(Sports Network) – Though the Jacksonville Jaguars were able to put up a season
high in points scored against the league’s top-ranked defense last weekend, it
still resulted in a fourth straight loss.

Jacksonville and rookie quarterback Blaine Gabbert try to avoid dropping five
in a row for the first time since 2001 this Sunday at Heinz Field, but must do
so against another tough defense in the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The learning curve for the Jaguar offense figured to be steep when the club
released quarterback David Garrard before the start of the season. Luke McCown
opened the first two games before head coach Jack Del Rio opted to go with
Gabbert, the 10th overall pick of the 2011 draft.

Gabbert is still searching for his first victory as a starter, though he had
one of his better games in last weekend’s matchup versus the Bengals. He threw
a 74-yard touchdown pass to Jason Hill to put the Jaguars up by four with 8:24
to play, but Cincinnati scored the go-ahead touchdown late in the quarter
following a short punt by Matt Turk, then added another touchdown on a fumble
return to end the game and deal Jacksonville a 30-20 defeat.

The loss left the Jags winless since a Week 1 victory over Tennessee and came
after a handful of missed opportunities. Twice Jacksonville had the ball inside
the Cincinnati five-yard line, but came away with field goals both times.

Though the inexperience of the offense could be to blame, running back Maurice
Jones-Drew isn’t looking for silver linings.

“There is no positive in losing. We tried to take the high road the last three
weeks,” said Jones-Drew. “We’re just not making enough plays on offense. It’s
frustrating. The only answer is within us. Right now we have to find a way to
win games because we’re breaking down in the second half.”

Though Del Rio put some of the blame on himself afterwards and Gabbert
commented that you win as a team, Turk still suffered the backlash for his
poor punting, getting released on Tuesday after averaging just 37.7 yards on
seven kicks.

Gabbert would be wise to keep a notepad handy this weekend as he goes against
Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who connected on five touchdown
passes in this past Sunday’s 38-17 win over the Titans despite a sprained left
foot.

Roethlisberger matched a single-game team record he already shared with Terry
Bradshaw and Mark Malone, helping Pittsburgh to a third victory in four games
since a lopsided 35-7 loss at Baltimore back in Week 1.

Gritting through injury, Roethlisberger also helped his club win for the fifth
straight time at home including the playoffs, but was quick to spread praise to
his teammates as well.

“I’m not the only guy playing with an injury. I’m not going to complain about
it,” said Roethlisberger, who was often limping between plays. “More
impressively and more importantly is how guys have stepped up and filled in
for people. I don’t think I have enough time to name all the guys. There were
so many. I’m just so proud of them.”

Pittsburgh also played last weekend without defensive end Aaron Smith and
linebacker James Harrison, while running back Rashard Mendenhall was active
despite a hamstring injury but did not play.

Without Harrison, fellow linebacker LaMarr Woodley stepped up with 1 1/2 sacks
and an interception — Pittsburgh’s first of the year — while running backs
Isaac Redman and Jonathan Dwyer combined to rush for 156 yards in place of
Mendenhall.

SERIES HISTORY

These two teams met twice annually as members of the then-named AFC Central
from 1995-2001, but have not faced one another since a 26-21 Pittsburgh win in
Jacksonville during the 2008 season. The Jaguars had defeated the Steelers
three straight times in regular-season play prior to that defeat and hold an
11-9 edge in the overall series. Jacksonville’s last non-playoff trip to Heinz
Field took place in 2007, with the Jags coming away with a 29-22 decision.

Jacksonville also bested the Steelers in Pittsburgh during the opening round
of the 2007 AFC Playoffs by a 31-29 score, the only head-to-head encounter
between the clubs in the postseason.

Del Rio sports a 4-2 lifetime record against the Steelers, while Pittsburgh’s
Mike Tomlin is 1-2 against both Jacksonville and Del Rio as a head man.

