Steelers (9-0) at Jaguars (1-8)
Sunday, 1 ET, TIAA Bank Field, Jacksonville, Fla.
TV: CBS
Danny Sheridan’s line: Steelers by 10
Steelers’ keys to victory: The Jaguars tend to struggle the most when teams jump out early against them. Pittsburgh needs to put the pressure on in the first quarter because it will move Jacksonville away from its biggest strength: the run game. Pittsburgh has weapons in RB James Conner or WRs JuJu Smith-Schuster and Chase Claypool. Additionally, the Jaguars’ secondary is dealing with injuries and is extremely young with rookies CJ Henderson starting and Daniel Thomas filling in for veteran Josh Jones, who is on injured reserve.
Jaguars’ keys to victory: The Jags need to get rookie RB James Robinson going with 20 carries or more because when they don’t, they allow the opposition to win the time of possession against their struggling defense. At the same time, they also can’t forget about WR DJ Chark Jr., who has come on strong during the second half of the season with rookie QB Jake Luton favoring him as a target. On defense, the Jags don’t necessarily have to sack Ben Roethlisberger, but if they can keep him moving in the pocket, they have a chance. That means DE Josh Allen and rookie DT DaVon Hamilton need to be in the backfield.
Matchup to watch: Steelers’ Smith-Schuster vs. Jaguars’ Henderson. Smith-Schuster is a top-tier receiver and the Steelers will undoubtedly look to catch him in matchups with the rookie, who has shown a mix of struggles and brilliance.
Who wins? Roethlisberger’s success in Jacksonville, where he is 4-1 all-time, is the X factor. Steelers 27-21