A Brice McCain interception return for a touchdown was enough for the Pittsburgh Steelers (3-2) to defeat the Jacksonville Jaguars (0-5) on Sunday at EverBank Field.
It was the only scoring play of the fourth quarter and the only touchdown in the second half, increasing what was just a 10-9 lead early in the final quarter. The Steelers defense was strong throughout the day despite solid play at times from rookie QB Blake Bortles, holding the home team to just three field goals. Ben Roethlisberger and the offense were able to move the ball with regularity, but only put up ten points, consistently putting the pressure on the defense instead of building a larger lead.
The defense was up to the challenge though, picking off Bortles twice. Cortez Allen had one in the first half and McCain’s pick-six was the play of the game. Jacksonville managed only 56 rushing yards, relying on Bortles and a young receiving corps to muster out the win. He was 22-36 for 191 yards and the two interceptions. Pittsburgh’s offense was more balanced, as Roethlisberger was 26-36 for 273 yards with a touchdown pass to reserve tight end Michael Palmer. Antonio Brown led the way with five catches for 84 yards and Heath Miller added three receptions for 46 yards. Le’Veon Bell carried 15 times for 82 yards and his 36 receiving yards on five catches gave him over 100 total yards for the game.
Jacksonville’s Allen Robinson also had five grabs for 51 yards, leading his team in both categories. Bortles completed passes to nine different teammates, while Roethlisberger spread the ball around to 11 different receivers. The Jaguars’ top rusher was Storm Johnson, who ran four times for 27 yards. Toby Gerhart also ran four times for just 14 yards. Jacksonville only ran 15 times in the game.
Josh Scobee made all three field goals he attempted for Jacksonville. Shaun Suisham made one for the Steelers, making him 10-for-11 on the season. Pittsburgh earned eight more first downs than the Jaguars, outgained them by over 120 yards, and had a season-low seven penalties, showing progress in what has been a troublesome category.
Pittsburgh now goes to Cleveland in Week 6, making it the fourth road game in the first six weeks. Heinz Field is then the site of the next three games. The Steelers are 2-1 on the road and the Browns are 1-1 at home.
