The Pittsburgh Steelers will play their seventh game of the 2023 regular season on Sunday afternoon, and this week it will be a home contest against the Jacksonville Jaguars. This week the Steelers will enter their game as slight home underdogs as well. Below are five key things that I believe the Steelers will need to do on Sunday afternoon at Acrisure Stadium to come away with their fifth win of the 2023 season.
Get Edgy – The Jaguars running attack will be tough to stop on Sunday as RB Travis Etienne is one of the tops in the NFL right now at that position group. Where Etienne has really made his mark so far in 2023 is on the edge and thus runs outside the tackles. In fact, Etienne has 31 rushing attempts for 177 yards and three touchdowns to right end or left end so far this season. Thats 5.71 yards per attempt. It doesn’t end with Etienne, however, as QB Trevor Lawrence has 17 rush attempts for 158 yards through seven games. 15 of those 17 runs were scrambles, something Lawrence certainly isn’t afraid of doing. Containing Lawrence could be a key unto itself, really. In total, the Jaguars have seven explosive runs of 20 yards or longer on the season and three of those have gone for touchdowns. Three of those seven were scrambles by Lawrence around the left end while Etienne is responsible for the other four with two of those going around the end.
Be Blitzburgh – While Lawrence is having an above-the-line season to date, the third-year quarterback has struggled against the blitz in his first seven games of the 2023 season. He enters Week Eight with the worst completion percentage and first down percentage in the NFL against the blitz so far this season and is ranked 26th overall in yards per attempt against it as well. The Steelers defense, on the other hand, is ranked third in the NFL when it comes to completion percentage when the unit blitzes and sixth overall in yards per attempt. The Steelers defense also blitzes at the fourth-highest rate in the NFL entering Week Eight. Obviously, and as mentioned above, Lawrence can scramble well so when the Steelers do decide to blitz, the unit must do so in a manner that contains the Jaguars’ young quarterback.
Deliver Some Back Hands – So far this season, the Jaguars defense has allowed the most completions in the NFL to opposing running backs, 51 for 334 and two touchdowns. That’s probably related to the unit playing so much zone coverage. Even so, those are easy completions to make for quarterbacks. The Steelers offense eyers Week Eight in the middle of the NFL when it comes to completions to running backs, 32 for 228 yards and two touchdowns. 22 of those have gone to RB Jaylen Warren with fellow running back Najee Harris registering just eight receptions. Harris, however, did catch 74 passes during his 2021 rookie season so we know he can be used more in the passing game. Harris averaging a little more than one reception a game so far in 2023 is quite criminal. Steelers QB Kenny Pickett can’t be afraid to check the football down to his running backs on Sunday. Additionally, it might be a great time for the Steelers offense to re-test their running back screen game.
Don’t Get Fooled By Tom – Tom, who? Tomfoolery! The Jaguars are a tricky bunch and thus not opposed to running a trick play or two. A double pass, a flea flicker, a double reverse, a fake punt, a fake field goal. You name it and Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson could be willing to run. He has a history of such tomfoolery in the NFL and specifically in his time as the head coach of the Jaguars. Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin talked on Tuesday about how his team might need to be on a high level of alert this Sunday when it comes to trick plays. Even so, I still wouldn’t put past Pederson to try one or two just the same.
Give Kenny A Chance – As of last Sunday, Pickett has now led the Steelers to an offensive scoring drive in the fourth quarter, with the team trailing by one score, to either a tie or lead six times. That’s quite an accomplishment for such a young quarterback and one that hasn’t even made 20 NFL starts so far. The Steelers are 4-0 this season in one-score games. They’re 0-2 in games that aren’t close. As long as the Steelers can keep Sunday’s game against the Jaguars close into the fourth quarter, Pickett might be able to deliver his late-game-clutchness once again. Steelers games haven’t been pretty at all this year and especially on the offensive side of the football. Even so, the Steelers enter Week Eight with a 4-2 record and thanks mainly to style points not mattering. Sunday the Steelers will play a well-coached team in the Jaguars but even so, this game can still be won by Pittsburgh and in ugly fashion once again as well.
