Next opponent: Opportunistic Jaguars present formidable challenge

The Steelers are coming off their second West Coast win of the season, and now get to host three straight games at Acrisure Stadium. Up first are the Jaguars, who present much different challenge than last week.

Here's a breakdown of what the Jaguars bring into Week 8:

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS

Record: 5-2
Standing: First, AFC South
Last result: Won over Saints, 31-24

THE TREND

Last season, the Jaguars took a much further leap forward in their rebuild than anyone expected. Not only did they find a way to win the AFC South, they also pulled off an all-time comeback win over the Chargers in the Wild Card round, and then lost by only seven to the eventual Super Bowl champion Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium.

This season, the Jaguars were projected by most to run away with the AFC South. While the division has been more competitive than anticipated, the Jaguars are still a 5-2 team that very much look the part of a playoff team. They could even be a dark horse Super Bowl contender if the stars align.

The Jaguars' only two losses came at the hands of the Chiefs and a blowout loss to the Texans (the Steelers know all too well about that), dropping them to a 1-2 start. However, they've rebounded in a big way with four straight wins, including road victories over the Bills (London) and Saints.

Doug Pederson's team is coming off a long week, as their victory over the Saints was on Thursday Night Football. So, they've had more time to lick their wounds and also prepare for Mike Tomlin's Steelers.

THE QUARTERBACK

Trevor Lawrence quieted a lot of critics in 2022. After a very shaky rookie season in which he led the NFL in interceptions, Lawrence turned into one of the better quarterbacks in a loaded AFC conference that's full of top-tier passers. He threw for 4,113 yards, 25 touchdowns and eight interceptions while completing 66.3% of his passes, rightfully earning his first trip to the Pro Bowl.

Lawrence's third season is off to a strong start, with only one bad performance coming against the Chiefs. He's turned in a passer rating higher than 100.0 in four of seven games thus far. Overall, he's thrown for 1,643 yards, eight touchdowns and three interceptions, while completing 67.4% of his passes. He's a very accurate quarterback, thanks to an easy and seemingly effortless throwing motion:

To this point in the season, Lawrence is 11 of 24 for 316 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions on throws of 20-plus yards. But, he isn't without his weaknesses. His accuracy makes it much easier for him to connect on those big time throws down the field. But, he also needs to better manage risk when doing so.

X: @benbbaldwin

"He definitely can get better with some situational things," Pederson said of Lawrence on Outkick's The Five Spot podcast. "We still have the costly red zone turnovers that we've gotta eliminate. Just understanding when we've got points on the board with the field goals ... just understanding that and really elevating his game that way. Trevor does a great job of managing the offense. Now, he's gotta take it and just run with it and let it be his."

THE OFFENSE

Lawrence has a nice collection of targets at his disposal. The trio of Calvin Ridley, Christian Kirk and Zay Jones at receiver, along with Evan Engram at tight end, gives Lawrence the most amount of weapons he's had compared to his first two seasons.

But, the Jaguars' biggest weapon on offense is Travis Etienne Jr. In fact, the offense is truly built around Etienne and his ability to contribute both as a runner and as a pass catcher. Etienne leads the NFL with 151 touches, and enters Sunday's game with a streak of three consecutive games with two rushing touchdowns. If he pulls it off again on Sunday, he'll become the first player to have two rushing touchdowns in four straight games since LaDainian Tomlinson.

The Jaguars rely on a healthy mix of the run and pass. In fact, they've only passed the ball on 55.6% of their plays. Only seven teams have thrown the ball less often. And, they still rank a respectable 14th in the NFL with 222.9 passing yards per game. The Jaguars also rank 14th overall in total offense, averaging 336.3 yards per game.

However, the Jaguars aren't incredibly efficient. Their average of 5.1 yards per play is tied with the Falcons and Titans for 17th in the NFL. And, they've really struggled on third down, converting only 34% of their attempts. Only five teams (Titans, Bengals, Browns, Commanders, Jets) have a worse third down conversion percentage.

Yes, there are formidable weapons on this offense. But, they are certainly stoppable. And, they've given the ball away 10 times in seven games. The Steelers should have opportunities for splash plays on defense.

THE DEFENSE

The No. 1 thing that stands out about this Jaguars defense: They take the ball away. Jacksonville has 16 takeaways to this point of the season, which leads the NFL. That's an average of more than two takeaways per game. In other words, the Steelers really have to limit mistakes.

Seriously, this defense will make opposing offenses pay for it:

Everything on the Jaguars' defense starts up front with Josh Allen. No, not the Bills' quarterback, but an elite edge rusher that's already racked up seven sacks this season. The Jaguars aren't great overall at sacking the quarterback. Even with Allen's seven sacks, the Jaguars only have 13 on the season, the fourth fewest in the NFL. But, this defensive front is great at putting the quarterback under pressure. Jacksonville's 10.9% QB hurry percentage is seventh in the league.

This defense is also great against the run. They're allowing only 80.6 yards per game on the ground, which is fourth best in the NFL. Linebacker Foyesade Oluokun is a central figure in both rush and pass defense. His 81 total tackles is second most in the NFL, and he has five passes defensed and the pick six shown above, as well.

