JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Jacksonville Jaguars 31-25 on August 9, 2025, in a preseason opener at EverBank Stadium that nobody in attendance will forget — not because of a touchdown, not because of a quarterback, and not because the Heisman Trophy winner suited up for the first time as a professional.
Cam Little stood on the Jaguars’ own 48-yard line with four seconds left in the second quarter. Liam Coen, coaching his first NFL game, burned a timeout and walked over to ask Little if he wanted the shot. Little said yes.
The ball cleared the crossbar with several yards to spare. The ball boy caught it in the end zone.
Justin Tucker’s official NFL record was 66 yards, set at Ford Field in September 2021. The NCAA record was 69 yards. The Elias Sports Bureau had tracked eight attempts of 70 yards or longer in the Super Bowl era — all failures, until that moment. Little did it in a preseason game, which meant the record didn’t count. He kept the ball anyway.
“Adrenaline is a beautiful thing,” Little said afterward. “It does stink that it doesn’t count. That means we just have to go out there and make it again.”
He would. On November 2, 2025, Little connected from 68 yards against the Las Vegas Raiders to break Tucker’s official NFL mark. The night in Jacksonville was the first proof that it was possible.
Table of Contents
Pittsburgh’s Backups Were Too Much for Jacksonville
Mike Tomlin held out Aaron Rodgers, DK Metcalf, T.J. Watt, Jalen Ramsey, and the rest of Pittsburgh’s projected starters. The Steelers still generated 367 total yards, four touchdowns, and zero turnovers.
Mason Rudolph opened the game against Jacksonville’s starting defense and went 9-of-10 for 84 yards and a touchdown. Skylar Thompson took over from there. Thompson, who spent three seasons in Miami before signing with Pittsburgh in 2025, threw for 233 yards and three scores on 20 of 28 attempts — a 132.0 passer rating — and found seven different receivers.
“Coming into a new organization, a new team, kind of a little bit of a fresh start for me,” Thompson said. “I was excited to go play some football and help out my teammates. Definitely did that today.”
Together, the two quarterbacks finished 29-of-38 for 317 yards, four touchdowns, and a combined passer rating of 135.5. Jacksonville had no answer at any point in the game.
Ke’Shawn Williams led all Pittsburgh receivers with 55 yards on two catches and scored on a 26-yard reception in the fourth quarter that pushed the margin to 31-22. Scotty Miller caught all four of his targets for 47 yards. Trey Sermon contributed on both sides of the backfield — four catches for 28 yards and a touchdown, plus seven rushing yards on three carries.
Undrafted free agent Max Hurleman caught a 3-yard touchdown pass from Thompson in the second quarter and followed it with a backflip. Hurleman played running back at Colgate, switched to defensive back at Notre Dame, and returned to running back in Pittsburgh’s camp. He caught two passes for 29 yards total and made a legitimate case for a roster spot.
Lew Nichols led Pittsburgh’s ground game with 31 yards on six carries. Rookie Kaleb Johnson handled the most carries — eight — and gained 20 yards.
Coen’s First Game and Jacksonville’s Execution Problems
The Jaguars’ offense had four first-half dropped passes — Parker Washington, Tank Bigsby, Trenton Irwin, and Hunter Long all let catchable balls hit the turf. Two penalties stalled the opening drive before it could establish any rhythm. Jacksonville converted three of ten third downs all night, a 30% rate against a Pittsburgh defense that had no starters in the lineup.
The final Jaguars passing stats across four quarterbacks came to 273 yards and one touchdown against 301 for Pittsburgh’s two-man rotation. Coen’s first-team offense was down 14-9 heading into halftime — after Little’s 70-yarder gave them that final chance to close the gap.
Trevor Lawrence played one series and came through it cleanly: six completions on seven attempts for 43 yards, a 3-yard scramble, and one hard hit. It was his first game action since the concussion he suffered against Houston in December 2024, and the most important takeaway from his appearance was simply that he came through it without incident.
