Ben Roethlisberger had one of the worst games of his career against the Jaguars in the 2017 regular season and this year’s matchup in Jacksonville was shaping up to be another dark one for most of Sunday afternoon.
The Steelers trailed 16-0, but got on the board with 1:17 left to play in the third quarter and added 14 more points in the fourth quarter to escape with a 20-16 win. Roethlisberger got the last touchdown on a one-yard run and sounded quite satisfied about the win after the game.
Roethlisberger referred to linebacker Telvin Smith by number and said Smith gave him “a little motivation to come back and win the game” by keeping count of the quarterback’s three interceptions during the game.
“They are a really good defense. They like to talk a lot -- before the game, during the game,” Roethlisberger said, via ESPN.com. “But I’m carrying the game ball home.”
The Jaguars dealt the Steelers another loss in the playoffs last season, but the 3-7 Jaguars are a long shot to make it back. Roethlisberger and the Steelers are looking like a pretty good bet after improving to 7-2-1 with their comeback win.