Despite having a good collection of players in the secondary, such as Darious Williams, Tyson Campbell and Andre Cisco, the Jaguars rank second to last in the NFL with 273.9 passing yards allowed per game. Williams, Cisco and Oluokun are the Jaguars' three best in coverage, and Allen is also great when he drops back, as well. But, the quality in coverage drops off dramatically after that. There should be opportunities to gain yards through the air, but with shrewd, patient game planning.

THE SPECIAL TEAMS

Brandon McManus handles placekicking duties for the Jaguars. He's been a solid kicker over his 10-year career, and he's made 86.7% of his field goal attempts in his first season with Jacksonville. Logan Cooke is the Jaguars' punter, and is averaging 44.6 net yards per punt. 18 of Cooke's 29 punts have landed inside the 20-yard line. Jamal Agnew handles the vast majority of kick and punt returns. He's pulled of a 48-yard punt return and 53-yard kick return this season.

THE INJURY REPORT

• Trevor Lawrence, QB (left knee) -- Lawrence is obviously the most significant name here. He wore a brace on his left knee during the Jaguars' win over the Saints last Thursday, and plans to do the same against the Steelers, according to NFL Network. Everything indicates that Lawrence will play, even despite being limited all week in practice and carrying a "questionable" designation into Sunday's action.

• Zay Jones, WR (knee) -- Jones last played in Week 5. He missed practice all week and has been ruled out. With Jones sidelined, Agnew and Tim Jones would be in line to see added work behind behind Ridley and Kirk.

• Tyson Campbell, CB (hamstring) -- Campbell was sidelined for the Jaguars' last game after missing all of last week's practice. He was limited in practice all week, and is considered questionable for Sunday. However, Pederson said Campbell is "trending in the right direction." If he can't go, 2022 seventh-rounder Montaric Brown will likely see an uptick in snaps on the outside.

• Andre Cisco, S (hamstring) -- Cisco left the Jaguars' victory over the Saints in the third quarter due to lower body cramping, but was a limited participant all week in practice with what was called a hamstring injury. He's considered questionable for Sunday. Cisco is the starting free safety. If he's unable to play, Daniel Thomas is amongst those that will see an uptick in workload in his stead.

• Walker Little, OT (knee) -- The Jaguars' starting left tackle has missed two straight games, and was limited all week in practice. Little is also questionable for Sunday, though Pederson lumped Little with Campbell with his "trending in the right direction" quote. Cole Van Lanen is the only tackle listed on the Jaguars' depth chart behind Little or right tackle Anton Harrison.

• Brandon Scherff, G (ankle) -- The Jaguars' starting right guard suffered an ankle injury in Week 6 and missed the Jaguars' previous game. He was limited in Wednesday's practice. If the five-time Pro Bowler can't play, it's a significant loss on the Jaguars' offensive line.

• DaVon Hamilton, DT (back) -- Hamilton is in the NFL's 21-day window to return from IR. He was a full participant in practice prior to the Jaguars' last game, but ended up not dressing. Hamilton was a full participant all week in practice, and Pederson indicated "there's a good chance" he'll make his season debut against the Steelers. If he does return Sunday, it will only help the Jaguars' stout run defense.

• Gregory Junior, CB (hamstring) -- Junior has spent the last six weeks on IR with a hamstring injury he sustained Week 1, but he seems to be approaching a return to action soon as he was a full participant all week in practice. However, the Jaguars ruled him out on Friday, so it appears he won't return until after the Jaguars leave Pittsburgh.

QUOTABLE

"I know Mike pretty well. I’ve coached against him several times now and a lot of respect for him and what he’s done there. Gosh, as you mentioned, he’s won a lot of football games. Double-digit wins most of his career and that’s pretty impressive. Obviously, championships and things of that nature. He does a great job of just getting his teams prepared, the way he messages his team, motivates his team. They play hard, they play physical, they’re fast, it’s a disciplined group. They always have been and it’s just the tradition of the Pittsburgh Steelers over time through history. He’s definitely carried that on in his career there as the head coach." -- Doug Pederson on what Mike Tomlin has done over the years

"Never. He’s a great player. He’s a great player over the course of his career, he’s got eight sacks already this season. You have to understand that this is a good player, a great player. You give him the respect that he is due, he’s earned that. You have to spend some resources in that direction. They also have another one on the other side that can get after you as well. (Alex) Highsmith is another one that can rush the passer, two sacks of his own. It’s kind of a two-headed monster with these guys, so as an offense, you have to be very aware of the down, the distance, the situation of the game, run, pass, all those different things factor into how you’re going to handle this front." -- Doug Pederson on how much the Jaguars can limit T.J. Watt

"I’m excited. It’s definitely one to check off the list, playing in cool stadiums and historic places. Pittsburgh, their whole organization has like an aura around it and that’s really cool there. They’ve had some great players and some great teams, you always know what kind of team Pittsburgh is going to have every year, super physical, great defense. Their offense is playing really well, you know what you’re going to get. They’re really consistent, Coach Tomlin has done a really good job there. I’m excited to play over there, we’ve played in some hostile environments like Kansas City, New Orleans, I think those are up there. This will be another one that’ll be a challenge. It’ll be fun to play them and be a fun atmosphere." -- Trevor Lawrence on playing the Steelers in Pittsburgh for the first time