NFL Picks and Predictions Week 5: Predicting the winner of Steelers vs. Jaguars

On paper, this is a no-brainer.

That saying may be true when the Pittsburgh Steelers and Jacksonville Jaguars meet at Heinz Field in Week 5, but we have seen this before, haven’t we? In fact, it happened just two weeks ago when the Steelers traveled to Chicago to play the Bears, only to have them upset in overtime by the lowly Mike Glennon.

So, excuse me while I have a little hesitation when thinking the Steelers are just going to roll over the Jaguars, especially when the Jaguars run the ball well, get after the quarterback and have possibly the best cornerback tandem in the NFL.

However, I must say the saving grace for the Steelers in this matchup may not be who they are playing, but where they are playing. The fact this game is played at Heinz Field, where the Steelers play extremely well, is a huge factor...especially for Ben Roethlisberger.

When breaking down this game further, you notice all the things the Jaguars do well, as stated above, but they also have some glaring weaknesses. Jacksonville is the league’s worst run defense, and it isn’t even close. With that said, Pittsburgh should have a field day with their running game going against the Jaguars’ defense.

Plain and simple, the Jaguars have glaring weaknesses, and the Steelers don’t. Not that the team is perfect, we know that is far from the truth, but there are no huge areas of concern for this 3-1 football team. Do they struggle vs. the run at times? Yes. Has their secondary been tested yet by an elite cornerback? No. Has the offense under-performed as a whole? Absolutely, but all these aspects of the Steelers’ game still makes for a very good team.

Now for the prediction, I see this game being close early on, but the Steelers will eventually wear down the Jaguars. I have no doubt the Steelers will be able to move the ball on the Jacksonville defense, but their ability to do two things will decide the game: Stopping the Jaguars’ running game, and red-zone offense.

I see the Steelers doing both of these on Sunday and advancing their record to 4-1 as they prepare for a huge AFC showdown with the Chiefs in Week 6.

Steelers - 31
Jaguars - 16

Other AFC North Picks:

Raiders - 24
Ravens - 17

Jets - 17
Browns - 16

Bills - 28
Bengals - 24