Analyzing the Steelers preseason win over the Jaguars, by the numbers

The Pittsburgh Steelers had their first contest in preparation for the 2025 season by taking care of the Jacksonville Jaguars on the road in Week 1 of the preseason. There was plenty to take away from the game on both the positive and negative side, so there is plenty to dissect and improve on moving forward across all units that took the field.

So without further ado, here are some of the numbers involved in the Steelers preseason win over the Jaguars.

0

The Steelers played a clean game in the turnover department in their first preseason action of 2025. Although the Steelers did have a fumble on a strip sack, they were able to get back on the ball in order to convert a field goal. On the other hand, the Steelers did not win the turnover battle as they did not have any takeaways in the game. The Steelers did have one interception by Cameron McCutcheon that was taken away due to a roughing the passer call on Isaiahh Loudermilk.

31

The Steelers were able to put up 31 points in their first game of the preseason. This was only one point shy of their combined 32 points total from all three preseason games in 2024. The Steelers scored at least seven points in every quarter and had 367 net yards of offense on 65 plays.. The Steelers also managed 25 first downs in the game.

16

Being the preseason, it’s expected to get a lot of different players in on the action. Whether or not these players are successful is a different story. But on Saturday night, the Steelers had 16 different players who were targeted the in passing game and all 16 had at least one catch. No player was targeted more than four times and Steelers players brought in 29 of the 38 passes that were thrown for 317 receiving yards. Additionally, the Steelers also racked up a lot of yards after the catch with 126 YAC.

62% vs. 30%

The Steelers took care of business on third down on both sides of the ball. The Steelers converted eight of 13 third downs offensively for a 62% conversion rate while holding the Jaguars two only 3 third down conversions on 10 attempts. Unfortunately, when it came to fourth down, the Steelers were on the opposite end as the offense failed to convert their only fourth down attempt while the Jaguars converted their single try.

25

Even though there was a large number of starters not playing on the Steelers defense, surrendering 25 points is not something that they will take comfort in during the regular season even in a victory. The Steelers kept the Jaguars out of the end zone in the first half only giving up three field goals. Where the Steelers gave up their most yards and points to the Jaguars offense was in the fourth quarter where Jacksonville scored 10 points and had 154 of their 339 yards.

4:21

I was extremely happy with how the Steelers offense ended the first half. Getting the ball, after a penalty on a punt return, at their own 15-yard line with 4:21 remaining in the half, the Steelers had a successful “four minute drill“ that turned into a “two minute drill“ to end the half. The Steelers went 85 yards on 11 plays with six first downs and scored a touchdown with 0:24 remaining in the first half.

135.0 & 132.0

While it is not always the most accurate number when it comes to looking at quarterback play, seeing the Steelers two quarterbacks who attempted passes in the game have a rating of 135.0 and 132.0 showed the level of play they got from the position. Mason Rudolph was the quarterback with the 135.0 rating as he completed 9 of 10 passes for 84 yards and a touchdown while being sacked once. Skyler Thompson had the 132.0 rating completing 20 of 28 passes for 233 yards and three touchdowns while also being sacked once. In all, the Steelers got quality quarterback play from both players.

66

Where are the Steelers struggled the most offensively in this game was their ability to run the football. The Steelers only had 66 rushing yards on 25 carries for a 2.6 average. Lew Nichols led the way with 31 rushing yards on six attempts and was the only running back with more than the 2.5 average as he had 5.2 YPC. But the number 66 goes both ways as the Steelers only surrendered 66 rushing yards in the game. Jacksonville was a bit more efficient as they only had 17 rushing attempts which gave them a 3.9 YPC.

70

Even though it wasn’t for the Steelers, I have to give props to Cam Little for decisively hitting a 70-yard field goal to end the first half. I felt the play shouldn’t have even happened as the clock appeared to expire before the player was down on the play before, but being the preseason I was happy just to see the attempt and even happier for the player for knocking it through. Unfortunately, because it is the preseason, it does not count as an NFL record.

1

Here in the final spot I usually talk about the Steelers win total. But in the preseason, winning the game is not the priority. While gaining experience is job number one, it is also important to do so and remain as healthy as possible. In this game, the Steelers came out almost as healthy as they could be as only one player was mentioned by Coach Tomlin in his post-game press conference. Defensive back Cameron McCutcheon is dealing with a soft tissue injury, possibly a hamstring. With this being the only known injury for the Steelers at this time, they exited their first preseason game very well in the injury department.

So there are some numbers to help put the Steelers Week 1 preseason win in perspective. The Steelers’ first units were missing a lot of players while Jacksonville played all their available players, so coming through with a victory is something to note.

So what numbers from Saturday night’s preseason game stand out to you? Please leave your thoughts in the comments below.