Jaguars 20, Steelers 10: Jacksonville Picks Up 5th Consecutive Win Before Bye Week

The Jacksonville Jaguars kept their good season rolling in a hard-fought game vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Jacksonville Jaguars found a way to win -- again.

Despite ugly weather conditions, three turnovers and a number of other potential setbacks, the Jaguars rolled to their fifth consecutive win with a 20-10 triumph over the Pittsburgh Steelers. 

The 6-2 record through eight games is officially the second-best eight-game start the Jaguars have ever had.

Travon Walker made his presence felt on the first drive. After Kenny Pickett failed to connect with Diontate Johnson on first down, Walker sacked Pickett on second down and then forced a holding call on third down to force a three-and-out.

The Jaguars ran into their own issues early in their first drive, though Calvin Ridley drew his fifth defensive pass interference flag of the year on third-down to extend the drive. The Jaguars were able to drive into field goal-range, but a 15-yard facemask penalty on Evan Engram moved them from the Steelers' 29-yard line to their 44. 

Engram got some redemption on third-down, however, picking up 12 yards on 3rd-and-21 to set up a 50-yard Brandon McManus field goal.

Jacksonville's defense continued to hold up on the ensuing drive, forcing a third-and-out for the second drive in a row thanks to a near-pick six by Tre Herndon on third down.

Jacksonville overcame an early-down sack by Alex Highsmith thanks toa  26-yard completion from Lawrence to Calvin Ridley, setting up a 51-yard McManus field goal to give the Jaguars a 6-0 lead.

The Jaguars' defense then came up huge for a third time, forcing a third three-and-out thanks to a clutch Darious Williams pass-breakup of Pickett on a deep target to George Pickens that might have been a touchdown without Williams' big play.

Lawrence then started the next drive with an explosive 29-yard pass to Christian Kirk, with Lawrence delivering the pass with Keanu Neal nailing him with a roughing the passer penalty, adding another 15 yards.

A completion from Lawrence to Engram on third-down kept the drive alive, pushing the Jaguars into the red-zone for the first time. The Jaguars failed to take advantage, however, with Engram fumbling the ball after a hit from Kwon Alexander on a shovel pass.

The Jaguars' defense forced another three-and-out -- their fourth in a row -- on the next drive, but the Jaguars offense had their second red-zone turnover in a row after Lawrence made a foolish decision to throw a pass into triple coverage, resulting in an interception at the Steelers' two-yard line.

The Steelers then nearly drove the ball 98 yards for a score, with Pickett connecting with Johnson on several sideline throws and Foyesade Oluokun being hit with a defensive pass interference. The Jaguars' defense held firm at the goal-line, though, forcing a field goal and a 6-3 lead.

After a 38-yard McManus field goal extended the Jaguars' lead to 9-3, the Steelers nearly drove the ball down the field for a field goal before half-time before things went haywire. 

First, Pickett was injured after a brutal hit by defensive lineman Adam Gotsis. Then, the Steelers made a 56-yard field goal ... before it was negated due to their own offsides, leading to a failed 61-yard attempt and no points.

Jacksonville opened up the second-half with some positive plays on the ground, but an ankle injury to Travis Etienne forced rookie running back Tank Bigsby into a more prominent role. After an early nine-yard carry, Bigsby's turnover problems arose yet again as he lost a fumble for the Jaguars' third turnover of the day. 

The Jaguars' defense took advantage of the Steelers being forced to play backup quarterback Mitch Trubisky, however, with Josh Allen recording his eighth sack of the year to force the Steelers' fifth punt of the day.

After the Jaguars were forced to punt due to a clutch tackle by Joey Porter Jr. on Ridley, the Jaguars were saved by a high-reel George Pickens catch being ruled incomplete. 

Then, the Jaguars' offense finally woke up.

After a failed screen to Etienne, the third-year running back lined out wide and did what he has done for the last month: find the end-zone with ease. This time, it was thanks to a 56-yard touchdown pass from Lawrence to his former Clemson teammate. 

Thanks to a two-point conversion from Etienne, the Jaguars lead extended to 17-3, giving their defense a chance to pin their ears back vs. Trubisky. Trubisky fought back, however, shaking Dawuane Smoot in the open field on a potential third-down sack before finding Pickens for a 22-yard touchdown later in the drive to make it a 17-10 ball-game. 

A nifty move by Etienne on 3rd-and-short catch on the following drive helped the Jaguars get things flowing offensively, though a first-down false start by Luke Farrell had the potential to offset the good will.

Engram picked up the slack, however, with an 11-yard catch-and-run on 3rd-and-5, which was followed by a 13-yard run by Etienne. 

Then, though, the Jaguars got right back in their own way. A drop by Calvin Ridley on first-down and a second-down failed screen led to 3rd-and-10 from the Steelers' 32-yard line. And then T.J. Watt took over, just like he has so often before, sprinting by rookie right tackle Anton Harrison to knock the Jaguars back eight yards and force them out of field goal position.

But just like they have all season, the Jaguars' defense came up big when they needed it the most. With safety Andrew Wingard starting in the place of injured starter Andre Cisco, the fifth-year safety recorded his first interception of the year before grabbing s Terrible Towel from a fan in the stands and parading it around the sidelines. 

After gains of 34 and 15 yards from Engram, the Jaguars finally put the game away with a 37-yard field goal from McManus, giving them a 10-point lead with under five minutes to play. One Josh Allen sack later, and the Jaguars ended the game with their fifth win in a row, improving to 6-2 before the bye. 

Stats of the Game (10/29/23 @ Steelers) Via: @theryanmichael

Trevor Lawrence finished the game competing 24 of 32 passes (75.0%) for 292 yards (9.1 YPA), 1 touchdown, 1 interception, 3 sacks and a 100.0 passer rating.

Lawrence’s 9.1 yards per attempt average was the highest mark of Lawrence’s 44-game NFL career (including postseason).

Lawrence produced his fifth game of the season with a passer rating of 100.0+.

Travis Etienne carried the ball 24 times for 79 yards (3.3 YPC) and caught 3 passes for 70 yards. He produced 149 yards from scrimmage.

Three Jaguars produced 70+ yards receiving (88 from Evan Engram, 83 from Calvin Ridley and 70 from Etienne).

Foyesade Oluokun led the Jaguars with 10 tackles (8 solo).

Josh Allen recorded 5 tackles (3 solo) and 2 sacks.