The Steelers opened the game on defense, facing Jaguars starting quarterback Trevor Lawrence. It looked like the Steelers would force a three-and-out when Beanie Bishop stopped Travis Hunter a yard short on third down, but the Jaguars went for it on fourth-and-one and Dyami Brown went around left end for a seven-yard gain to move the chains.
The Jaguars moved the chains again when Lawrence hit Travis Etienne for a 10-yard gain to the Steelers 27-yard line. Penalties cost the Jaguars, pushing them back on an illegal block above the waist, and then the defense closed the door, forcing the Jaguars to settle for a 41-yard Cam Little field goal for an early 3-0 lead.
Rudolph got the Steelers offense rolling with a 19-yard completion to Roman Wilson to the Jaguars 46-yard line. Ben Skowronek pulled in a three-yard reception, and it was back to Wilson for a five-yard gain. On third down, Rudolph hit Brandon Johnson for a five-yard gain and a first down. After an illegal use of hands penalty on Troy Fautanu, Rudolph connected with Scotty Miller for a 15-yard gain. Rookie Kaleb Johnson picked up four yards for another first down.
It was then time for the big man, as Rudolph hit Washington over the middle for a 19-yard touchdown, and rookie free agent Ben Sauls hit the extra point for a 7-3 lead.
Rudolph was a perfect seven-for-seven on the drive for 70 yards, efficiently moving the ball on a nine-play, 65-yard drive that took 4:45 off the clock.
It didn’t take long for the Jaguars to make a change at quarterback, with Lawrence coming out after the first series and completing six of seven passes for 43 yards.
Nick Mullens took over under center, moving the offense into the redzone before the defense shut them down. On third-and-five at the Steelers 16-yard line, linebacker Cole Holcomb, seeing his first action since he suffered a serious knee injury during the 2023 season, made a beautiful play to break up a pass from Mullens to Tank Bigsby. The Jaguars were forced to settle for a 40-yard field goal, cutting the Steelers lead to 7-6.
Things weren’t quite as smooth on the Steelers’ second drive as they were on the opening drive. Rudolph completed an eight-yard pass to Connor Heyward, followed by a seven-yard run by Kaleb Johnson. But that would be it. Rudolph was sacked for a 10-yard loss, and Kaleb Johnson wasn’t able to hold onto a Rudolph pass. On third-and-20 the Steelers were only able to get six yards on a completion to Miller, forcing a Cam Johnston 42-yard punt, his first since an injury ended his 2024 season after just one game.
After a defensive stop by the Steelers, the offense took over with quarterback Skylar Thomspon under center at the 7:15 mark in the second quarter. Thomspon completed his first pass attempt to Heyward for a nine-yard gain, but Kaleb Johnson was knocked for a three-yard loss to put the Steelers in a third-and-four situation. Thompson was forced to scramble under pressure, coming up a yard short of the first down after a holding call on Dylan Cook was declined.
While the drive stalled, it was an opportunity for punter Corliss Waitman, who is in a battle with Johnston for the job. Waitman boomed a 56-yard punt, with the Jaguars forced to start at their own 25-yard line.
The Steeles defense forced a three-and-out on the ensuing drive thanks to a pass defense by Beanie Bishop on third-and-four.
Thompson got the Steelers rolling, spreading the ball around to Brandon Johnson for a seven-yard gain, before back-to-back completions to Miller for 22 and four yards respectively. Lance McCutcheon pulled in a six-yard reception, before Thompson went over the middle to Max Hurleman for 26 yards.
Thompson went right back to Hurleman for a three-yard touchdown, putting the Steelers up, 14-6, courtesy of an 11-play, 85-yard drive that included running the two-minute offense.
“We had timeouts, but we didn’t want to use them,” said Tomlin. “We wanted to keep the pressure on them and minimize some of their defensive calls. I think it worked out in advantage schematically.
“We were able to get some chunks and work our way down the field.”
It looked like that would be a lead the team would take into halftime, but with one second left on the clock, Little did the unthinkable and hit a 70-yard field goal, cutting the lead to 14-9.
“You’ve just got to tip your cap to that field goal kicker, banging that 70-yarder,” said Tomlin. “That’s an incredible kick.”
The Steelers got the ball to start the half, but it stalled quickly. Trey Sermon gained two-yards on a rush up the middle and added a seven-yard reception from Thompson. On fourth-and-one at their own 44-yard line, Kaleb Johnson was stopped for no gain, turning the ball over on downs.
Jacksonville took advantage, not just of getting the ball, but benefiting off an ill-timed penalty. Mullens deep pass for Trenton Irwin was intercepted by Cameron McCutcheon at the two-yard line. The play was negated by a 15-yard roughing the passer call on Isaiahh Loudermilk, giving the Jaguars new life. And they made it count.
Mullens drove the offense down the field, hitting Irwin for an 11-yard touchdown. The two-point conversion failed, giving Jacksonville a 15-14 lead.
Ke’Shawn Williams came through with a key reception on the Steelers next drive, pulling in a 29-yard reception on third-and-11. Roc Taylor also came up big, with a 16-yard grab for another first down. Sermon took it for 10 yards on a shovel pass from Thompson, giving the offense the ball in the red zone at the 11-yard line. Thompson went right back to Sermon for an 11-yard touchdown on the screen pass, capping a nine-play, 69-yard drive to take the lead back, 21-15.
John Wolford came in at quarterback for the Jaguars midway through the third quarter, and in his first series was stopped for a three-and-out.
Thompson remained in the game for the Steelers, steadily driving the offense down the field with completions to J.J. Galbreath, Lance McCutcheon and Roc Taylor, with Evan Hull carrying the ball three straight times for 12 yards to the six-yard line.
The offense sputtered, with Hull losing one yard, newly signed offensive lineman Austin Peat getting hit with a false start, and Thompson sacked for a seven-yard loss, losing the ball, but Hull recovered. After looking like they were going to take it into the end zone easily, they had to settle for a Sauls 36-yard field goal, extending the lead to 24-15.
Chunk plays worked to the advantage of the Jaguars, as well as relentless effort by Bhayshul Tuten, who battled his way into the end zone for an eight-yard touchdown to cut the lead to 24-22.
Thompson had no intention of stopping, though. He engineered a 10-play, 67-yard drive that ate up 5:46 and was highlighted by a 26-yard touchdown pass to Williams, for a 31-22 lead.
Seth Henigan entered the game late for the Jaguars, leading them on a field goal drive to cut the lead to 31-25.
With Thompson’s night over, it would be Woodside who would finish out the night at quarterback for the Steelers.
The Jaguars had one final drive trying to pull out the win, but the defense held on to secure the victory.
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