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Technically it went into the scorebook as a 2-yard touchdown run.
The highly GIF-able reality told a more compelling story Marvin Harrison Jersey , one that served as the symbolic launch point for both the Jacksonville Jaguars’ breakout season and the rookie running back at the center of it all.
The Jaguars were driving deep in Pittsburgh territory early in the second quarter at Heinz Field on Oct. 8.
On second down at the Steelers 2, Jacksonville quarterback Blake Bortles took the snap and stuffed the ball in Leonard Fournette’s gut.
Fournette took two steps then vaulted into the air at the 4.
All 240 pounds of him sailed over the line of scrimmage and landed untouched at least a yard into the end zone.
Just like that, Fournette and the Jaguars arrived, making the Steelers believers in the process.
”Fournette is good,” said Steelers linebacker Bud Dupree, who then immediately corrected himself. ”Fournette is great.”
Yet for all of Fournette’s breathtaking feats of athleticism – including a 90-yard bolt to the end zone that served as the exclamation point on Jacksonville’s 30-9 victory three months ago, he’s just part of a group that led the NFL in rushing.
While Pittsburgh (13-3) will be focusing on Fournette’s No. 27 wherever he goes on Sunday when the Steelers host the Jaguars (11-6) in the divisional round of the playoffs, they’re well aware they can’t take the other players in the backfield lightly.
Sure, Fournette finished with 1,040 yards rushing and nine touchdowns, Chris Ivory Le'Raven Clark Jersey , T.J. Yeldon, Corey Grant and Bortles combined for 1,205 yards and seven touchdowns. Even fullback Tommy Bohanon found the end zone twice.
”Minimizing their run is more than just focusing on Leonard,” Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday.
”Obviously, we have to do a good job there, but we have to do a good job for 60 minutes and in all areas. We want to minimize the ways that they run the ball and the ways that they possess the ball and control the game.”
The Jaguars finished with 231 yards rushing in the first meeting, the most allowed by the Steelers this season.
While Fournette’s late burst skewed the numbers a bit, it was a run made possible by the 36 attempts that came before it as Jacksonville simply wore down Pittsburgh until the Steelers yielded.
More of the same likely arrives this weekend. The Jaguars are hardly apologetic for their approach, one that emphasizes controlling the clock and the tempo.
It’s a formula that helped them reach the playoffs for the first time in a decade and one they used effectively – if not exactly glamorously – while outlasting Buffalo in the wild-card round last weekend.
”They stick to the run the whole game,” Pittsburgh rookie outside linebacker T.J. Watt said. ”It’s not like we’re going to shut it down for a couple plays and they’re going to pass the rest of the game. We have to stop it through all four quarters.”
Bortles included. For all of his occasional issues throwing the ball, Bortles can make up for it with his legs.
He actually ran for more yards (8 than he passed for (87) against the Bills. He had four runs of 10 yards or more. He only had five passes that traveled at least that distance.
”People talk about his skillset or whatever T.Y. Hilton Jersey ,” Steelers safety Mike Mitchell said. ”At the end of the day they won the game. It’s dangerous, we respect it. Our job is to be able to cover.”
And tackle. And not get so caught up in trying to get to Bortles that they let him squirt loose, a bad habit Pittsburgh picked up at times this season even as it led the NFL and set a franchise record with 55 sacks, one more than the Jaguars.
”You’ve got to be controlled,” Dupree said. You’ve got to stay in your rush lane. You don’t want him to hurt you with his feet. It might be third-and-12, he might get 10 yards. You don’t want that to happen. You’ve got to make sure you’re constricting the rush lane, pushing the pocket. Just get him to step up in the pocket, we can chase him down then.”
And, the Steelers hope, run all the way to the AFC title game in the process.
—
Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon said Saturday’s sweltering conditions at Wrigley Field were the worst he’s experienced during a major league game.
The Minnesota Twins were in no position to disagree.
Minnesota’s Eddie Rosario, Bobby Wilson and Max Kepler all left early because of heat illness on a scorching afternoon Denzelle Good Jersey , and the Cubs beat the Twins 14-9.
Rosario homered in the top of the fifth inning, then was pulled from left field shortly after fielding a hit by Anthony Rizzo in the bottom half. The Cubs said it was 96 degrees at the time with a heat index of 107 – that’s a calculation of how hot it actually feels, with the humidity factored in.
”That was a pretty brutal day,” Maddon said. ”If you put that on AstroTurf, that would have been like the worst ever.”
There was a short break in the sixth after Wilson drew a walk. A couple of cups of water were brought out for him to sip and douse himself to cool off. Wilson eventually scored and was replaced at catcher after the inning ended with the score tied at 9.
”I just couldn’t catch my breath,” he said. ”My heart was fluttering. I felt dizzy. Started getting a headache. Just couldn’t even hold a conversation in the dugout.”
All three Twins players were treated with IVs.
Jason Heyward had four of the Cubs’ 20 hits, Ben Zobrist had three RBIs and Chicago had a pair of five-run innings. The Cubs rallied from 3-0 and 7-4 deficits and have scored at least 10 runs in three straight games for the first time since April 2003.
Albert Almora Jr. had three hits and drove in two runs as the Cubs won their third in a row. He exited in the fifth after experiencing leg cramps related to dehydration.
Joe Mauer had two hits and three RBIs for the Twins.
Plate umpire Hunter Wendelstedt worked with a towel draped around his neck and frequently left the field between innings.
”It was just tough,” Minnesota manager Paul Molitor said. ”We couldn’t keep them off base. There were a lot of singles. They kept hitting them in the right spot.”
Chicago broke open a tie game with a five-run seventh.
David Bote led off with a walk and Ian Happ doubled off reliever Trevor Hildenberger (1-2). It was Chicago’s 15th hit to that point – and first extra-base hit despite the wind blowing out.
”Home runs are pretty cool,” Almora said, ”but the way we produced runs today was special.”
After pinch-hitter Kyle Schwarber was intentionally walked to load the bases, Heyward hit a soft liner that just scooted over the head of shortstop Ehire Adrianza – with the infield playing in – for an RBI single and a 10-9 lead Baez hit a grounder up the middle Anthony Castonzo Jersey , just out of Adrianza’s reach with the infield playing in, for two more runs.
Justin Wilson (2-2) pitched a scoreless inning for the win.
STRONG DEBUT
Willians Astudillo, primarily a catcher in the minors, made his major league debut – replacing Rosario – and wound up playing center field for the Twins, his first time at that spot as a pro. He hit an RBI single in his first at-bat.
”I just went out and had fun,” Astudillo said through a translator. ”It’s just great to be here.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
Twins: CF Byron Buxton (fractured left big toe) has been on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Rochester since June 19 and there’s no timetable for when he’ll be activated from the DL. Buxton was hitting .206 with a homer and four RBIs in nine games with Rochester before Saturday. If he continues to struggle, there’s a chance he could be optioned to Rochester when his rehab assignment ends on July 8.
Cubs: RHP Carl Edwards Jr. (right shoulder inflammation) threw 19 pitches and got two outs during a rehab outing with Triple-A Iowa on Friday. Maddon said the reports were positive and that his ”velocity was normal.” Edwards is expected to pitch again either Sunday or Monday.
UP NEXT
LHP Jon Lester (10-2, 2.18 ERA) opens the July schedule after winning all five of his June starts, compiling a 1.13 ERA during that stretch. RHP Lance Lynn (5-6, 4.81) starts the finale of the three-game series for the Twins.
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