The Jacksonville Jaguars finish the week yet again with another tough loss, this time it comes in the form of an old rival against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The crowd of 17,244 at TIAA Bank Field were treated to a disappointing Sunday as the Jags would fall to the Steelers by the score of 27-3. The Jags’ offense appeared to have never gotten out of first gear against one of the best defenses in the NFL.
While the Jaguars were losers of the game, there were a few bright spots to be seen against the Steelers. Here are the winners and losers of Week 11’s matchup:
Winner: Logan Cooke
It’s about time that everyone shows the punter a little love. The punter is a thankless position that only goes noticed when a bad punt happens, however, Jags punter Logan Cooke might have arguably been one of the better players on the staff.
Cooke finished Sunday’s game with six punts compiling an average of 54.0 per punt. His longest on the day was a booming 67-yard kick that was returned for only five yards. Cooke had two punts on the day that traveled 60 yards and three were returned within the Steelers 15-yard line.
The third-year punter of Mississippi State did a fine job with an offense that was struggling tremendously. At an unappreciated position, Cooke did his best to pin the Steelers’ offense deep inside their territory and he was successful at doing so.
Loser: Jake Luton
The Jake Luton hype train might have come to a screeching halt.
Luton wasn’t overly impressive Week 10 against the Green Bay Packers, going 18-of-35 for 169 yards, one touchdown, and an interception. He wasn’t able to improve that Sunday against the Steelers completing only 43% (16-of-37) of his passes for 151 yards and four picks. Needless to say, that didn’t lead to a high QBR and passer rating where he garnered figures of 12.3 and 15.5, respectively.
The moment was too big for Luton as he was affected by a dynamic Steelers’ pass-rush which came into the league as the NFL’s leader in sacks. While the offensive line only gave up two sacks on the day, Luton was hit by the defense seven times in the game, leading to his four interceptions.
The recent struggles could mean another quarterback switch as journeyman quarterback Mike Glennon is also on the Jags roster. Gardner Minshew II wasn’t 100% as of last week per coach Doug Marrone, but a return is possible for Week 13, too. Ultimately, the decision is on the staff, and time will tell on what direction they go.
Winner: James Robinson:
While the Jaguars’ offense has struggled tremendously at times, the one shining spark has been undrafted free agent rookie running back James Robinson.
Robinson has been the surprise of the year, coming into the game ranked fifth in rushing yards. He was up against a Steelers rush defense that ranked eighth Sunday but still found some success when given the ball, rushing for 73 yards with a 4.3 yard per carry average.
Robinson has established himself as one of the better pure runners in the league and the most consistent source of offense for the Jaguars. Against the Steelers, Robinson reached over 1,000 yards from scrimmage becoming only the fifth undrafted rookie in history to accomplish the feat.
Even with the Jags’ record, one could make a strong case for him receiving looks for the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year award. Heck, if he keeps up this level of production, the talented rookie could also get a lot of votes to be a Pro Bowler.
Loser: Tre Herndon
Second-year cornerback Tre Herndon was tasked with a tough duty, guarding the extremely talented Steelers’ receivers. Sunday he was the main defender on Steelers’ wide receiver Diontae Johnson and Herndon struggled mightily.
Johnson finished Sunday’s game with a whopping 12 receptions for 111 yards with a receiving high of 23 yards as the Jaguars’ defense had no answer for him. While Herndon finished with seven tackles on the day, they came after already long gains from the Steelers’ receivers.
The third-year corner has been a liability in coverage all year registering a 48.5 grade according to Pro Football Focus. With the Jaguars facing a heavy shortage of cornerbacks due to injuries, Herndon looked to be outmatched as Pittsburgh’s receiving corps was too much to handle.