5 things we learned: Steelers' record could be viewed positively, negatively depending on perspective

Five things we learned from Jaguars 20, Steelers 10:

1. Matter of perspective

An optimist would say that, despite their lackluster performance against Jacksonville, the Steelers remain tied for second place in the AFC North.

A pessimist would counter that the Steelers, in fact, are tied for last.

Both are true because of what transpired at Acrisure Stadium as well as three venues on the West Coast. All divisional teams not named the Baltimore Ravens own 4-3 records heading into the next week of games.

The Cleveland Browns gave up a lead late at Seattle and missed a chance to maintain sole possession of second place. Resurgent Cincinnati pulled out a victory at San Francisco, which suddenly has lost three in a row. The Ravens, meantime, won at Arizona to increase their lead in the standings with a 6-2 record.

Working in the Steelers’ favor is their 2-0 record in division games. Cleveland is 1-2 and Cincinnati 0-2. The Steelers face those two teams on the road after concluding their three-game homestand, which continues Thursday night against Tennessee and ends with a game against Green Bay.

2. What’s the point?

When officials negated a 55-yard Chris Boswell field goal because of a mysterious offsides call against guard Isaac Seumalo, it kept the Steelers from finishing the first half with six points.

That was meaningful because the Steelers seem to be incapable of scoring more than three in the first half anymore. It was the third game in a row their offensive production consisted of a field goal. Counting the loss at Houston when the Steelers were shut out in the first half, they have accumulated nine points in the first half of their past four games.

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At least the Steelers are inching forward in one statistical category in the first half. Since they totaled 53 yards in the first 30 minutes against the Texans, the Steelers have upped their first-half yardage to 88 against Baltimore, 91 against the Los Angeles Rams and 100 against Jacksonville.

The Steelers have owned the first-half yardage advantage just once this season — Week 3 at Las Vegas when they outgained the Raiders, 180-161.

3. Cloak of invisibility

Any identity the Steelers had established with their running game the previous week at Los Angeles evaporated in a series of three-and-outs to open the game.

It’s difficult to establish a running game when you don’t get a first down until your fourth possession. Which explains why the Steelers had just 10 attempts for 32 yards in the first half and finished with 18 for 70 yards. Those 18 attempts were the second fewest of the season for the Steelers, who ran the ball just 10 times in the season opener when they had similar offensive deficiencies in the first half against San Francisco.

It’s illustrative of the running game’s significance that Mitch Trubisky’s 18 rushing yards on three runs were just one yard shy of Jaylen Warren’s team high. Najee Harris totaled 13 yards on seven carries.

The division of labor between Harris and Warren keeps inching closer to a 50-50 split. Harris was on the field for 35 snaps, Warren 32.

4. Catching on

Making his first career start, rookie corner Joey Porter Jr. accepted responsibility for the 56-yard touchdown catch by running back Travis Etienne even though safety Damontae Kazee had the assignment.

The knock on Porter in his rookie season has been his tackling. It was a point of emphasis during the week of practice, and he at least stuck his head in the pile enough to be credited with four solo tackles and one assisted stop.

Porter’s five tackles tied for third-most on the team. According to Pro Football Focus, he held his own in coverage against Jaguars wide receiver Calvin Ridley. Porter allowed two catches for 20 yards on four passes intended for Ridley. PFF gave Porter the team’s second-high coverage grade, trailing only on inside linebacker Kwon Alexander, who was charged with allowing one catch for minus-1 yard on two targets.

Little wonder coach Mike Tomlin said Monday that Porter deserves to hold onto his starting job regardless of the health of veteran corner Levi Wallace.

5. Say goodbye

The way the offense has performed this season, it was bound to happen. It was only a matter of time until wide receiver Allen Robinson went an entire game without a reception.

The goose egg arrived Sunday as Robinson was targeted just one time, and that came on Trubisky’s ill-timed throw into triple coverage that was intercepted in the fourth quarter.

Robinson had gone 116 games since entering the NFL in 2014 with at least one reception. He had never played in a game without making at least one catch. But warning signs cropped up earlier in the season. Robinson had one catch for 8 yards against Houston, and he needed a reception on the final drive at Los Angeles to keep his streak alive. Alas, it ended a week later.