Jaguars snap Roethlisberger’s home touchdown streak at 45

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Ben Roethlisberger did not throw a touchdown pass against the Jaguars. That happens to quarterbacks around the NFL almost every week.

But it doesn’t happen to Roethlisberger very often when he plays at Heinz Field. The Jaguars snapped his streak of 45 consecutive games with at least one touchdownpass in home games.

Theprevious time Roethlisberger failed to throw for a touchdown at Heinz Field was Dec. 12, 2010. The Steelers beat theBengals that day, 23-7.

The streak was the third longest in NFL history. Drew Brees owns the record with 60 consecutive home games witha touchdown pass.

That streak’s end will be a footnote in the Steelers’ 30-9 loss. Roethlisberger threw a career-high five interceptions. He has six touchdowns and eight interceptions in the first five games of the season.

When he was asked after the game if Roethlisberger was taking more risks than usual, coach Mike Tomlin gave a surprisingly candid answer: “He’s not playing well. I’lllet him speak for him.”

Roethlisberger was asked andhis response was simple: “I’m not playing well enough.”

Ramsey impressive

Jaguars cornerback Jalen Ramsey had quite a day. He had seven tackle, an interception and was credited with four passes defensed.

Ramsey covered Antonio Brown for part of the game, not all of it, and left with loads of respect for him.

“Easily the best receiver I’ve played thus far in my career,” said Ramsey, who was selected in the first round of the 2016 draft. “He had some wins, I had some wins. My goal was to really not let him get over 100 yards receiving against me personally (Brown had 157 overall). I think I achieved that goal. He also didn’t have a touchdown on me.”

Brown beat Ramsey for a 49-yard gain on the first play of the game, but Brown was equally impressed with Ramsey and A.J. Bouye, the Jaguars’ other starting corner. “I can’t make any excuses,” Brown said. “Those guys did a good job. I felt in some instances, we could have gotten some calls. You can’t leave it to the refs to win the game. We have to put ourselves in better position.”

Jaguars for real?

With the victory, the Jaguars improved to 3-2 and are contenders in the AFC South division. For a team that hasn’t finished with more than five wins since 2010 that’s progress, though coach Doug Marrone isn’t too excited.

“People don’t want to label a win,” Marrone said. “I’ve been through this. At the end of the year we will look at it and see where we are at. But for me right now, we are going to try and enjoy it. I hope the players enjoy it because they deserve it.”

This ’n’ that

The Steelers have at least one takeaway in 15 consecutive games, the longest streak in the NFL. … Linebacker Ryan Shazier intercepted a pass for the sixth time in his past 10 games played, dating to last season. ... Roethlisberger became the 11th quarterback in league history to throw for 300 yards or more in 50 regular-season games. … Nose tackle Javon Hargrave set a career-high with 10 tackles. … Rookie outside linebacker T.J. Watt had six tackles, two for loss and a sack of Blake Bortles.

Inactives

The Steelers deactivated right tackle Marcus Gilbert, receiver Eli Rogers, offensive lineman Jerald Hawkins, quarterback Josh Dobbs, cornerback Brian Allen, defensive tackle Daniel McCullers and linebacker James Harrison.

The Jaguars deactivated linebacker Lerentee McCray, receiver Jaelen Strong, running back T.J. Yeldon, safety Jarrod Wilson and offensive linemen Brandon Linder, Josh Walker and William Poehls.