WHEN THE JAGUARS HAVE THE BALL

It comes as no surprise that with a rookie under center, the Jaguars rank last
in total offense (270.6 ypg) and passing (150.0 ypg) and are 31st in points
per game at 11.8. Gabbert (608 passing yards, 3 TD, 2 INT) did throw for 221
yards versus the Bengals, but 74 of that came on his scoring pass to Hill (12
receptions, 1 TD). Overall, the quarterback completed 15-of-28 throws and was
sacked three times, though he wasn’t picked of. Hill led the Jaguars with five
catches for a career-high 118 yards, while fellow wideout Mike Thomas (23
receptions, 1 TD) and backup running back Deji Karim added three catches each.
Tight end Marcedes Lewis (8 receptions) has also been a reliable target this
year when healthy, but he was held to just one catch versus Cincinnati. Even
with Jacksonville failing to sustain a pass attack, Jones-Drew (476 rushing
yards, 2 TD) has still been able to contribute and ran for 85 yards and a score
on 19 carries last weekend. He needs just 110 yards from scrimmage to join Fred
Taylor and Jimmy Smith as the only players in club history to reach 8,000, but
he hasn’t run for a score on the road since Nov. 15, 2009.

Jacksonville faced the league’s top-ranked defense in Cincinnati and now faces
a Steelers unit that is second at 282.8 yards allowed per game. Pittsburgh
also owns the top pass defense (174.0 ypg) and is allowing just 17.8 points
per game. The Steelers have yet to allow 300 net passing yards in a game, with
Tennessee’s total of 240 last week marking the highest they’ve permitted so far
this season. With Harrison (23 tackles, 2 sacks) expected to miss another month
due to a broken right orbital bone, Lawrence Timmons (30 tackles) moved to the
outside spot and made five tackles, while Larry Foote (14 tackles, 1 sack)
came off the bench and started on the inside. With Smith’s injury, Ziggy Hood
and rookie Cameron Heyward both saw time on the field and combined for six
tackles and 1 1/2 sacks against Tennessee. James Farrior (31 tackles, 1 sack)
led the way 13 tackles and will combine with Woodley (19 tackles, 3 sacks, 1
INT) in attempting to keep Jones-Drew in check. Safety Troy Polamalu (35
tackles, 1 sack) added nine tackles last week and will hope to take advantage
of Gabbert’s inexperience.

WHEN THE STEELERS HAVE THE BALL

While Roethlisberger’s five touchdown passes were impressive nonetheless, it
was the running game that surprised most during last week’s win. With Tomlin
opting not to use Mendenhall (173 rushing yards, 2 TD), the Steelers still
averaged 6.2 yards on 28 carries, their highest since a 6.3 average on Sept.
26, 2010. The numbers were inflated a bit by Dwyer’s 76-yard run, but
Pittsburgh still rushed for 100 yards in the first half for the first time
since Dec. 7, 2006. It will be curious as to how Pittsburgh divides the carries
this weekend. Roethlisberger (1376 passing yards, 8 TD, 6 INT), meanwhile, used
his record-tying day to become the second Steelers quarterback in team history
to surpass 150 career touchdown passes – along with Bradshaw — and is also
just 122 yards shy of joining Bradshaw as the only Pittsburgh quarterbacks to
reach 24,000 career passing yards. Roethlisberger, who completed a pass to
eight different receivers, continued to hit Mike Wallace (31 receptions, 3 TD)
for big plays, finding the playmaker for a 40-yard score, while Hines Ward (20
receptions, 2 TD) had a game-high seven catches and scored twice. Tight end
Heath Miller (15 receptions, 1 TD) also hauled in a scoring throw from
Roethlisberger.

Despite their 1-4 record, the Jaguars can’t be upset with how the defense has
performed this year. Jacksonville ranks eighth overall at 316.4 yards allowed
per game and is 10th against both the rush and pass. The Jags have held
opponents under 300 total yards in four of their five games this year, the
second time the club has accomplished that in team history. Led by a pair of
linebackers in Daryl Smith (36 tackles, 1 sack, 1 INT) and Paul Posluszny (39
tackles, 1 sack), Jacksonville is tied for second in the league by forcing 17
three-and-out drives and has totaled five sacks and three interceptions over
the past two games. Right end Jeremy Mincey (13 tackles, 1 sack) and backup
John Chick both had a sack in last week’s loss, part of a line that is expected
to have Aaron Kampman back for the first time in 14 games. Kampman hasn’t
played since Oct. 31 of last year due to a torn ACL. Smith, who’s questionable
due to a concussion, and Posluszny both finished with nine tackles last week,
while safety Dwight Lowery (15 tackles, 2 INT) had an interception,
Jacksonville’s sixth of the season. Cornerback Derek Cox is also questionable
after missing the past two games with a groin injury.

