8 Winners, 3 Losers From Steelers Win Over Jaguars

The Pittsburgh Steelers walked away with a lot of winners, but one glaring loser.

The Pittsburgh Steelers barely walked out of Jacksonville with a win, but it's the preseason, and player grades are more important than wins and losses. That being said, in the words of head coach Mike Tomlin, "it's good to learn with a W."

Winners

Kenny Pickett

The Steelers came into the game with the plan to let Pickett get more "varsity action." Well, after just two drives, Tomlin saw enough of the rookie, replacing Pickett with Mason Rudolph to start the second half.

The story was a lot more exciting than that, though. Pickett took the Steelers 63 yards in 42 seconds at the end of the second quarter, putting Pittsburgh up one with a touchdown pass to Benny Snell Jr. 

Pickett finished the night completing 6/7 for 76 yards and a touchdown, and is now 19 of 22 for 171 yards and three touchdowns during the preseason. 

It feels like Pickett is the solidified the backup job, and the Steelers are ready to move on. 

Myles Jack

Myles Jack returned to Jacksonville for the first time and definitely took it personally. He finished with four tackles but felt like he was involved in every play. 

Jack needs to be the lifeline of the Steelers' inside linebacker core. With Devin Bush struggling and Robert Spillane operating best off the bench, Pittsburgh is desperate for any spark the position. 

Jack looks like the spark.

Diontae Johnson

There is a lot of hype around George Pickens, but the Steelers WR1 is Diontae Johnson. 

Johnson beat a defender deep to open the game, but Mitch Trubisky, who was scrambling for his life, missed the pass. He later caught a touchdown from Pickett during the two-minute drill but the play was offset because of a holding call on Dan Moore Jr. 

He finished the night with two receptions for 33 yards. It felt like an effortless performance. His confidence is high. At this point, Johnson just looks like a veteran this season.

Benny Snell Jr.

Coming into the game, there was a strong feeling Jaylen Warren was about to bounce Snell from the 53-man roster. The Steelers gave their veteran an opportunity, though, and he made the most of it. 

Snell struggled on the ground, rushing three times for -2 yards. He did, however, catch two balls for 15 yards and a touchdown.

Snell also made a tackle on punt coverage to lock the Jaguars within the 15-yard line. The play was exactly why the Steelers want Snell to make the roster. He's a capable pass blocker and one of their best special teamers. 

The conversation around the backup running back should be pretty quiet heading into the final preseason game. It's time to watch Snell and Warren compete. 

Tyler Vaughns

After 9pm, Tyler Vaughns turns into the best receiver on the field. For a second game in a row, Vaughns has been on the receiving end of the game-winning drive. Last week, it was for the touchdown. This week, it was everything but. 

Vaughns and Rudolph worked the field to perfection during their final offensive drive. It started with a 25-yard connection, then a 21-yard connection, and two plays later, brought Pittsburgh down to the one-yard line with another five-yard catch. 

Vaughns has a major uphill battle to find the 53-man roster. The Steelers' receiving core is stacked, and players like Steven Sims and Miles Boykin are at the top of the list for the sixth spot. 

Vaughns is fighting hard to put his name in that discussion, though. 

Pressley Harvin

Pressley Harvin has been putting on a show at training camp the last week, and now, everyone in Steelers Nation got to witness how dominant the Steelers punter has been. 

Harvin finished the night with four punts for 177 yards, averaging 44.3 yards per punt. His night was highlighted with a 76-yard boot during the second half. 

The Steelers know they have a star in the making with Harvin. They're excited about him and don't need real competition around him. It's Harvin's job for the foreseeable future. 

2022 is a comeback season for the punter.

Mason Rudolph

"I thought he played like a varsity guy in a JV game," Tomlin described Rudolph's play. 

Rudolph was originally in the loser column for this game. After stepping in for the second half, he started his night out in the worst possible way - a safety. 

A defender got through John Leglue and Rudolph threw the ball away. It got called for intentional grounding, gave the Jaguars an 8-7 lead and immediately, you started to think this was the end of Rudolph's time in Pittsburgh. 

But like all overreactions, it started to calm down. He finished the night 17/21 for 127 yards and a touchdown - which was the game-winner. He remained poise in the pocket and was able to work the third-string offense down the field with a little over three minutes left to score a quick touchdown to Tyler Snead. 

Rudolph might not be in the running for the starting job at this point, but he certainly played well in this game. If the Steelers don't care, maybe another team watching does. 

Terrell Edmunds

Terrell Edmunds could be the Steelers' solution to their hole at inside linebacker. The safety has always had a knack for playing in the box, but he really put on a show against the Jaguars. 

Edmunds finished with five tackles and made a few nice run stops for Pittsburgh. While Bush and Spillane continue to look a bit stale, Edmunds added a spark, and the secondary didn't miss a beat while he was doing it. 

With Damontae Kazee and Tre Norwood playing well, Edmunds might have the possibility of spending more time helping the run than in coverage this season. If it works, the Steelers got lucky, because he feels like their best shot at solving a very poor run defense with a gapping hole at inside linebacker. 

Losers

Dan Moore Jr. 

The Steelers entire offensive line struggled against the Jaguars, but we'll get to that. We're going to start with Dan Moore Jr., who, when he wasn't getting beat off the edge - or inside - he was being called for penalities. 

Moore nearly ended Pickett's two-minute drive at the end of the first half because of a holding penalty. 

The second-year left tackle struggled in every aspect against the Jaguars. And sadly, he was just one part of the problem.

James Daniels

Daniels was the next. The former Chicago Bear was supposed to be the savior of the Steelers' offensive line, but all we've seen over the last two games is him struggling to hold blocks and being beat off the ball. 

What do you do about this? Probably nothing, because Kendrick Green and Kevin Dotson aren't playing much better. But Mitch Trubisky better hope something gets fixed or it's going to be a long season. 

Steelers Offensive Line 

Yeah, there's no hiding that the Steelers' offensive line didn't get better at all from a year ago. This group showed no progress against the Jaguars, and it's apparent Trubisky is going to be scrambling a lot more than anticipated this season.  

Jacksonville's front seven is impressive, but it shouldn't of had the game it did against the starters.  

There are a few holes on the Steelers roster, but nothing is as alarming as their need to fix the line. If they don't their ceiling is low, and Trubisky has a much smaller chance of making something happen with the stars around him. 

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