3 must know things about the Steelers Week 11 matchup vs. Jaguars
Gardner Minshew is out with injury, and Jake Luton has filled in admirably in the last 2 weeks
I am a Jake Luton fan. It isn’t because he is crazy good or anything like that, in fact watching the rookie 6th round pick is kind of hard sometimes. He doesn’t have a rocket, he isn’t crazy accurate, and he has not been around enough to be able to read NFL defenses well. Yet, he is the perfect backup quarterback for any team in the NFL. He is just feisty. He really doesn’t have anything to lose when going out there filling in for an injured quarterback on a team that is 1-8. However, he never gives up on a play. He isn’t that mobile, he can move but isn’t the next Russell Wilson or Kyler Murray. I was losing my mind seeing him, on a 13-yard touchdown scramble, put Keion Crossen of the Texans in the spin cycle in Week 9.
He is either unaware of the accuracy issues he has, or he simply doesn’t care. He loves the deep ball and has no problem with throwing it into tight coverage, trusting his receivers to make a play on the ball even if he can’t promise that it will be exactly where it should be. This does lead to some rough plays. He only has 2 interceptions in 2 games, yet watching him play you’d think he has thrown 5 of them in the last two weeks. He doesn’t have the best awareness when it comes to dealing with pressure either and that hurts him more often than not.
Fellow rookie James Robinson looks like he has the ability to be one of the top running backs in the NFL for a long time. He is the 5th leading rusher in the league which is remarkable considering he is playing for a team that has to throw the ball a lot trying to come from behind in games. He has 917 total yards on 184 touches and has 7 total touchdowns on the season. The 5’9, 219 pound running back at the time of the combine, only ran a 4.64 40 yard dash. He is a bruiser and is a bit more explosive than you would think. He has that kind of burst to where he can jump and cut without the straight-line speed that reminds me almost of Le’Veon Bell in that sense. He isn’t fast, but he is quick.
Pairing that quickness with his frame and how powerful of a runner he is, makes him a tall order to defend against. He isn’t running behind the best o-line in the league, but ranking 5th in yards after contact is what allows him to perform at the level he is playing at. He simply doesn’t stop fighting on every play and that reminds you of the rookie QB that is handing the ball off to him.