Bogged by injuries and penalties, the Steelers dropped Sunday’s home game to the Jaguars, 20-10.
The Steelers went three-and-out on three straight drives to open the game while Jacksonville notched field goals in back-to-back possessions. Chris Boswell got Pittsburgh on the board with a 22-yard field goal with under four minutes left in the first half. The Steelers were driving with under a minute remaining but lost quarterback Kenny Pickett to a rib injury after he took a hard hit on a pass attempt. They also had a 55-yard field goal wiped away in the closing seconds after “the right guard” lined up offsides, according to the officials.
After the Jaguars extended the lead with a two-play touchdown drive late in the third, Steelers backup quarterback Mitch Trubisky found George Pickens for a 22-yard touchdown to bring the game within seven. Trubisky was then picked off in the fourth quarter which set up a Jaguars field goal with 4:35 remaining. The Steelers then turned the ball over twice in the final minutes: once on downs and the other on an interception.
The Steelers now have two days to prepare for their next game, when they host Tennessee at Acrisure Stadium Thursday night. A heated coach Mike Tomlin said the team needs to put this loss behind them and focus on the abridged week ahead.
Tomlin adds the Steelers need to take better care of the ball.
Trubisky finished the game 15-of-27 with 138 yards, a touchdown, and two interceptions after filling in for Pickett. He said the offense needs to tighten things up.
Wide receiver Diontae Johnson finished with eight catches for 85 yards, and he didn’t mince words when it came to the officiating.
Along with Pickett, the Steelers lost safety Minkah Fitzpatrick in the first quarter to a non-contact hamstring injury. Tomlin did not have an update on either player after the game.
Former Steelers greats James Harrison, Gerry “Moon” Mullins, Aaron Smith, and the late Ray Mansfield were inducted into the team’s Hall of Honor Saturday evening. They become the sixth class of the Hall since it was created in 2017.
NFL
Around the AFC North, the Ravens edged Arizona, 31-24; Cleveland lost to Seattle, 24-20; and Cincinnati powered its way to a 31-17 win over San Francisco.
Minnesota will be without quarterback Kirk Cousins for the rest of the season after he suffered a torn Achilles in the fourth quarter against the Packers. Cousins will have an MRI today to confirm the injury. Rookie Jaren Hall is expected to take his spot.
Week eight wraps up tonight with the Lions and Raiders meeting in Detroit in Monday Night Football.
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