NFL Week 8 Game Recap: Jacksonville Jaguars 20, Pittsburgh Steelers 10

The Jacksonville Jaguars let the Pittsburgh Steelers hang around all game, refusing to put them away amid three turnovers in Pittsburgh territory — including an ugly interception from Trevor Lawrence in the end zone.  

Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett was taken down by Jaguars defensive lineman Adam Gotsis and got his right hand tangled up, which didn’t allow him to brace for impact, and he was out for the second half with a right rib injury. Backup quarterback Mitch Trubisky was up-and-down but threw an ugly interception to safety Andrew Wingard late that effectively put this game out of reach. 

Offensive spotlight: Jaguars running back Travis Etienne continues to find the end zone week after week, with a 56-yard catch-and-run down the right sideline for a touchdown followed up by a score on the two-point conversion. The offense ran through Etienne all game long, as he had 24 carries for 79 yards, as well, adding to his league-leading missed tackles forced numbers. Tight end Evan Engram was running open all day long, recording 10 catches for 88 yards. 

Steelers wide receiver George Pickens was quiet early and came to life in the second half, almost making a spectacular back-shoulder catch on the right sideline with his right toe out of bounds by an inch. Pickens found the end zone on an impressive 22-yard snag in the red zone, hurdling two Jaguars defenders and sauntering into the end zone untouched — his only official catch of the game. Diontae Johnson was separating early off the line and winning late in the play on the scramble drill, hauling in eight receptions for 85 yards and playing through some late injuries.

Defensive spotlight: Jacksonville’s run defense continues to play like a top-five unit, with the return of interior defender Davon Hamilton just bolstering the group even further. Pittsburgh mustered just 70 yards on 18 carries, and no ball-carrier hit 20 rushing yards. Edge defender Josh Allen continues his torrid pace to start the season, adding two more sacks, with Travon Walker getting home for a sack, as well. Both were consistently generating pressure in the game. 

Steelers linebacker Elandon Roberts, who patrols near the line of scrimmage and delivers a few crunches a game, had 1.5 sacks to go along with a half sack for each of T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith and Armon Watts. Pittsburgh’s defense delivered another strong performance, but the unit couldn’t do enough to overcome yet another dreadful offensive performance.

Rookie spotlight: Jaguars rookie running back Tank Bigsby fumbled after a nine-yard gain in Steelers territory, not factoring into the game much at all once Travis Etienne returned to the field after briefly dealing with a minor injury. 

Steelers rookie edge defender Nate Herbig continues to make splash plays on a small sample, with a key tackle for loss in this game. Rookie cornerback Joey Porter Jr. largely held the Jaguars' passing attack in check. A touchdown pass to Travis Etienne appeared to be the fault of safety Damontae Kazee, who was effectively in no man’s land.

Box Score

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