Coming into the Week Eight matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Acrisure Stadium, the Pittsburgh Steelers knew how high-powered of an offensive attack the Jaguars had under third-year standout quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
Pass catchers like wide receiver Calvin Ridley, wide receiver Christian Kirk and tight end Evan Engram were a big emphasis for the Steelers’ defense entering the matchup.
Even with that big emphasis, along with bad weather, the Steelers couldn’t figure out how to slow down Jacksonville’s passing attack. In the process, the Steelers allowed the Jaguars to make some franchise history, according to NFL Network’s James Palmer.
With Engram hauling in 10 passes for 88 yards, Ridley hauling in six passes for 83 yards and running back Travis Etienne adding three catches for 70 yards and a touchdown, it was the first game in Jacksonville history in which a running back, wide receiver and tight end all had more than 70 receiving yards in the same game.
Engram gave the Steelers fits throughout the game, as evidenced by his team-high 10 receptions for 88 yards. Though the Steelers forced a fumble from him early in the game that linebacker Cole Holcomb recovered, Engram got open time and time again, and helped put the game away late in the fourth quarter with a 34-yard catch-and-run, setting up a Jacksonville field goal to make it a 10-point game and all but ending it.
“The way I work, I’m trying to have a big week every Sunday, honestly,” Engram told reporters after the Jaguars’ win, according to video via 1010XL on YouTube. “But it’s all tailored to being impactful for my team. Whatever I’m asked to do, whether it’s block, get out in space, YAC, possession catch, catch the ball get down … I got to protect the ball better, but I want to do all that to the best of my ability.”
Even though the Steelers knew coming in how good Engram was and how key to the offense he is for Jacksonville, the Steelers had no answers, which was frustrating for Steelers’ outside linebacker T.J. Watt.
“We knew he was a great pass catcher. We respected him coming into the game, but we weren’t able to stop him today,” Watt said of Engram following the loss, according to video via the Steelers’ YouTube page.
Coming into the matchup, Engram led the Jaguars with 41 receptions. He only extended that lead with his sure hands in poor conditions, becoming a safety outlet for Lawrence, winning his matchups consistently against Pittsburgh linebackers and especially safety Keanu Neal.
As Engram went off, Ridley had a big game as well, making some big catches early on, taking advantage of the depleted Steelers’ cornerbacks room. As Pittsburgh had no answers for Engram and Ridley, that forced them to really shift focus defensively and put more of an emphasis on covering the two.
That then allowed Etienne to take advance of rookie Joey Porter Jr., leading to the 56-yard touchdown in the third quarter that all but put the game away.
Sunday’s struggles trying to contain the top three play-makers offensively for the Jaguars showed just how many issues the Steelers have in the secondary, especially being so short-handed after the loss of star safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. When the defense can’t cover on the back-end, it makes for a long day. That’s what happened Sunday as the big three for Jacksonville went off, and the Steelers couldn’t stop them.
