3 bold predictions for Steelers vs. Jags

The Jags might not win Week 11’s game against the Steelers, but their offense I made to have success against Pittsburgh with James Robinson.

With them being established in 1995, the Jacksonville Jaguars (1-8) don’t have the history that other NFL teams do, but one team they’ve had some classic moments with are the Pittsburgh Steelers (9-0). As a result, they’ve established one of the league’s most underrated rivalries and will get to add the next chapter Sunday.

To the surprise of many, the Jags actually own this rivalry record-wise by a slim 14-12 margin, but the Steelers’ chances of closing that Sunday are high. At the same time, the Jags are one of the more dangerous one-win teams fans will find, and for that reason, the Steelers are on upset alert.

While we don’t believe an upset will be the result of Week 11’s game, it certainly isn’t out of the realm of possibilities. Regardless of the outcome though, here are a few bold predictions we could see unfolding in the Jags’ favor Sunday afternoon:

James Robinson snags a rushing touchdown and a receiving touchdown

Jaguars running backs have had their share of success against the Steelers, whether it was Fred Taylor in his youth or Maurice Jones-Drew who hurt them both on the ground and on special teams. Unfortunately, neither will suit up against the Steelers Sunday but a young ascending star named James Robinson will.

The undrafted rookie will come into the game leading all rookies in terms of scrimmage yards with 917, which is also good for the fourth-highest total in the NFL. That means he needs 83 yards to hit 1,000, which would make him the fifth undrafted rookie to do so in the common draft era. Although he may not have a 100-yard day rushing, chances are he will be able to hit the 83-yard mark when looking at his total scrimmage yard. In fact, it wouldn’t be shocking to see him get 100 total scrimmage yards, but with that, I think he helps fellow rookie Jake Luton by contributing a rushing touchdown and receiving one.

D.J. Chark explodes on the Steelers for 150 yards or more

While Luton is going up against a Steelers defense that ranks No. 6 overall and tenth against the pass, a solid day going deep to D.J. Chark shouldn’t be ruled out for the rookie. The main reasons for that is because we’ve seen the two connect deep early in Luton’s tenure and the Steelers have allowed two pass-catchers to register over 150 receiving yards on them this season. Those players are A.J. Brown of the Tennessee Titans and Travis Fulgham of the Philadelphia Eagles.

Chark is just as talented as both of those players with a Pro Football Focus grade of 74.0 and he’ll be up against two perimeter corners in Joe Hayden and Steven Nelson who have grades of 62.5 and 69.7, respectfully. That said, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him snag a few deep receptions as it may be Luton’s short-range accuracy that is the issue.

The Jags’ linebacking corps garners two turnovers

When it comes to garnering turnovers, the Jags linebacking corps may be the key. We’ve witnessed Myles Jack pick off Ben Roethlisberger in the past and the young linebacker is now a much better player. He’ll enter the game with the third-highest PFF grade at his position (85.7) and is playing at an All-Pro level this season. That’s partly due to having a coverage grade of 76.8, which could mean he’ll snag one against Roethlisberger, who has garnered a lot of wins in Jacksonville but has also thrown his share of picks against the Jags.

Another player whois quite familiar with Roethlisberger is MIKE linebacker Joe Schobert, who spent four seasons in the AFC North. In fact, just last year Schobert had a two-interception game against the Steelers, though it came while Mason Rudolph was the quarterback. Still, with him understanding Roethlisberger’s tendencies, don’t be shocked if he can snag a pick or force a fumble against a team he’s registered six starts against.