Jacksonville Jaguars vs Pittsburgh Steelers: 3 Reasons to Worry

The Jacksonville Jaguars have some things going for them on offense, but there is still a lot to question and worry about when the Pittsburgh Steelers come to town on Sunday. The Jags are slowly getting better, but will it come to fruition against the Steelers?

Here are three reasons to worry for the Jacksonville Jaguars vs Pittsburgh Steelers game on Sunday.

The Offensive Line

The offensive line must play better. They aren’t opening holes for the running game and they aren’t adequately protecting the quarterback. The team needs the offensive line to step up. The good news is that Austin Pasztor will be returning to start at right tackle. He brings experience and familiarity with the offense that has been lacking at literally every position along the offensive line. He has the most snaps under Jedd Fisch’s time as offensive coordinator (12 starts last season) and should help the unit gel. But the rest of the offensive line is a cause for concern. Zane Beadles has underperformed at guard, left tackle Luke Joeckel is essentially a rookie still after limited time in the offense last season due to injury, and the other two players are rookies who are bound to make mistakes. The unit has gotten better compared to their historically poor 10 sacks allowed against the Washington Redskins in week two, but they still need to improve.

Toby Gerhart, Running Back

Gerhart has yet to prove that he can be the workhorse that he was brought in to be. Part of that has to do with the offensive line but another part is that Gerhart simply isn’t performing as anticipated. He has the physical tools to be the physical runner the Jaguars need but he continues to falter. Hopefully he can put it together against the Steelers, but the first four games give cause to worry that he is going to continue underperforming. Gerhart is losing touches to Denard Robinson, who has flashed more than Gerhart and looks like he has much more potential than the “workhorse” free agent acquisition.

Defensive Secondary

The defensive secondary is really struggling. They are allowing receivers to get over the top, they are let receivers run free in the middle of the field, and the cornerbacks and safeties are losing the fight for the ball on almost all passes. The Jags’ secondary only have one interception from week one and six passes defensed. Winston Guy was cut this week in favor of Josh Evans at safety and hopefully the move will stop so many receivers from getting over the top of the secondary and continually catching long passes for touchdowns. Demetrius McCray will be starting in place of an injured and underperforming Dwayne Gratz at cornerback, which may prove to be a moderate improvement if he plays at even a mediocre level. Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown, and Heath Miller are likely drooling over the opportunity to pass against this secondary.