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Steelers vs. Jaguars: Pittsburgh to face league's worst scoring defense in Jacksonville

The Steelers, on paper, have a big advantage with their offense vs. Jacksonville's sagging defense. Theoretically, it should be a big game for Pittsburgh in terms of moving the ball and scoring.

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Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

The Steelers certainly aren't the only team in the NFL struggling here and there on the defensive side of the ball.

Pittsburgh's Week 5 opponent, the Jacksonville Jaguars, are allowing 38 points per game, the lowest mark in the NFL. It's nine points lower than the second-worst, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, against whom the Steelers scored only 24 points.

Take that for what it's worth.

The Steelers' offense was rolling for a stretch of time against the Bucs, having amassed 226 yards and 17 points at halftime. They had some issues on the ground in the second half, and a few missed plays (most notably, an overthrow from Ben Roethlisberger to Markus Wheaton and a drop by Antonio Brown on a flea-flicker) stalled out what would have been a dominant passing performance.

It would seem more likely the Steelers' offense can get back on track against a beleaguered Jaguars team that's coming off a 33-14 shellacking at the hands of the San Diego Chargers - it was the least amount of points they've allowed all year.

The Jaguars are also surrendering more than 450 yards a game, creating the impression the Steelers will have multiple options in their multi-faceted offensive attack. Running back Le'Veon Bell is second in the NFL with 378 rushing yards, and is second among running backs in the NFL with 19 catches.

Antonio Brown is third in the NFL with 29 catches and fourth in receiving yards with 427. He had a monster game against the Bucs, leading all receivers with 131 yards and scoring two touchdowns.

The signs point to a big offensive performance for the Steelers in this game, but that's been said before. If they can consistently exploit the mismatches they have with Jacksonville's secondary, it could be a big week for the 2-2 Steelers.

Editor's Note: SB Nation's partner FanDuel is hosting a $350,000 Fantasy Football Contest for Week 5's NFL games. It's only $10 to join and first place wins $30,000. Starts Sunday, October 5th at 1pm ET. Here's the link.