Oct 5th 2008 9:24PM by JJ Cooper (author feed)
Filed under: Jaguars, Steelers, AFC North
It sounds crazy to say that Ben Roethlisberger’s interception that was returned by Rashean Mathis for a touchdown could help Pittsburgh, but in a whacky way, it may have.
Because the Jags scored on a defensive play, Pittsburgh put together a pair of time-consuming drives before the Jaguars offense ever took the field. On a night where the Steelers are playing without two starting defensive linemen and a key backup, that edge in time of possession could be crucial in the second half.
Exactly halfway through the second quarter, Jacksonville had run only 13 offensive plays compared to the Steelers 31. By taking only 13 snaps, it was no problem for Aaron Smith, Chris Hoke and Travis Kirschke to be out there for every play (with the exception of the dime package). Flip the number of plays around and the Steelers would be trying to stop Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew with a gassed Chris Hoke and Scott Paxson playing his first pro game.
So when the Steelers defense still looks fresh in the second half, thank the Steelers offense for holding the ball for the first eight minutes of the game.
