5 Players to Watch: Week 5 Steelers vs. Jaguars
It is week five and this Sunday the Pittsburgh Steelers will be hosting the Jacksonville Jaguars.
This should be an interesting matchup because who knows which side of the Jaguars we will see. Will we get the team that beat the Ravens 44-7? Or the team that lost in overtime to the New York Jets?
Armed with a dangerous defense and mediocre quarterback, the Jaguars are a weird team which will make this game will be an interesting one. Once again I will be spotlighting five particular players that will be key for both teams. Any of these five have the ability to make big plays that can change this game, for better or worse.
Here are five to players to watch…
Ryan Shazier
Ryan Shazier was a star last week versus the Ravens. The linebacker’s relentless play helped lead to a forced fumble by Cam Heyward, an interception by Mike Hilton on a ball he tipped, and his own interception.
Bringing that fire will surely help the Steelers beat the Jaguars. Because of Blake Bortles‘ ineptitude as a quarterback, Shazier will need to capitalize on his inevitable mistakes. It’s certainly possible he gets his third interception of the year this week.
More importantly, though Shazier will need to be a sure tackler when going against running back Leonard Fournette, the Jaguars 2017 first round pick. Fournette is a power-back who doesn’t go down easily. Shazier is known for missing his fair share of tackles, and in order to neutralize the Jaguars running game, Shazier will need to be a clean tackler.
Sean Davis
Going along with the idea of stopping the Jaguars rushing attack, Sean Davis will play a big role in preventing big runs. The Ravens had two big running plays versus the Steelers last week and both came largely because of Davis not being in the right place.
Davis has the potential to be a star safety in this league, but in order for that to happen, he needs to clean up his tackling angles and vision.
The Jaguars have been successful this season when their running game is strong. This is why two of my five players are guys involved with stopping the run. Davis must not allow Fournette to break off big runs this week, doing this will greatly improve the Steelers odds of winning.
Roosevelt Nix
I was mulling over which Steelers offensive lineman to choose this week due to how talented the Jaguars front seven is. Instead, I’m choosing the player who will play an equally important role in establishing the Steelers run game: Roosevelt Nix.
Last week versus the Ravens was a great reminder of how deadly the Steelers can be running the ball. While Le’Veon Bell and the offensive line deserve credit, many tend to forget how important Nix can be. Multiple times last week we saw Nix clearing holes for Bell and taking defenders out of the play.
The Jaguars front seven includes two very talented linebackers, Telvin Smith and Myles Jack– both being athletic and good tacklers. It will be Nix’s job on more than one occasion to neutralize these players and block them for Bell. Nix opening these holes for Bell is essential for the Steelers establishing a running game, which in turn greatly improves the efficiency of the offense.
Leonard Fournette
He was mentioned before so obviously, he is making the list. Leonard Fournette is the most talented player on the Jaguars offense so the rookie running back will be pivotal for the team. We all saw how the Chicago Bears relied on their rushing attack to beat the Steelers, expect the Jaguars to attempt to do the same.
Beyond players like Davis and Shazier, one of the best ways the Steelers can neutralize Fournette is to have their offense score points.
If the offense can score points and form a lead ahead of the Jaguars, then you take away their ability to have a balanced offense. By keeping the ball out of Fournettes hands and having it stay in the sweaty palms of Blake Bortles, the Steelers can win this game.
Jalen Ramsey
Cornerback Jalen Ramsey is a player to watch because I’m intrigued to see how he matches up against Antonio Brown. Ramsey was the Jaguars first-round draft pick in 2016 and so far has lived up to his draft spot so far. So far in 2017, Ramsey has only allowed five receptions to receivers he’s covered.
Ramsey has been shutting wide receivers down since the day he was drafted so it’ll be interesting to see how he fares against Brown. Luckily for the Steelers, Brown is arguably the best receiver in the league and is capable of winning any cornerback matchup.
Regardless, this should be an exciting matchup to watch and one that will have a huge influence on the outcome of this game.