KEYS TO THE GAME

One matchup to watch for will be Wallace against the secondary of the Jaguars.
The Steelers wide receiver is a big-time threat down the field, but
Jacksonville is tied for second in the league with just 13 plays of 20-plus
yards allowed.

The return of Kampman could be big for the Jaguars, who will need to slow down
the Steelers’ run game to put pressure on Roethlisberger and his ailing foot.
A healthy Kampman should help Jacksonville increase its current season total
of eight sacks, which have come from seven different players.

Gabbert, meanwhile, can expect no mercy from a veteran Steelers defense that
will try to force him into a number of rookie mistakes. Expect the likes of
Polamalu, fellow safety Ryan Clark and veteran corner Ike Taylor to pounce on
mistakes.

OVERALL ANALYSIS

The Steelers answered their second loss of the season with a gut-check win
over the contending Titans, showing some flair that has been lacking at times
this season. With five games to go until the bye, one has to wonder how
Roethlisberger’s ailing foot will hold up, but Pittsburgh showed last week
that is has no problem going to the run game to set up big plays for its
quarterback. While the Jaguars’ defense has been able to hold its own, their
one-dimensional offense stands no chance against the Steelers punishing
stop unit.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Steelers 24, Jaguars 9

The Sports Network

By Michael Bean

– Contributor

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Oct 11, 2011 – The Pittsburgh Steelers hope to build upon their well-rounded 38-17 win over the Tennessee Titans when they host the Jacksonville Jaguars this Sunday at Heinz Field. Jacksonville has dropped their past four games after winning their season opener against the Titans. Though they’ve yet to win with rookie first round draft pick Blaine Gabbert under center, Jack Del Rio is confident that the team is making progress each week.

The Jaguars and Steelers history may not go back very long (Jacksonville only joined the league in 1995), but the two teams have had a fairly solid rivalry since then dating back to their AFC Central days. Jacksonville leads the all-time series 11-9, thanks in large part to three wins in the past four meetings. Interestingly enough, the Jaguars have also won the past four matchups played in Pittsburgh. Two of those wins came in 2007, Mike Tomlin’s first season, including the Jaguars’ divisional round playoff win in the snow at Heinz Field. Tomlin has only lost six other games at home as coach of the Steelers (26-8, .765).

We’ll have much more preview coverage and analysis leading up to the Week 6 matchup.

 

Read More: Blaine Gabbert (QB – JAC), Pittsburgh Steelers, Tennessee Titans, Jacksonville Jaguars

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(Sports Network) – Just a few months ago, a game between the Jacksonville
Jaguars and Carolina Panthers would have been a quarterback matchup between
Jimmy Clausen and David Garrard. Now, Sunday’s contest between the teams at
Bank of America Stadium will be a little something else.

Gone from the Panthers’ starting slot is the former Notre Dame ace Clausen,
replaced by a rookie Heisman Trophy-winning national championship quarterback
from Auburn who’s already made great strides toward chopping down a tree-full
of doubters he’d acquired on the way out of college.

But this week in Carolina, Cam Newton is actually the veteran.

Unlike Newton, who was unsurprisingly anointed the Panthers’ starter in
training camp, fellow rookie and former University of Missouri gunslinger
Blaine Gabbert ended the preseason as the No. 2 to the veteran Garrard on the
Jacksonville depth chart at quarterback.

Then, five days before the team’s season opener, a 16-14 win over Tennessee,
Garrard was released.

Journeyman Luke McCown minded the store for two inglorious weeks once the
regular season began, but had the rug pulled from under him Wednesday when
Jaguars head coach Jack Del Rio announced the apprenticeship was over and the
youngster Gabbert was ready.

“He’s got a good swagger about him,” Jaguars guard Uche Nwaneri said of
Gabbert. “He knows what the challenge is going to be. I think he’ll thrive
against the challenge. He was drafted high and he’s itching for an opportunity
to get in and make an impact, and now he’s getting an opportunity to do that.”

Jacksonville averaged 9.5 points and 263 yards in two games — 28th and 30th in
the league, respectively — under McCown, who threw for just 59 yards and was
intercepted four times in last Sunday’s 32-3 loss to the New York Jets.

Gabbert threw for 3,186 yards and 16 touchdowns at Missouri in 2010, while
running for 232 yards and five more scores. In 31 career college games, he
compiled 6,822 yards — the fourth-most in school history — while his 40
touchdown passes are third among Tiger players and his career 132.59 efficiency
rating places him second.

