 left in the fourth quarter before Eric Ebron caught a 20-yard TD pass from Roethlisberger to close the scoring.

James Conner averaged 6.8 yards a pop with a 13-carry day for 89 yards. Diontae Johnson caught 12 of his 16 targets for 111 yards while Chase Claypool, Eric Ebron, Ray Ray McCloud and JuJu Smith-Schuster all had four receptions. Big Ben finished the day 32-46 for 267 yards, two scores and a end-of-first-half shot play interception.

Defensively, Minkah Fitzpatrick and Terrell Edmunds both had two picks of Jake Luton, while Bud Dupree and Stephon Tuitt notched a sack apiece.

The Steelers are now on a short week in advance of the Thanksgiving night game against Baltimore at Heinz Field.

COMON Network Team Commentary

DONNY CHEDRICK

• Nobody was a nobody. I was hoping the Steelers defense wouldn’t allow a nobody QB to look like a competent player for three hours and they did their job. Jake Luton looked awful and the Steelers defense terrorized him. Four interceptions, two from Terrell Edmunds and two from Minkah Fitzpatrick that ended several drives for Jacksonville. Luton had a 0.8 passer rating when pressured this year and it didn’t get much better on Sunday. The type of effort you hope to carry into Thanksgiving night.
• Nice day for Big Jim. The skeptics have been out on the Steelers run game in the last few weeks. On Sunday, James Conner had a nice bounce back performance. 13 carries for 89 yards after week’s of under 50. Still not many carries considering the Steelers won by 24 points, but something of promise. He wasn’t facing the Steel Curtain or the ‘85 Bears, but it was a nice complement to Ben Roethlisberger passing the football.
• Remember the Titans. I know this doesn’t have a tie directly to the Steeler game, but it’s pretty damn close. Tennessee did Pittsburgh a huge favor with an overtime win against Baltimore. The Ravens are now 6-4 and a loss to the Steelers on Thanksgiving will officially end their chances of winning the AFC North. The biggest divisional concern is now…the Cleveland Browns.

Player of the Game – Diontae Johnson (PIT)

KYLE DAWSON

• I still don’t understand throwing the ball 46 times in a game you led essentially the whole way, but I won’t dwell on that. I think if anything it shows a lack of trust in a run game that I thought was actually pretty solid today comparative to the last few weeks. James Conner ripped off a couple of big gainers. But other than Conner’s 13-for-89, the other three guys with carries were rough, other than the Snell TD. Step in the right direction for that facet of the offense though. It doesn’t get easier against Baltimore Thursday to run it.
• Chase Claypool didn’t make the ESPN Top 10 rookies list this past week? What the hell was that about? This guy is a walking drawn penalty or TD on deep balls right now. That’s 10 touchdowns in 10 weeks for the kid from Notre Dame. Mapletron continues to plug along.
• Diontae Johnson. I got your WR1 right here. What a day and 16 targets is nuts.
• Jake Luton is brutal. Words don’t describe how bad he is. He made Garrett Gilbert from a few weeks back look like prime Aaron Rodgers today. Four picks. Lost under pressure. Thrown around. Overshot his receivers all day. Absolutely brutal. The Steelers defense showed up to play after the first few plays of that first drive for the Jaguars.

Player of the Game – Diontae Johnson (PIT)

JOE SMELTZER

• Isn’t it fun to beat a team’s brains in two weeks in a row?
• Diontae Johnson has established himself as the Steelers’ No 1. receiver. Chase Claypool is the guy for big plays. Johnson is the guy for consistency.
• Boy is Jake Luton bad. Obviously nobody expected him to turn into Aaron Rodgers, but I for one was expecting a little more.

Player of the Game – Diontae Johnson (PIT)