By Bob Smizik, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/steelers/
Peter Diana / Post-Gazette
Mike Tomlin celebrates by hugging James Harrison after beating the Jaguars.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- With the Steelers running back corps decimated, the conventional wisdom was they would have to rely on their passing offense to secure a win against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Actually, there was another method of securing victory: Shut down the Jacksonville offense.
And that's what a gallant Steelers defensive unit did last night at Jacksonville Memorial Stadium, helping the Steelers secure a 26-21 victory that sent them into a bye week with a 4-1 record and feeling good about the much-needed time off and even better about their prospects for the remainder of the schedule.
The Steelers have won four of five while being racked with injuries. If they can get healthier in the next 14 days, they'll be all the more formidable for the remaining 11 games.
It was an 8-yard pass from Ben Roethlisberger to Hines Ward with 1:53 remaining that won the game. But this was a victory achieved every bit as much by the might of the defensive unit, particularly the injury-ravaged line.
The Steelers had no right to expect what they got from their defense. Not with two starters -- end Brett Keisel and nose tackle Casey Hampton -- out of the lineup. But their backups more than did the job. Chris Hoke took over for Hampton and Travis Kirschke for Keisel. Orpheus Roye, who was signed Aug. 17, backed up Kirschke.
"I can't say enough about Hokey and Travis Kirschke," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. "And how big is Orpheus Roye? We go get him late in the process and thankfully we have him. He's been delivering for us."
The running back tandem of Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew, which tortured the Steelers last year, carried 15 times for 26 yards.
JACKSONVILLE, FL - OCTOBER 05: Greg Estandia #83 of the Jacksonville Jaguars is tackled by Ike Taylor #24 and James Harrison #92 of the Pittsburgh Steelers at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium on October 5, 2008 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)
"There are lots of guys to mention," Tomlin said. "The pass rush we got from No. 92 [James Harrison]. Bryant McFadden ... you can run down the list. It was a great overall team win."
The Jacksonville point total was in no way a reflection of how well the Steelers defense played. The Jaguars might have finished with seven points -- not 21.
Their first touchdown came on a 72-yard interception return by Rashean Mathis. Their second touchdown was greatly aided by a 41-yard phantom penalty. They got the ball on the 1 late in the first quarter after Ike Taylor was called for pass interference in the end zone. Replays showed the contact came after the ball had sailed beyond the reach of receiver Matt Jones. Jones-Drew scored from the 1 to give the Jaguars the lead, 14-7.
The first-half dominance of the Steelers can best be shown by the statistics, not the point total. Jacksonville managed only four first down and 49 yards of total offense in the first 30 minutes as the Steelers controlled the clock. The Jaguars did not get a first down on three of their four first-half possessions.
Momentum switched in the second half as the Steelers offense failed to get a first down in the third quarter and the Jaguars' offense took a forward step.
The first time the Jaguars got the ball in the second half they moved for two first downs to the Steelers 36. From there, two passes failed and a third netted a holding penalty which left them in a third-and-20 situation. They were ripe for a blitz and linebacker Lamarr Woodley did just that -- nailing quarterback David Garrard for a 7-yard loss.
On their next possession, after Jones-Drew was stopped for no gain on third and 1, coach Jack Del Rio went for it on fourth down and Garrard passed 15 yards to Jones. But here the defense again held. Aaron Smith batted down a fourth-down pass by Garrard.
But the Jaguars were gaining confidence and the Steelers defense, getting little help from the offense, was wearing down.
JACKSONVILLE, FL - OCTOBER 05: Ben Roethlisberger #7 of the Pittsburgh Steelers calls a signal in a game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium on October 5, 2008 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)
On the Jaguars next possession, which began late in the third quarter, they moved 76 yards on six plays for a go-ahead touchdown with 14:05 remaining.
The score came after a crucial penalty against safety Ryan Clark. After a Garrard pass had gone incomplete, which would have left the Jaguars in a third-and-16 situation, Clark hit Jones after the play, an obvious 15-yard penalty. Given life, on the next play Garrard threw a 24-yard touchdown pass Marcedes Walker.
But the offense found a spark and came back for the go-ahead score.
That brought the defense out for one more stand. The Jaguars had the time -- 1 minute, 53 seconds -- and the timeouts -- two -- to get the job done. But they didn't have the ability to handle the Steelers defense.
They managed one first down -- on a fourth-and-9 situation -- but nothing more. Harrison sacked Garrard for a 6-yard loss on second down and the next two passes were incomplete.
The defense held the Jaguars to 213 yards, more than 200 fewer than the Steelers accumulated. It was a stellar defensive effort and the major reason for the win.
Bob Smizik can be reached at bsmizik@post-gazette.com.
First published on October 6, 2008 at 12:15 am
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