When the Pittsburgh Steelers take on the Jacksonville Jaguars this upcoming Sunday, a lot of the focus will be on QB Kenny Pickett and offensive coordinator Matt Canada and if they can reproduce the success they had in the fourth quarter of the 24-17 win over the Los Angeles Rams this past Sunday. People will also be watching to see how the defense fares against QB Trevor Lawrence and RB Travis Etienne Jr.
However, the Steelers need to be aware that Jacksonville will mix things up to catch teams unaware whether that’s on offense or when the defense thinks they’ve gotten the ball back for their own offense. Head coach Mike Tomlin held his weekly press conference on Tuesday, and he made sure to address that he and his staff are aware of the Jaguars’ fondness for trickery with video courtesy of the team’s YouTube channel.
“They’re a group that’s really intentional about being aggressive from a gadget perspective, whether it’s offense, double passes, reverses, or the special teams,” Tomlin said. “Heath Farwell, their special teams coordinator, I’ve known for a long time. He played for us in Minnesota when I was with the Vikings. Sharp football guy, aggressive in mindset, lover of special teams. And so, man, there’s a lot that has our attention.”
Jacksonville showed off that aggression in the first half of their 31-24 win over the New Orleans Saints last Thursday night. With just over a minute and a half remaining in the first half while leading 14-6, the Jaguars faced a 4th and 2 from the New Orleans 46. They lined up to punt and snapped it to punter Logan Cooke who looked as if he was going to kick. Then he brought the ball back up as gunner Tim Jones stopped on a dime and made himself an easy target. Cooke made the easy throw and it led to a 13-yard gain and a first down. The Jaguars were able to add a field goal with just over 30 seconds left in the half.
Suffice it to say, whenever it looks like Pittsburgh has forced the Jaguars to punt on Sunday, all 11 men on the field on special teams need to be aware of anything, well, special. Especially in situations where a punt could prove to be risky, like just over midfield last Thursday.
