Jaguars set to take on Pittsburgh Steelers with plenty of history on their side

There's a lot of history in this one.

The Jacksonville Jaguars (5-2) are set to take on the Pittsburgh Steelers (4-2) on the road at Acrisure Stadium, formerly known as Heinz Field.

The game will be broadcast locally on CBS47 at 1 p.m.

For Jacksonville, the franchise is intimately familiar with Pittsburgh dating back to the team's days in the AFC Central, a now-defunct division that held both the Jaguars and the Steelers from 1995-2002 prior to the then-expansion Houston Texans joining the fray and the division splitting into the AFC North and AFC South.

Though Pittsburgh has a storied history that includes six Lombardi trophies, that never stood in the way of Jacksonville, which is 14-13 all-time against the Men of Steel.

Those wins include two playoff victories, in 2007 and 2017. It also includes Jacksonville's impressive 7-6 record in Pittsburgh with the Jaguars winning five of their last six matchups up north. The last time the Jaguars lost in Pittsburgh was in 2011.

The last time before that was in 2001.

With four straight victories coming in, the Jaguars have an opportunity to go into the bye week 6-2 and on a five-game winning streak. They would also have a clear view of becoming back-to-back division champions. The team isn't looking that far ahead, though. They're not even looking to next week. It's all about Sunday.

"Nobody's thinking like that. We're all locked in on the Steelers," Jaguars linebacker Devin Lloyd said quickly in the locker room Friday.

"We understand what's at stake for this game, especially them being a playoff-caliber team and this having serious AFC implications, and I guess you can say a rivalry between the Jags and the Steelers within the history of these two franchises going way back, so we're definitely locked in on this."

The game also will be another clash between two head coaching giants: Doug Pederson in Jacksonville and Mike Tomlin in Pittsburgh.

Tomlin's history as a head coach is one of the most impressive across all 32 teams in the league. He owns a 167-95-2 record all-time with 10 playoff appearances, an 8-9 record in that category, and a Lombardi trophy since becoming the team's HC in 2007.

Tomlin's Steelers have never posted a losing record.

Of course, Pederson also has a trophy, and he has a ton of respect for the coach up north.

"I’ve coached against him several times now and a lot of respect for him and what he’s done there. Gosh, he’s won a lot of football games. Double-digit wins most of his career and that’s pretty impressive. Obviously, championships and things of that nature," Pederson said Monday.

"He does a great job of just getting his teams prepared, the way he messages his team, motivates his team. They play hard, they play physical, they’re fast, it’s a disciplined group. They always have been and it’s just the tradition of the Pittsburgh Steelers over time through history. He’s definitely carried that on in his career there as the head coach.”

The two giants have faced off several times, including four times when Pederson was either an offensive coordinator (Kansas City Chiefs) or head coach (Philadelphia Eagles). Pederson owns a 2-2 record in those roles against Tomlin.

The last time he went up to Pittsburgh was in 2016 when the Eagles won 34-3.

DaVon Hamilton should make his return Sunday

Pederson was bullish Friday when asked about the prospects of defensive lineman DaVon Hamilton playing on Sunday after missing nearly the last 10 weeks, dating back to the team's Week 2 preseason matchup against the Detroit Lions.

He was designated to return from injured reserve three weeks ago and practiced in full the last two weeks. Hamilton did not have a designation on this week's injury report, signaling his return to play.

"DaVon [Hamilton] is trending well and he’s practiced full this week. We’ll get another good day today and then we’ll see how he feels and where he’s at. There’s a good chance that he could be active for thisgame, we’ll just see how he does through today," said Pederson.

Hamilton has never missed this much time in his career. He missed seven games during his rookie season (2020) due to injury but has played in all 33 games since then. His moment on Sunday, if he plays, will be a long time coming.

"I've been really waiting for this moment for a while and I'm excited to see what I do out there," he said. "It's been a long time, so trying to get in the groove of things and really trying to show my best self."

Hamilton said he has had a good couple of weeks of practice, so he doesn't feel he will be too rusty, but he acknowledged it takes a bit of actual on-field work to get back into the swing of things.

He hopes he can add something to an already impressive group along the Jaguars' defensive front.

"I just feel like I'm adding a little bit more to that. I mean, that's what we do. We stop the run, affect the quarterback and I'll just plan on adding on to that," he said.

Jaguars will have their hands full with Steelers' T.J. Watt

He's not J.J., but he might be a bit better when it's all said and done, and that's saying a lot.

Steelers defensive end T.J. Watt has quickly become one of the league's best players during his tenure in Pittsburgh. The five-time Pro Bowler and three-time First-team All-Pro has the accolades that could etch his name in history even if he were to retire within the next couple of years in his early 30s.

In his career, Watt has 85.5 sacks and led the league in sacks twice in his seven-year career. He is tied with former Giants lineman Michael Strahan for the most sacks in a single season with 22.5.

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This year, Watt has eight sacks, the second-best in the league, seven tackles for loss, 15 quarterback hits, one interception, one touchdown and two forced fumbles. In six games played.

There's not much you can do to stop him.

"He’s a great player. He’s a great player over the course of his career, he’s got eight sacks already this season. You have to understand that this is a good player, a great player," Pederson said Wednesday. "You give him the respect that he is due, he’s earned that. You have to spend some resources in that direction."

Jaguars left tackle Cam Robinson and right tackle Anton Harrison will have their hands full and rest assured, there will be some help given to their sides if Watt is lined up in front of them.

Jaguars' Zay Jones ruled out, Tyson Campbell questionable to play Sunday vs. Pittsburgh

The Jaguars will be without wide receiver Zay Jones for a third-straight game after tweaking an already-injured right knee during the team's win over the Buffalo Bills in Week 5.

Jones has missed four games this season thus far after suffering the injury during the team's Week 2 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Pederson indicated that Jones is "still working through the knee injury" and the team will see where he's at following their Week 9 bye week.

The Jaguars listed several other players on their game-status report Friday, including cornerback Tyson Campbell (hamstring), safety Andre Cisco (hamstring), quarterback Trevor Lawrence (knee), and offensive linemen Walker Little (knee) and Brandon Scherff (ankle) as questionable.

Lawrence and Scherff will suit up Sunday, working limited this week due to precautionary reasons. Little could suit up, but Pederson didn't give an indication of what his playing status looked like.

Pederson indicated that both Campbell and Cisco were trending in the right direction.

Cornerback Gregory Junior (hamstring) is still making his way back from injured reserve and was ruled out for Sunday. He will make his return, barring any setbacks, after the team's Week 9 bye week.

Steelers WR Diontae Johnson good to go, Cam Heyward could return

Despite not practicing on Thursday due to a hamstring injury that has kept him out of several games this season, Steelers wideout Diontae Johnson practiced in full Friday and was not issued a designation for Sunday's game, indicating he's good to go.

The Steelers listed just three other players with designations, including cornerbacks Joey Porter Jr. (calf), Levi Wallace (foot) and James Pierre (ankle). All three are listed as questionable.

Defensive lineman Cam Heyward, who tore his adductor muscle in his groin earlier this year kept him out of all but the season-opener for Pittsburgh also did not have a designation Friday. Heyward could be activated and suit up Sunday after his 21-day practice window opened this week, but that remains to be determined.

Demetrius Harvey is the Jacksonville Jaguars reporter for the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on X,  formerly known as Twitter, at @Demetrius82.

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This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jaguars set to face Steelers in Week 8, Locked in despite Week 9 bye