PITTSBURGH -- The Jacksonville Jaguars are pretty darn close to being an elite defense. They showed that clearly in a 30-9 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday.
When it's paired with an offense rolling behind running back Leonard Fournette and quarterback Blake Bortles isn't asked to carry the team, the Jaguars are legitimate playoff contenders -- and maybe even the favorite to win the AFC South.
"If we continue to play ball like we’ve been doing there’s no doubt in my mind that we can be THE best team in this division," guard A.J. Cann said. "If we play like we’re capable of week in and week out."
The defense certainly has shown it's capable of handling the load. Elite defenses force turnovers and score touchdowns, and the Jaguars did both Sunday. They picked off Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger a career-high five times and took two back for touchdowns in the third quarter. Linebacker Telvin Smith grabbed a pass altered at the line of scrimmage by Abry Jones and returned it 28 yards for a touchdown. Just a few minutes later, safety Barry Church grabbed a ball deflected by cornerback Jalen Ramsey and went 51 yards for a touchdown.
Those were the third and fourth defensive touchdowns the Jaguars have scored this season. The Jaguars have now forced 15 turnovers in five games -- two more takeaways than they forced in the entire 2016 season. Ten of those 15 turnovers have been interceptions, three more than they had last season.
Steelers receiver Antonio Brown beat Ramsey for a 49-yard catch on the Steelers’ first offensive play -- albeit with a little shove just before the ball got to him -- but after that, the Jaguars defense controlled the game. Bell touched the ball 25 times for 93 total yards and Brown caught 10 passes for 157 yards, but neither made enough of an impact to keep the Steelers from failing to score a touchdown at home for the first time since Nov. 15, 2009 in an 18-12 loss to Cincinnati.
"I just think it shows that the Jaguars are for real," defensive tackle Malik Jackson said. "I don’t know what it says about them. They might have had a bad game. But I know that it shows that we come in here when we do what we’re supposed to do and all three phases are firing we’re a great team. Like I said, we’re not your uncle’s Jaguars.
"We’re new Jaguars and we come out here to play and let people know who we are."
Fournette made sure he did his part, too, rushing for 181 yards and two touchdowns on a career-high 28 carries. His 90-yarder for a touchdown with less than two minutes remaining in the game was the longest regular-season TD run in team history.
Everything that happened Sunday sent a message to the rest of the AFC South: To win the division, you’re going to have to deal with a defense that harassed and embarrassed a two-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback. As long as the Jaguars’ offense doesn’t turn the ball over -- it did once on Sunday, a ball that tight end James O'Shaughnessy bobbled and linebacker Ryan Shazier intercepted -- and Fournette continues to churn out positive yardage, the defense makes Jacksonville the favorite to win the division.
"We had to prove who we are," said Ramsey, who had one interception and caused another by knocking the ball away from Brown. "... I think the league has started to be on notice a little bit anyway. As a team and as a defense we’re going to continue to do our part to keep them on notice that we’re going to be a team that’s a force to be reckoned with."