“You’re always going to have butterflies,” said Gabbert, who was taken by
Jacksonville with the 10th overall selection in last April’s draft, about his
first professional start. “When you’re doing something you love, that you care
so much about and you put so much time and effort in throughout the week,
you’re going to have butterflies. I think something’s wrong if you don’t have
them. That just means the adrenaline’s going and you’re ready to go.”

For Del Rio, Sunday’s game is an initial chance to validate the decision on
Garrard.

“He’s a big, strong kid whose really been kind of a star quarterback his whole
life,” he said of Gabbert. “We think he has a chance to be a franchise-type
quarterback. He’s getting a chance now to be our starting quarterback and
become that guy.”

Newton has played that franchise role and more in two weeks as a pro, becoming
the first player in NFL history with back-to-back 400-yard passing games to
begin his career. As a result, his 854 pass yards are the most ever by a player
in his first two games.

But not everyone’s ecstatic.

“We get down inside the 15 [yard line] and we throw it every time,” Panthers’
offensive tackle Jordan Gross said. “You know I’d like to have 50 percent of
those be runs. And I don’t think [offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski] is
trusting us to get it done right now.

“I don’t think anybody in this organization wants us to rush for under 100 and
throw for over 400 every week, especially without points to back it up. We’ve
got to do better on the ground.”

Newton’s completed 52-of-83 passes for three touchdowns and four interceptions
for the Panthers, who’ve been competitive in a road loss at Arizona to begin
the season and in a home meeting with defending Super Bowl champion Green Bay.,
which rallied for a 30-23 victory last week. He was fitted with a walking boot
after injuring his right ankle against the Packers, but was out of it by
Wednesday while claiming the ankle felt “luscious.”

“We’ve just got to get it right. We’re going to get it right,” Newton said.
“But I’m not the person to just sit up here and say, ‘Well, we have next time.’
I’m not that type of person. I want it right now and I want to get it right
now.”

SERIES HISTORY

These two teams, which both entered the NFL as expansion franchises in 1995,
have met four times previously in a regular-season setting, with the Jaguars
prevailing in three of those occasions. Carolina’s lone win did take place in
Charlotte, however, a 24-23 verdict in 2003. Jacksonville posted a 22-20 road
victory over the Panthers in 1999 and also took the most recent matchup,
cruising to a 37-6 home triumph in 2007.

Del Rio, who served as Carolina’s defensive coordinator in 2002 before taking
over as the Jaguars’ head coach the following season, is 1-1 all-time against
the Panthers. Carolina first-year sideline boss Ron Rivera, a former NFL
linebacker like Del Rio, will be opposing both Jacksonville and his
counterpart for the first time in his current capacity.

WHEN THE JAGUARS HAVE THE BALL

Jacksonville running back Maurice Jones-Drew is averaging 92.5 rushing yards
per game this season and aims for a third straight game with 100-plus yards on
the ground against NFC foes, going for 135 and 113 in those two meetings. He
has three 100-yard rushing outings in his past five road games as well. Wide
receiver Mike Thomas has two touchdowns in his past three against the NFC,
while tight end Marcedes Lewis, expected to play after missing last Sunday’s
loss with a calf, has 17 career touchdown catches and needs just two more to
surpass Reggie Williams for the third-most in franchise history behind Jimmy
Smith (67) and Keenan McCardell (30).

Panthers defensive end Charles Johnson aims for his fifth game in a row against
an AFC foe with a sack this week. He has six sacks in his past four matchups
versus an AFC opponent, along with 5 1/2 sacks in his past six games at home,
and will be aiming for a seventh home game in a row with at least a half-sack.
James Anderson and Thomas Davis lead the Carolina linebackers with 12 tackles
apiece, but Davis was lost for the season after suffering his third right ACL
tear in 23 months against the Packers. Free safety Sherrod Martin has 10
tackles in the opening two games of his third NFL season.

Jacksonville is 30th in scoring (9.5 ppg) and 28th in total yardage (263.0
ppg), while Carolina is 26th in both scoring defense (29.0 ppg) and total
defense (406.5 ppg).

