There was no believable reason for the Steelers to stay in this game beyond the first commercial. They had lost three straight. Their popular coach was rumored to be a candidate for every available job short of Savannah police chief. Their foundation quarterback wasn't even going to play. And when he went in midway through the second quarter, it was as a receiver.
Some rivalries can withstand such a definitive drop in quality on one side or the other.
The rivalry had been fashioned quickly, with Jacksonville getting its first home win against Pittsburgh in 1995 and beating the Steelers in its first prime time appearance in a Monday Night game two years later. But it looked like this game had gone out of style just as fast, seemingly passe by just the 10th meeting between the teams. The Jaguars had already won in Pittsburgh earlier this season, the first time the home team had lost in this series. And Thursday Jacksonville came in an 11-point favorite, which is unusual for any NFL game and basically unheard of for a divisional showdown. This wasn't going to be close.