Could this be final game with Steelers for a pair of Joneses?
Landry Jones will start at quarterback for the Steelers Sunday against Cleveland.
The Steelers and Cleveland Browns clash in the regular-season finale Sunday at Heinz Field.
PITTSBURGH – In terms of playoff seeding, the regular-season finale Sunday against the Cleveland Browns is meaningless for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
But it’s hardly that for the Steelers’ two Joneses, linebacker Jarvis Jones and quarterback Landry Jones. For those two players, the game offers a big opportunity.
For Jarvis Jones, it will likely be the last time he takes the field for the team that made him the 17th pick in the 2013 draft.
Jones has never lived up to his lofty draft status and will be a free agent at the end of this season. Jones started eight games earlier this season before giving way to 38-year-old James Harrison. In the Steelers’ 31-27 division-clinching win Sunday over Baltimore, he was a healthy inactive for the first time in his career.
“I don’t even want to talk about being inactive,” Jarvis Jones said. “It happened. It is what it is.
“I do my job. I come here. I’m focused. I enjoy it. I’m passionate about it. I continue to work hard and do everything I can to help my teammates and my team.”
This weekend, that could include giving Harrison time off to make sure the veteran linebacker, who leads the Steelers with five sacks, is ready to go in the playoffs.
Jarvis Jones admits the Steelers have been playing well since going with Harrison and 2015 first-round draft pick Bud Dupree as their starting outside linebackers.
“Our defense is rolling,” Jarvis Jones said. “They’ve got a tempo and they’re meshing at the right time. You can’t take away from what those guys have been doing.”
Landry Jones knows what sitting and watching is like. He’s spent the majority of his four years with the Steelers watching Ben Roethlisberger play quarterback.
Roethlisberger won’t play Sunday. Landry Jones will make his second start this season – he quarterbacked a 27-16 loss to New England – and fourth of his career. He has completed 61 of 104 career passes for 794 yards, four touchdowns and five interceptions.
Landry Jones also will be a free agent at the end of the season and the Steelers must decide if they want to continue with Jones as the backup quarterback. Jones could test the free-agent market and seek a starting opportunity elsewhere. While some might scoff at that, realize the Browns have had seven different players throw passes for them this season.
“It’s in the back of your mind, but first and foremost you want to win the game,” Landry Jones said. “There is nothing that replaces going out there and getting a win. So that’s what I’m really focused on.”
Landry Jones has a 1-2 record as a starter,with that win coming last season over the Browns. However, though he started that game, he threw just one pass before leaving with an ankle injury. Roethlisberger replaced him despite a foot injury of his own and led the Steelers to a win.
Beating the Browns might be a little more difficult than usual. Pro Bowl running back Le’Veon Bell, wide receiver Antonio Brown and center Maurkice Pouncey each are also expected to sit out the game.
“People have to step up and play,” Landry Jones said. “This is the regular season, so you have a 53-man roster. It’s not like you can just sit everybody. The guys who are going to be out there have played significant ball.”
Jarvis Jones is one of them, even if his playing time has been slashed considerably. The outside linebacker is playing the best football of his career, though he doesn’t have a sack. He has five career sacks and could add to that total against Cleveland, which has given up 62.
“It’s December football, playoff time. That’s what I’m focused on,” Jarvis Jones said. “What happened over the course of the season happened. I’m focused on the things in front of us. That’s Cleveland this week and beyond.”
A Kansas City loss and Miami win Sunday would mean the Steelers will host the Chiefs next weekend. Otherwise, the Steelers will host the Dolphins. The day of the game – Jan. 7 or 8 – and time will be announced Sunday night. … The Steelers’ home schedule in 2017 will include games against AFC North rivals along with Jacksonville, Tennessee, Green Bay, Minnesota and New England. The road schedule will send them to the AFC North opponents along with Houston, Indianapolis, Chicago, Detroit and the AFC West champion, either Oakland or Kansas City.