Tyson Alualu seems like a Pittsburgh Steeler at heart. But he also has ties to the team the Steelers are facing this weekend, the Jacksonville Jaguars. Drafted by the Jaguars with the 10th overall pick of the 2010 NFL Draft, Alualu spent seven years with the team before playing in Pittsburgh for his final six.
But when it comes to predicting Week Eight’s game, Alualu has no hesitation about who will win. The Steelers. By a lot.
Appearing as the latest guest on Cam Heyward’s Not Just Football podcast, Alualu thinks Pittsburgh will play a complete game and come out on top by three scores this weekend, pushing the Steelers to 5-2.
“Definitely taking the Steelers over the Jags,” Alualu told Heyward and co-host Hayden Walsh. “I’m hoping this would be a coming-out game for the offense. So I want to say they’re going to put up 35 points…I’ll give Jacksonville 17.”
Lock in the Alualu selection, 35-17 Steelers. It would be a wild win by Pittsburgh’s standards for a variety of reasons. Putting 35 points feels like a monumental challenge for this offense. Since Matt Canada took over as offensive coordinator in 2021, they’ve accomplished that feat only once, a 41-37 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers in 2021. And they have not scored at least 30 points in a victory since Week 10 of the 2020 season, a 36-10 beatdown over the Cincinnati Bengals.
Winning by more than one score even without an outburst of points is also rare for this team. Over the Steelers’ 13 wins the past two seasons, only two of those games were decided by more than eight points: a 20-10 win over the New Orleans Saints coming out of 2022’s bye week and last year’s finale, a 28-14 victory over the Cleveland Browns, about as “comfortable” a win as Pittsburgh’s had over that span. All four of their wins this year have been by one possession and in total, those outcomes have been decided by just 23 points. Despite a 4-2 record, the Steelers still carry a negative point differential.
Heyward bristled a bit at “allowing” 17 points to the Jaguars but as Alualu pointed out, that was the maximum number former DC Keith Butler would consider acceptable. And he hasn’t forgotten that part. By Pittsburgh’s standards, this would be a massive win not just in number but also considering the opponent. Jacksonville is an up-and-coming team and leading the AFC South. Led by QB Trevor Lawrence, he has great weapons in WRs Christian Kirk and Calvin Ridley, TE Evan Engram, and RB Travis Etienne. Defensively, DE Josh Allen is an emerging pass rusher, and the line is full of top-round picks like Travon Walker, the number one pick of the 2022 NFL Draft. Look for a full scouting report on them Friday on the site.
Catch the whole episode below.
