Game 5: Steelers at Jacksonville

The approach to lovely downtown Jacksonville, Fla.

Everybody said the same thing before last week's game: The Steelers should beat this team.

Last week, it was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who had lost six consecutive regular-season games. Today, it's the Jacksonville Jaguars, who have lost seven straight.

Anybody should beat this Jacksonville team. The 2014 Jaguars are giving up an average of 38 points per game. They've lost every game by at least 17 points. The average differential is -23.5 points. The Jags rank last in the NFL in total defense, scoring defense and passing defense. They are on pace to surrender 608 points, which would be an NFL record.

Still, some of the most painful losses in Steelers' history have been to Jacksonville.

For us and many others in Steeler Nation, last week's come-from-ahead loss to the Buccaneers said a lot about this year's edition of the Black 'n Gold. Twenty-five percent of the 2014 season is behind us, and the Steelers are 2-2, on pace to a third straight 8-8 record. Losing to Tampa at home does not bode well for any kind of prospects for a hopeful run the rest of the year.

Jacksonville, Fla.

Yes, the Steelers should have beaten Tampa.

However, as noted on this blog the Wednesday before the Tampa game, "The Steelers should knock the stuffing out of this team, but they'd better be focused and ready. The Steelers aren't good enough to overlook any NFL team."

If the Steelers lose at Jacksonville, the alarm bells turn to panic buttons.