Much of the attention will be on quarterback Kenny Pickett and offensive coordinator Matt Canada when the Pittsburgh Steelers play the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday. The question is whether they can replicate the performance they showed in the fourth quarter of their 24-17 victory against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday. In addition, many will be observing the defense’s performance against quarterback Trevor Lawrence and running back Travis Etienne Jr.
The Steelers must understand, though, that Jacksonville will change things up to fool opponents, either on the offensive or when the defensive believes they have recovered the ball for their own offense. During his weekly news conference on Tuesday, head coach Mike Tomlin made sure to mention that he and his staff are aware of the Jaguars’ penchant for deceit by using footage from the team’s YouTube channel.
“They are a team that consciously strives to be aggressive with their gadgets, be it in offensive play, special teams, double passes, or reverses,” Tomlin remarked. “I’ve known their special teams coordinator, Heath Farwell, for a very long time. When I was a member of the Vikings, he was a player for us in Minnesota. Football enthusiast who is aggressive in mentality and has a keen eye for detail. So, you know, we’re focused on a lot of things.
In the first half of their 31-24 victory over the New Orleans Saints last Thursday, Jacksonville displayed that aggressiveness. The Jaguars were ahead 14-6 with just over a minute and a half left in the first half when they faced a 4th and 2 from the New Orleans 46. They prepared to punt and snapped it to Logan Cooke, who appeared ready to kick. Then he raised the ball once more just as gunner Tim Jones abruptly stopped and became an easy target. Cooke completed the simple throw, which resulted in a first down and a gain of 13 yards. With just over half of the half remaining, the Jaguars added a field goal.
All in all, the 11 men on the field for special teams on Sunday must be alert to anything, well, special if it appears that Pittsburgh has forced the Jaguars to punt. particularly when a punt can prove to be dangerous, as was the case last Thursday just over midfield.
