Steelers Put Their Trust in Stewart

Pittsburgh didn’t see the Jacksonville quarterback it expected. The Jaguars hardly recognized the Steeler quarterback either.

Kordell Stewart passed to Hines Ward for a 28-yard touchdown and also ran for a score after a second costly fumble by Jacksonville quarterback Jonathan Quinn, and the Steelers held off the injury-depleted Jaguars, 20-7, Sunday.

Stewart, forced to carry the offense with Jerome Bettis held to minus yardage for much of the game, threw for 266 yards and ran for 51 as the Steelers (7-2) increased their AFC Central lead over Baltimore (6-4). “It’s the best game I’ve seen him play in years,” Steeler Coach Bill Cowher said. “He’s playing with a lot of confidence right now, and the receivers have a lot of trust in him.”

Stewart has played progressively well in by far his best season since leading the Steelers to the AFC title game in 1997, and his teammates said the difference in him is noticeable. The Steelers are tied with Oakland for the AFC’s best record.

“It’s been impressive to see,” Bettis said. “The biggest thing is we needed him to win the game for us and he did it. Oh, definitely, that is the key. He’s a confident player, and you can see it.”

Still, with Jaguar quarterback Mark Brunell unexpectedly sitting out with a strained right quadriceps and running back Fred Taylor missing a seventh straight game with a sore groin, the Steelers figured to have it much easier. Brunell threw three touchdown passes as the Jaguars beat Pittsburgh, 21-3, on Sept. 9.

Without Brunell and Taylor, the Jaguars were almost shut out for the first time since 1995, but Elvis Joseph’s 95-yard kickoff return on the final play of the third quarter made it 13-7 and gave them a chance to win it in the fourth quarter.

Quinn has his moments subbing for Brunell, going 17 for 31 for 225 yards, but twice lost fumbles to end the Jaguars’ best scoring chances and lost yet another fumble in the game’s final minute.

“I don’t know why he fumbled,” Jacksonville Coach Tom Coughlin said of Quinn, who was making his first start since beating Pittsburgh in the final game of the 1998 season. “He’s a big, strong man with strong hands, and the ball shouldn’t come out like that. You can’t turn it over.”

Quinn had completions of 26, 10 and 21 yards as the Jaguars drove to the 20 on their initial drive of the third quarter, but fumbled while being hit by Kendrell Bell, and Kimo von Oelhoffen recovered.

Later in the quarter, Stewart seemed ready to be sacked, but with two defenders closing in, threaded a pass to Ward, who scored the Steelers’ first touchdown since Plaxico Burress’ 21-yard catch in the closing seconds of the first half Nov. 4 against Baltimore.

Ward had nine catches for 112 yards, his first 100-yard game in the NFL.

Cowher charged from the sideline following the score, grabbed wide receiver Troy Edwards, who threw a key block on the play, and nearly carried him back to the Steeler bench.