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Steelers defeat Jaguars, 27-3

The Steelers fell behind early but responded with 27 unanswered points and stayed undefeated with a 27-3 victory over the Jaguars this afternoon at TIAA Bank Stadium in Jacksonville.

The Steelers improved to 10-0.

The Jaguars lost their ninth straight and fell to 1-9.

The focus turned immediately in the aftermath to Thursday night's hosting of Baltimore (6-4 after an overtime loss to the Titans and third in the AFC North Division behind the Steelers and 7-3 Cleveland).

A potential regular-season record of 16-0 remains off the Steelers' radar.

Game action photos from the Steelers' Week 11 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at TIAA Bank Field

"Just focus on one week at a time, and that's what this team has done," quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said. "We're not chasing perfection, we're chasing a Lombardi (Trophy)."

Roethlisberger's 20-yard touchdown pass to tight end Eric Ebron with 6:40 left in the fourth quarter provided the exclamation point in Jacksonville. Kicker Chris Boswell's extra point accounted for the final margin.

"We did the job," head coach Mike Tomlin said. "We checked the boxes.

"It wasn't perfect, but nothing's perfect about us except our record."

Wide receiver Diontae Johnson had his second consecutive 100-yard game receiving, with 12 catches for 111 yards.

Boswell's 47-yard field goal with 10:21 left in regulation had been the only scoring in the second half prior to the Roethlisberger-to-Ebron touchdown.

The Steelers have scored at least 24 points in every game this season.

"We gotta put more points on the board," Roethlisberger insisted. "Offensively, we got the win but we know we need to be better."

Roethlisberger went 32-for-46 passing, for 267 yards, with two touchdowns and an interception, before being relieved late by Mason Rudolph.

The Steelers gained 110 yards on their first 24 rushing attempts after failing to crack the 50-yard plateau on the ground in three consecutive games. Their final possession consisted of Rudolph kneeling three times and losing 4 yards while running out the clock.

Running back James Conner had 89 yards on 13 carries (a 6.8 average).

"We weren't down on ourselves," he said of the running game. "We knew we had an opportunity to keep growing."

Running back Benny Snell's 1-yard touchdown run with 44 seconds left prior to halftime gave the Steelers a two-score lead. The Steelers drove 61 yards on seven plays in 2:13 after nose tackle Tyson Alualu's pass deflection and free safety Minkah Fitzpatrick's interception and 37-yard return to the Steelers' 39-yard line. Boswell's extra point put the Steelers ahead, 17-3.

The Steelers achieved their first lead of the afternoon on a 31-yard touchdown pass from Roethlisberger to wide receiver Chase Claypool. The possession covered 71 yards over six plays in 2:49. The touchdown was Claypool's eighth receiving and 10th overall in 10 games. Boswell's extra point made it a 10-3 game.

Boswell had tied the game at 3-3 with a 44-yard field goal with 10:45 left in the second, a kick that capped a nine-play, 50-yard drive in 4:15.

The Jaguars took a 3-0 lead on the game's first possession. Jacksonville's nine-play, 52-yard drive in 4:03 was culminated by kicker Chase McLaughlin's 41-yard field goal.

Boswell missed a 45-yard try with 8:47 left in the first quarter, which snapped streaks of 14 straight field goals this season and 25 in a row overall dating back to last season.

An interception in the Jacksonville end zone on the last play of the first half denied the Steelers a chance to add to their advantage.

The Steelers outscored the Jaguars, 17-0, out-gained them, 185-69, and possessed the ball for 9:46 in the second quarter. Strong safety Terrell Edmunds also had an interception, his first of the season, in the quarter.

Edmunds and Fitzpatrick each accounted for their second interception on the day, the third and fourth collected by the Steelers' defense, in the fourth quarter.

Defensive end Stephon Tuitt's sack of quarterback Jake Luton in the third quarter extended the Steelers' streak to 67 games with at least one sack, two shy of the NFL-record of 69 (Tampa Bay, 1999-2003). The defense finished with two sacks.

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