Steelers vs. Jaguars Madden Simulation: A battle between sound offenses
Sim Steelers Do It Again
Though Pickett has thrown many interceptions after spinning to his blindside, the Madden sim seems to understand his bad habit and made him pay for it early. Fortunately, it was really the only bad decision Pickett made in the game that wasn't a result of the game's interesting playcalling.
Nonetheless, the Steelers moved the ball consistently through the air as Pickett completed 72% of his passes for 183 yards. Johnson caught six passes for 54 yards while Pickens had two for 46.
Admittedly, I may need to adjust the clock a bit as Harris only had four carries despite these long drives, though he did have 31 yards.
Defensively, Lawrence and Etienne were carving up the Steelers early. A 99-yard drive off the turnover gave Jacksonville a ton of momentum that the Steelers didn't truly take away until Boswell's go-ahead field goal.
Still, in the second half, the Steelers cracked a code and began getting more pressure on Lawrence and forcing the Jags away from Etienne. Lawrence ended with just 68% of his passes completed after a red-hot start, topping it off with a game-losing interception.
Etienne proved once again how much the Steelers truly struggle to stop the run, gaining 65 yards on the ground on 13 carries.
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Overall, the Jaguars are an interesting draw for the Steelers this week. In reality, both teams come in with momentum, even if it comes from two wildly different places. One thing likely true from this simulation is the performance of Travis Etienne, who has the ability to take over this game. But if Pickett proves to be smart with the football against an opportunistic Jacksonville defense, the Steelers might have the stuff to win in a similar fashion this Sunday.