Thoughts on the Jaguars’ 17-13 loss to the Steelers at Heinz Field:
What it means: There sure is a hopeless feeling around the Jaguars, who couldn’t really do a thing against the Steelers early on, falling behind 17-0. They rallied only to fall short. They just aren’t able to get a good 60-minute effort, and they now stand 1-5 with a five-game losing streak.
What I didn’t like: Rashean Mathis wound up in a lot of tough situations and didn’t fare well. The cornerback got beat by Mike Wallace on a well-placed touchdown pass. His failures weren’t only in coverage, though. He couldn’t angle to running back Rashard Mendenhall on a touchdown run and then got stiff-armed by the back in what seemed like a half-hearted effort to get to him during a career-best 68-yard run.
What I liked, at times: Blaine Gabbert rarely had time, but he stood in as he got hit and delivered an 18-yard touchdown pass to Jason Hill in the third quarter. It capped a long, time-consuming drive and closed the score to 17-10 despite how badly the Jaguars had been outplayed. He had a nifty scramble to convert one third-and-2. He wound up sacked five times and hurried and hit on plenty of other snaps. Hardly quality conditions for a rookie quarterback to succeed.
Significant stat: The Steelers ran for 185 yards with an average of 5.8.
What’s next: The Jaguars get the national spotlight when "Monday Night Football" rolls in to Jacksonville to see them host the Baltimore Ravens. Will people be compelled to look away?
What it means: There sure is a hopeless feeling around the Jaguars, who couldn’t really do a thing against the Steelers early on, falling behind 17-0. They rallied only to fall short. They just aren’t able to get a good 60-minute effort, and they now stand 1-5 with a five-game losing streak.
What I didn’t like: Rashean Mathis wound up in a lot of tough situations and didn’t fare well. The cornerback got beat by Mike Wallace on a well-placed touchdown pass. His failures weren’t only in coverage, though. He couldn’t angle to running back Rashard Mendenhall on a touchdown run and then got stiff-armed by the back in what seemed like a half-hearted effort to get to him during a career-best 68-yard run.
What I liked, at times: Blaine Gabbert rarely had time, but he stood in as he got hit and delivered an 18-yard touchdown pass to Jason Hill in the third quarter. It capped a long, time-consuming drive and closed the score to 17-10 despite how badly the Jaguars had been outplayed. He had a nifty scramble to convert one third-and-2. He wound up sacked five times and hurried and hit on plenty of other snaps. Hardly quality conditions for a rookie quarterback to succeed.
Significant stat: The Steelers ran for 185 yards with an average of 5.8.
What’s next: The Jaguars get the national spotlight when "Monday Night Football" rolls in to Jacksonville to see them host the Baltimore Ravens. Will people be compelled to look away?
Paul Kuharsky | email
NFL- ESPN AFC South Blogger
- Covered Oilers/Titans for The Tennessean
- A New Jersey native and Columbia graduate who lives in Nashville with his wife and son
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