Published: October 04, 2008 12:33 am            

Steelers triumph over Jaguars

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Big Ben’s big night gave the Pittsburgh Steelers a big boost in the AFC North.

Ben Roethlisberger threw for 309 yards and three touchdowns, helping the Steelers overcome their offensive woes and leading them to a 26-21 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday night.

Pittsburgh (4-1) snapped a four-game losing streak against Jacksonville and stretched its division lead over Baltimore (2-2), which lost to Tennessee earlier in the day.

Roethlisberger finished 26-of-41, rebounding from an interception on his third pass that Rashean Mathis returned 72 yards for a score. Roethlisberger’s perfect 8-yard fade pass to Hines Ward in the corner of the end zone put the Steelers ahead 26-21 with 1:53 remaining.

Roethlisberger misfired on the two-point conversion, but Pittsburgh’s defense sealed the win by sacking David Garrard and then forcing two incomplete passes.

The Jaguars (2-3) blew a late lead for the fourth consecutive week. They rallied the past two games, getting winning field goals to beat Indianapolis and Houston.

No such luck this time around.

Roethlisberger and his team celebrated a win against Jacksonville for the first time since 2004.

The Jaguars won two close games in Pittsburgh last season, including a 31-29 in the first round of the playoffs, and were favored in this one mostly because of the Steelers’ injury situation.

They played without running backs Willie Parker (knee) and Rashard Mendenhall (shoulder), guard Kendall Simmons (Achilles’ tendon) and defensive linemen Casey Hampton (groin) and Brett Keisel (calf).

And because Roethlisberger had been sacked 16 times in the first four games, the Jaguars expected to have a big day defensively against Big Ben.

It ended up being the other way around.

Roethlisberger picked apart Jacksonville’s secondary, which played without starting safety Reggie Nelson and cornerback Drayton Florence.

He threw for 237 yards and two scores in the first half and directed scoring drives of 71, 59, 82 and 66 yards.

Pittsburgh outgained Jacksonville 300 yards to 49 yards in the first half and had 17 more first downs.

But the Jaguars settled down in the third, holding the Steelers to no yards in two possessions and then took a 21-20 lead on the second play of the fourth when Garrard hit Marcedes Lewis over the middle for a 24-yard score.

The Jaguars might have had a bigger lead, but coach Jack Del Rio passed on a 51-yard field goal attempt in the third quarter and failed to convert on fourth down.

The small margin made it easy for Roethlisberger, who directed an 11-play, 80-yard drive in 4:40 to put the Steelers ahead for good.

Nate Washington caught six passes for 94 yards and a touchdown. Hines Ward had seven receptions for 90 yards and a score.

Mewelde Moore, filling in for Parker, ran 17 times for 99 yards.

Heath Miller scored on 1-yard reception in the first quarter and Washington hauled in a 48-yarder that put Pittsburgh up 17-14 early in the second. Jeff Reed kicked field goals of 38 and 23 yards.

Mathis’ runback was the second-longest in Jaguars history. Maurice Jones-Drew scored on 1-yard run for a 14-7 lead, however Jacksonville sputtered much of the night and had more penalty yards (74) than passing and rushing combined (49) at the half.

        

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