Jacksonville Jaguars defense wrecks Pittsburgh Steelers and Ben Roethlisberger in win: Quick Notes

In yet another defensive masterpiece, the Jacksonville Jaguars went into Pittsburgh and upset the Steelers 30-9 to take first place in the AFC South.

Wow.

If you’re one of the many folks trying to figure out who the Jacksonville Jaguars are – get in line. After giving a game away last week to the New York Jets, the Jaguars went into Pittsburgh on Sunday and took the Steelers to the woodshed in a 30-9 beatdown.

The comparisons of Blake Bortles to Ben Roethlisberger now seem insulting… to Blake Bortles. Big Ben had arguably the worst game of his career at the mercy of the Jaguars pass defense which is now unquestionably the best in the league. Ben’s 5 interceptions is the most in a game in his career and he probably played even worse than that stat indicates.

Here are a few more notes from today’s dominant effort as the Jaguars move to 3-2.

• The analysis of this game starts and ends with the defense. What an absolutely dominant performance and a terrific response after last week’s debacle in New York against the Jets. The unit was bending a bit in the first half allowing the Steelers to gain chunk yards, but they held in the red zone and forced Big Ben and company to field goal attempts. Then the Jaguars let their league-best pass defense get to work…
• Jalen Ramsey is the best cornerback in the NFL right now. You can probably prop up a few other guys but no other defender in the league uses their athleticism to an elite level in so many ways. Ramsey was personally responsible for two interceptions: he nabbed one on his own with an outstanding effort, then he tipped one right to Barry Church, who subsequently returned his pick for a touchdown.
• Blake Bortles didn’t have to do much today. Head coach Doug Marrone‘s tongue in cheek comment about Blake throwing the ball zero times almost came true today in the second half, as the defense put up two scores before the offense had a chance at another possession. The drive following Church’s pick-6 was a perfect encapsulation of what the Jaguars want to be on offense – they rammed the ball down the Steelers’ throat.
• Speaking of running the ball, Leonard Fournette is the best offensive player for the Jaguars since Maurice Jones-Drew, but he might already be the baddest dude in team history. On that run-centric drive, Fournette ran into the open field and waived the defender in to take the big hit.

• Fournette’s 90 yard touchdown run came essentially in garbage time, but he was overdue for a long gainer so it was nice to see him finally break one. If he can break a couple of those over the course of the year, the Jags will be in good shape this season.

More on this big win throughout the week.