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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Curt Popejoy

Steelers vs Jaguars: Big takeaways from the humbling loss

On Sunday, the Pittsburgh Steelers fell 20-10 to the Jacksonville Jaguars. The loss means the Steelers are 4-3 with a Thursday Night Football showdown with the Tennessee Titans on the horizon. This game was a lot of what we expected a lot of what we didn’t. Here are our big takeaways from the loss.

There's no quarterabck controversy

Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

When Kenny Pickett went down with his rib injury the first thought was if Mitch Trubisky leads this team back, will there be a quarterback controversy? But alas, it was not meant to be. Trubisky came out and gave his all but two interceptions later and there’s no reason to think Pickett has anything to worry about when he returns.

The line of scrimmage belonged to Jacksonville

Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

The Jaguars owned the line of scrimmage on both sides of the football. the Steelers offensive line did nothing to establish anything on the ground and just got pushed around by the Jags defense and on the other side, Jacksonville running back Travis Etienne has plenty of lanes to run through.

Don't blame Canada

 Philip G. Pavely-USA TODAY Sports

A couple of plays aside, this loss doesn’t fall on offensive coordinator Matt Canada. the Steelers execution was dreadful, starting with Pickett and some bad throws along with more drops by wide receiver Diontae Johnson.

T.J. Watt gets no help

Oct 29, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) throws a touchdown pass while under pressure from Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt (90) during the third quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Philip G. Pavely-USA TODAY Sports

Jacksonville committed two and often three guys to slow down T.J. Watt yet even with the mismatches that this created, the rest of the Steelers defense did very little.

This team just isn't very good.

Oct 29, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) throws a touchdown pass while under pressure from Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt (90) during the third quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Philip G. Pavely-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 29, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jaylen Warren (30) dives against the Jacksonville Jaguars during the third quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Philip G. Pavely-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 29, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt (90) reacts during player introductions against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 29, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Armon Watts (94) and linebacker T.J. Watt (90) sack Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) during the fourth quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 29, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mitch Trubisky (10) passes the ball against the Jacksonville Jaguars during the fourth quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Jacksonville won 20-10. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Philip G. Pavely-USA TODAY Sports

The fact the Steelers are 4-3 should not cloud your judgment that this team is good. It isn’t. It has some good players and they make some good plays. But behind maybe a handful of players, none of these guys would be starting against most starters on the top teams in the AFC.

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