WHEN THE PANTHERS HAVE THE BALL

In his past five games at home with 15-plus attempts, Panthers running back
Jonathan Stewart has 624 rushing yards (124.8 per game) and has surpassed the
century in all five of those contests. When he has 15 or more attempts for his
career, the team is 14-3. In his past nine games against AFC foes, fellow
running back DeAngelo Williams has rushed for 834 yards (92.7 per game) and
five touchdowns. Wide receiver Steve Smith leads the NFL with 334 receiving
yards and has 45 catches for 686 yards (85.8 per game) along with five
touchdowns in his past eight home games versus AFC opponents. Wide receiver
Brandon LaFell had a touchdown catch last week and tight end Jeremy Shockey had
seven catches for 82 yards in his last meeting with Jacksonville, which came
while with the New York Giants in 2006. Tight end Greg Olsen had three catches
for 52 yards and a score in his last game against the Jaguars, in 2008 while
with Chicago.

Jacksonville middle linebacker Paul Posluszny leads the team with 12 tackles.
Cornerback Rashean Mathis posted his franchise-record 30th career interception
last week and also had a pick in Jacksonville’s most recent game at Carolina.
Nickel back William Middleton recorded his first career interception last week,
while defensive end Matt Roth aims for a third straight game with a sack.

The Panthers are 18th in scoring (22.0 ppg) and second in total yardage (476.0
ppg). Jacksonville is 16th in scoring defense (23.0 ppg) and fifth in yards
allowed (287.5 ppg).

KEYS TO THE GAME

How well Gabbert handles himself in his debut will have a large role in
determining whether the Jaguars shake off last week’s 32-3 throttling by the
Jets.

Newton has made it look easy in terms of yards, but has also made rookie
mistakes that have yielded turnovers. Limiting those errors will be a decisive
factor for the Panthers.

Newton’s emergence has come largely at the expense of running backs DeAngelo
Williams and Stewart. If the Panthers lean heavily on the ground game on
Sunday, they could help take the onus off the young quarterback.

OVERALL ANALYSIS

The No. 1 pick against the No. 10 pick. Two glamour boy quarterbacks. But
though it’s not the sexy storyline, it’s more likely that this game will be
decided by the team that can run and keep the other from doing so. That swings
the pendulum toward the Jaguars, who’ve allowed just 3.2 yards on 45 carries in
two games, compared to Carolina’s 4.8 yards allowed on the ground.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Jaguars 20, Panthers 17

The Sports Network

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — David Garrard’s sore back is getting better. The Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback even hopes to play in next week’s preseason game against Atlanta.

Garrard returned to the practice field Saturday after missing more than a week of training camp. He threw passes during the team’s morning walkthrough and was expected to take repetitions with the first-team offense Saturday evening.

“I’m tired of sitting around and watching,” Garrard said. “But I’m not going to try to overdo myself with too many extra things.”

The 33-year-old Garrard left practice Aug. 4 because of back pain and could barely walk the following day. He spent the past week working with team trainers, but sat out Thursday night’s preseason opener at New England. Rookie Blaine Gabbert started in his place and had an up-and-down debut.

Garrard made the trip and helped Gabbert from the sideline. Garrard wanted to play, especially since he missed the 2010 season finale because of a finger injury.

“It’s been a while since I’ve been out there under the lights with the fans yelling,” Garrard said. “It was frustrating to a certain extent, but it’s still preseason. I didn’t get too bent out of shape.”

Garrard said he has a disc injury, more serious than muscle tightness. Nonetheless, he felt he could have played with a painkilling shot. However, that’s something he hopes to avoid this season and down the road.

“That’s such a scary thing to shoot yourself up and numb the pain so you can go out there,” Garrard said. “I don’t want to be like some of these guys you see that are retired and come back and can barely stand up straight.”

Garrard said team doctors told him his back X-rays looked like those of some offensive linemen, guys who take constant pounding in the trenches. Garrard has been sacked 117 times the past three seasons and been knocked down countless more times between running plays and pocket pressure.

Garrard has dealt with back pain throughout his career, but nothing this severe. He first started feeling pain during summer workouts. It settled down, so he didn’t visit a massage therapist or a chiropractor. His back tightened up significantly last week, forcing him to leave practice on a golf cart.

Coach Jack Del Rio stopped short of declaring Garrard ready for games.

“I know he’s getting better,” Del Rio said. “I’m going to stick to seeing is believing and we’re hopeful. So we’ll let those things play out. I’m not going to get into predicting when things may occur.”

Garrard, though, expects to be ready for next Friday’s game.

“If I’m out here practicing, then I bet I’m playing,” he said. “That’s kind of my thoughts.”