NFL Week 11: Steelers vs. Jaguars odds, preview, and pick
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. (Photo by Mark Alberti/Icon Sportswire)
November 19th, 2020
The Pittsburgh Steelers will look to maintain their unbeaten record Sunday, when they travel to Jacksonville to face the Jaguars in NFL Week 11 action.
The Steelers are the biggest favorite in the NFL this week, and the total of 46 is the second-lowest of the weekend.
Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
Big Ben is having a great year
Ben Roethlisberger is having a terrific return season, after he missed last year with an injury, in large part because of the trio of weapons he has on the outside. Rookie Chase Claypool has added to the dangerous duo of JuJu Smith-Schuster and Diontae Johnson, and no secondary yet has been able to shut down two of them, let alone all three.
Through nine games, Roethlisberger has thrown for more than 2,200 yards and has 22 touchdown paces, with just four interceptions (three came in one game). Last week against the Bengals, he won the AFC Offensive Player of the Week, as he threw a season-high four touchdown passes. He also had a season-high 333 yards through the air, he will likely blow past that mark against a woeful Jaguars secondary.
Ben Roethlisberger will not go down until he’s throwing touchdowns.@TeamJuJu snags this one. (Via @NFL) pic.twitter.com/OWYqqYN6IZ
— Sunday Night Football on NBC (@SNFonNBC) November 15, 2020
The Pittsburgh defense has also recorded sacks at a record pace. It currently leads the NFL in sacks, hurries, and pressures and is now facing a Jaguars offensive line that has allowed 28 sacks through nine games. Edge rushers T.J. Watt and Bud Dupree have a combined 16 sacks, and both should get plenty of chances to add to that number Sunday.
Jaguars are hanging tough but can’t win
The Jaguars have only one win this season, but they cannot be accused of tanking.
Jacksonville has held second-half leads twice in its last three games, with the only exception a two-point loss to the Texans, where the Jaguars were a two-point conversion away from forcing overtime.
Last week, the Jaguars were winning in the fourth quarter against the Packers and lost by just four points. It was their third defeat by four or fewer points this season.
Watch at Jaguars rookie quarterback Jake Luton scores an impressive rushing touchdown and shows off his open field spin move late in the 4th quarter against the Texans to put the Jags within two points of a tie. The Jags fell short to the Texans 27-25, pic.twitter.com/CJHWIlAPpA
— QB1 Mentality (@QB1Mentality) November 13, 2020
Quarterback Jake Luton, who took over for the injured Gardner Minshew, has played decently in his two starts. He has completed 60% of his throws and has averaged more than 235 yards per game through the air. The rookie is unlikely to be the long-term solution behind center, but he is doing the best he can to protect the ball and keep Jacksonville in games.
None of that matters, however, when the Jacksonville defense plays as poorly as it has. Jacksonville has allowed at least 24 points in every loss this season, and it allowed 30 or more in six straight games, before its last two close defeats. The Jaguars rank in the bottom three in pass defense and allow the second-most yards per play.
Steelers and Jaguars statistics and rankings
| Team | Passing Yards | Rushing Yards | Passing Yards Allowed | Rushing Yards Allowed |
|---|
Pittsburgh Steelers | 243.2 (16th) | 101.8 (24th) | 211.3 (5th) | 106.8 (9th) |
Jacksonville Jaguars | 241.1 (17th) | 100.0 (25th) | 283.9 (30th) | 131.7 (26th) |
Pittsburgh vs. Jacksonville injury report
Pittsburgh welcomed cornerback Mike Hilton back to practice this week. Hilton has been out four weeks with a shoulder injury, and he is expected to play Sunday. Running backs Jaylen Samuels and RB Trey Edmunds are both questionable, with leg injuries.
As for Jacksonville, wide receiver Laviska Shenault Jr., tight end James O’Shaughnessy, and tight end Tyler Eifert were the only three players to miss practice Wednesday, but only Shenault is questionable to play Sunday. Minshew has returned to practice, but will not play against Pittsburgh. Center Brandon Linder also returned to practice and should play for the first time in more than a month. Defensive end Josh Allen and corner C.J. Henderson are both questionable but are expected to play.
Steelers vs. Jaguars betting trends
The Steelers have covered the spread in six of their last seven games, but they have only covered five times in their last 19 matchups with the Jaguars. The total has gone Over in two of their last three games, and in five of their last eight (with one push). It has also gone Under in 14 of their last 18 road games.
The Jaguars have lost eight consecutive games, but they have covered in their last two, which ended a streak of five failures. The total has gone Over in two of their last three games but has gone Under in four of their last seven.
This is a bad matchup for the Jaguars in every sense. The spread is large, but it should be. Pittsburgh will steamroll the Jaguars on Sunday.
Score prediction: Pittsburgh 34, Jacksonville 16
NFL picks: Steelers -10.5, Over 46
Wager on Week 11 of the 2020 NFL season now at BetAmerica!
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