Can the Steelers contain Fournette?
MEMORABLE SERIES MOMENT
Jaguars 31, Steelers 29
Jan. 5, 2008, at Heinz Field
With Willie Parker, Aaron Smith, Ryan Clark and Marvel Smith out with injuries during a fading Steelers鈥� stretch run that included a loss to the Jaguars, the teams met again in the playoffs in 39-degree weather. Rashean Mathis 鈥� who else? 鈥� returned an interception 63 yards to give the Jaguars a 14-7 lead early in the second quarter. Maurice Jones-Drew蘑菇视频 second touchdown pushed the lead to 28-10 in the third quarter. But the Steelers rallied with three touchdowns in the fourth. The second of those touchdowns brought the Steelers to within 28-23 with 10:29 remaining, when Mike Tomlin made a poor decision.
After a holding call on center Sean Mahan negated a successful two-point conversion, Tomlin ordered another two-point try from 12 yards out, which failed.
The next touchdown was followed by another failed two-point attempt, but the Steelers held a 29-28 lead and had the ball. However, a rushing attack that gained only 43 yards on 26 carries couldn鈥檛 get a first down and the Jaguars got the ball back. They kicked the game-winning field goal with 37 seconds remaining after a 32-yard scramble by QB David Garrard on fourth-and-2. Ben Roethlisberger fumbled on the next play and the Steelers鈥� season was over.
TALE OF THE TAPE
鈥淭he classic, Jurassic, meateater matchup will be between Marcus Gilbert and Calais Campbell. I can鈥檛 wait to watch it. That will be a key to the Jaguars鈥� pass rush. They get in that four-man front and they鈥檒l run a twist on one side and then straight rush on the other. They鈥檒l compress the pocket in such a way that Campbell, matched up with Yannick Ngakoue on the straight-rush side, will get a lot of the sacks. On the other side you have Malik Jackson and Dante Fowler, most of the time, but the key point is that they鈥檝e become somewhat consistent with that twist on one side and the straight rush on the other.鈥� 鈥� Steelers Radio analyst Craig Wolfley.
TOP QUESTION
Can the Steelers contain Leonard Fournette?
The Steelers have fallen off precipitously against the run since Ryan Shazier went down, and now they鈥檙e facing the back who rushed for the most yardage against them this season. Leonard Fournette rushed for 181 yards against the Steelers in Week 5, and with the 17th-ranked passing offense, much will be expected of Fournette today. His problem won鈥檛 so much be the Steelers鈥� defense, but the cold weather. Fournette hates the cold. Admits it freely. He蘑菇视频 only played once in sub-freezing weather (23 degrees) and was held to 69 yards (3.6) and fumbled in a loss. If he does that today, in colder weather, the Steelers will win.
THREE QUESTIONS
With RB LE鈥橵EON BELL
Q: Looking back on the loss to Jacksonville this year, did you take them lightly?
LB: 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think we took them lightly. They played a good game. They made the plays, maybe plays where they could鈥檝e dropped interceptions or not capitalized in the red zone. They made all those plays happen, so you鈥檝e got to give those guys credit for the first game. Me, myself, I didn鈥檛 feel we were on our game as a team. I think our whole team kind of feels the same way. Kind of eager to play those guys again and give them a better run.鈥�
Q: Did anything about their defense stand out to you?
LB: 鈥淭hey don鈥檛 blitz much. They get after the quarterback with their front four. They have good guys up front. They have fifty-some sacks on the year 鈥� their front four has like (42.5) of those. Their front four is what蘑菇视频 getting the pressure. They don鈥檛 really blitz their linebackers, safeties or corners. They just go with their front four. Those guys are good and talented. We have to block them and I need to help the O-line out when I can.鈥�
Q: You said earlier the cold will be a factor. Does that stand for even a run-oriented team?
LB: 鈥淵eah, even a running team. Exactly. Coach Tomlin said he drafted me over Eddie Lacy when I was coming out because I was so used to carrying the ball in the cold, getting hit in the cold. That was the biggest thing for him. It affects runners. It definitely affects guys who are tackling. When it蘑菇视频 cold outside I take a lot of pride because I know guys don鈥檛 want to tackle.鈥�
GAME BREAKDOWN
What to look for from the Steelers at 1 p.m. at Heinz Field:
ON OFFENSE:
The Steelers鈥� emphasis was on preparing JuJu Smith-Schuster and Martavis Bryant this week, and then they listed Antonio Brown as questionable. Perhaps they were spooked by Brown蘑菇视频 late-week illness. Perhaps they鈥檙e simply preparing for the worst-case scenario, since Brown hasn鈥檛 played in almost a month because of a calf injury. But the two other receivers are ready, and tight end Vance McDonald gives them a full arsenal for the first time since Nov. 12. But the key should be Bell, both on the ground and through the air.
