Minkah Fitzpatrick #39 celebrates with Terrell Edmunds #34 of the Pittsburgh Steelers after Edmunds’ interception during the second half against the Jacksonville Jaguars at TIAA Bank Field on November 22, 2020 in Jacksonville, Florida. Julio Aguilar/Getty Images/AFP
Ben Roethlisberger passed for 267 yards and two touchdowns Sunday as the visiting Pittsburgh Steelers overcame a slow start to remain unbeaten with a 27-3 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Pittsburgh (10-0) remains the lone unbeaten team in the NFL.
Roethlisberger was 32 of 46 with touchdown passes to Chase Claypool and Eric Ebron. Diontae Johnson had 12 catches for 111 yards. Benny Snell added a touchdown run.
Backup quarterback Mason Rudolph got some mop-up duty for the second week in a row. The Steelers have a short week with an AFC showdown against Baltimore on Thanksgiving.
For Jacksonville (1-9), rookie quarterback Jake Luton was 16 of 37 for 151 yards with four interceptions, two each by Minkah Fitzpatrick and Terrell Edmunds.
On the first possession of the game, the Jaguars took a 3-0 lead on Chase McLaughlin’s 41-yard field goal.
Jacksonville attempted a trick onside kick. Pittsburgh recovered the ball at the Jaguars 46. That led to a 44-yard field goal attempt by Chris Boswell, but his string of successful field goal tries was halted at 25 when this one sailed wide left after a wonky snap by Kameron Canaday.
In the second quarter, Boswell’s 44-yarder was good for a 3-3 tie.
The Steelers then got on track, starting with a six-play, 71-yard drive capped by Roethlisberger’s 31-yard touchdown pass to Claypool, who got around coverage by Chris Claybrooks at the goal line near the right pylon for a 10-3 lead.
Jacksonville, trying to keep pace, got inside the Pittsburgh 20 before Steelers defensive end Tyson Alualu tipped a pass by Luton, and it was intercepted by Fitzpatrick near the goal line and returned to the Steelers 39.
Seven plays later, Pittsburgh took a 17-3 lead with 44 seconds left in the first half on Snell’s 1-yard touchdown run around right end.
After a scoreless third quarter, Boswell upped the Steelers lead to 20-3 with a 47-yard field goal with 10:24 left.
Roethlisberger found Ebron as the tight end cut into the middle for a 20-yard touchdown to make it 27-3.