ON DEFENSE:
鈥淚 hate the cold, period,鈥� Fournette said. 鈥淚 sleep in the heat. That蘑菇视频 just how I grew up.鈥� He explained that, 鈥淵ou take a little hit and it hurts.鈥� The Steelers need to pass those quotes around the locker room before the game and proceed to make life miserable for the rookie from New Orleans. If the Steelers render Fournette ineffective, they鈥檒l force Blake Bortles to win the game on the road with average NFL receivers and a slow tight end. Very difficult proposition.
PREDICTION
Bell didn鈥檛 want to talk about his financial plans this week, and told the first wave of reporters that, but he eventually relented and admitted he doesn鈥檛 want to be franchised again, and may sit out if he is. The local fans went off on him because many believe a rookie can come in and pick up blitzes, run inside or outside, and provide their QB with a safety net on checkdowns in high-pressure situations. But few actually can. Bell is similar to Marcus Allen both in the aforementioned skill areas and also with his championship-level leadership and presence. Only thing is, Bell needs a championship. He蘑菇视频 finally healthy at the start of a playoff tournament and will be in prove-it mode today. 鈥� Steelers, 23-6.
BY THE NUMBERS
0: All-time wins for the Jaguars when the temperature蘑菇视频 below 28 degrees.
3.2: Average yards per carry for Fournette in his last six games, after averaging 4.4 per carry prior to that.
5.2: Average yards per carry allowed by the Steelers since Shazier was injured, after allowing 4.0 per carry prior to that.
16: Field goals in the postseason by Jeff Reed, the most in Steelers history. Chris Boswell needs one to tie.
36: Playoff wins by the Steelers since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970, most in the NFL.
DOWNLOADS
n The last time these teams met, the Steelers couldn鈥檛 take advantage of a run defense that ranked dead last in the NFL. It will be more difficult now, because the Jaguars traded for blue-chip defensive tackle Marcell Dareus a few weeks later. Without Davis, the Jaguars allowed 6.0 yards per carry. With him, they allow 3.7. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think they needed any more help,鈥� said Steelers guard David DeCastro. 鈥淭hey were pretty stout when we played them and we had enough trouble with them. You get a Pro Bowl caliber player, I was just kind of laughing. There蘑菇视频 got to be rules against that or something. Yeah, he蘑菇视频 a heck of a player. He蘑菇视频 a stud.鈥�
n Jaguars Coach Doug Marrone has been a part of coaching staffs that鈥檝e gone 1-4 against Roethlisberger. All of the games were played at Heinz Field. The only win occurred this season. 鈥淚 was there for his first playoff game in 2004 when I was with the Jets,鈥� said Marrone. 鈥淚 have a ton of respect for him. Our weight coach was with him in college and he used to tell us stories about how tough he is, how good of a player he is, and I think he蘑菇视频 represented that through his whole career. He蘑菇视频 a heck of a player. He can make all the plays. He can run the offense. We understand what we鈥檙e going against and we understand the challenge.鈥�
n Bortles was the third overall pick of the 2014 draft and before his second season he came to Pittsburgh to play in a preseason game. Many were calling him the next Roethlisberger. 鈥淚 remember that,鈥� Roethlisberger said. 鈥淚 think it was because of his size and mobility. We also have the same agent, so that might鈥檝e played into that a bit. I like him. He蘑菇视频 a good guy. But he蘑菇视频 not me.鈥�
n The Steelers have 13 players with undefeated records as starters this season, led by Marcus Gilbert at 7-0. Four other players are 4-0: B.J. Finney, Rosie Nix, Mike Hilton and Coty Sensabaugh. 鈥淚 only played seven games this year?鈥� was Gilbert蘑菇视频 reaction. 鈥淚鈥檒l tell you what, if we go 10-0, I鈥檒l fire my agent and bring you in with me for a new contract.鈥�
n Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley on the effects of the early-season loss to the Jaguars: 鈥淭hat game for our entire group was kind of a watershed moment. We stayed together but there was a lot of pressure from the outside, a lot of outside factors that could have been divisive for our group. But I take my hat off to the guys. They stuck together. They pulled together tighter. We knew that wasn鈥檛 our best football and we knew it probably wasn鈥檛 as bad as it appeared. It went the most negative way it could go in that game, but looking back at it I think it was a big game for us because of how we responded to it was very critical. I always talk to the guys about a quote that I lean on all time, 鈥楾he way you handle the adversity is more important than the adversity itself.鈥� I thought that was a great example. Our guys handled some real adversity very well and moved forward and got better.鈥�
PARTING SHOT
鈥淥ne thing we need to do is stop the run. The thing that they are not going to do is go away from it. If you stop it, they are going to continue to run 鈥� volume run. We have to make sure we maintain our gaps and keep them behind the sticks.鈥� 鈥� Steelers cornerback Joe Haden.