Nick Mullens handled the second unit and went 11-of-18 for 89 yards and one touchdown. Seth Henigan completed 11 of 14 for 78 yards. John Wolford hit 3 of 5 for 63.
Trenton Irwin was Jacksonville’s most productive skill player on the night — four catches for 48 yards and a third-quarter touchdown. Dorian Singer added three grabs for 40 yards. Bhayshul Tuten ran the ball six times for 24 yards and scored on an 8-yard carry in the fourth quarter. Jacksonville’s defense recorded two sacks (Danny Striggow and Dawuane Smoot) and five quarterback hits.
Travis Hunter’s NFL Debut
Hunter played 10 snaps on offense and eight on defense. He caught two passes for 9 yards — PFF noted a third reception for 7 yards was negated by a penalty. He lined up at cornerback with the second unit on defense and was not targeted in coverage. He missed one open-field tackle on Kaleb Johnson.
“I felt great,” Hunter said. “A little nervous, but it felt great. It definitely settled down when I got the first catch, really when the first play started.”
The stat line was modest. For a 10-snap preseason debut, that was the expected baseline. What the Jaguars’ staff would have observed was that Hunter moved back and forth between positions at full pace without hesitation — which, in Week 1 of a preseason, is the actual bar.
He was also the first person on the field to greet Little after the 70-yarder, meeting the kicker in midair.
Box Score
Score by Quarter
| Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 7 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 31 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 3 | 6 | 6 | 10 | 25 |
Scoring Summary
| Qtr | Time | Score | Play | Drive |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 | 7:41 | JAX 3–0 | Cam Little 41-yd FG | 12 plays, 44 yds |
| Q1 | 2:56 | PIT 7–3 | Darnell Washington 19-yd pass from Rudolph (Sauls kick) | 9 plays, 65 yds |
| Q2 | 12:19 | PIT 7–6 | Cam Little 40-yd FG | 12 plays, 36 yds |
| Q2 | 0:24 | PIT 14–6 | Max Hurleman 3-yd pass from Thompson (Sauls kick) | 11 plays, 85 yds |
| Q2 | 0:00 | PIT 14–9 | Cam Little 70-yd FG | 4 plays, 16 yds |
| Q3 | 11:21 | JAX 15–14 | Trenton Irwin 11-yd pass from Mullens (2-pt conversion failed) | 3 plays, 44 yds |
| Q3 | 7:57 | PIT 21–15 | Trey Sermon 11-yd pass from Thompson (Sauls kick) | 9 plays, 69 yds |
| Q4 | 14:56 | PIT 24–15 | Ben Sauls 36-yd FG | 12 plays, 55 yds |
| Q4 | 11:02 | PIT 24–22 | Bhayshul Tuten 8-yd rush (Little kick) | 7 plays, 74 yds |
| Q4 | 5:16 | PIT 31–22 | Ke’Shawn Williams 26-yd pass from Thompson (Sauls kick) | 10 plays, 67 yds |
| Q4 | 2:45 | PIT 31–25 | Cam Little 52-yd FG | 8 plays, 31 yds |
Team Stats
| Stat | Pittsburgh | Jacksonville |
|---|---|---|
| Total Yards | 367 | 339 |
| Passing Yards | 301 | 273 |
| Rushing Yards | 66 | 66 |
| Comp / Att | 29/38 | 31/44 |
| Yards per Pass | 7.5 | 6.2 |
| Yards per Rush | 2.6 | 3.9 |
| Yards per Play | 5.6 | 5.6 |
| 1st Downs | 25 | 21 |
| Passing 1st Downs | 15 | 17 |
| Rushing 1st Downs | 7 | 3 |
| 1st Downs via Penalty | 3 | 1 |
| 3rd Down Efficiency | 8/13 (62%) | 3/10 (30%) |
| 4th Down | 0/1 | 1/1 |
| Red Zone (Made/Att) | 3/4 | 2/3 |
| Sacks Allowed (Yds Lost) | 2 (–16) | 0 (–0) |
| Penalties | 6 for 60 yds | 8 for 49 yds |
| Turnovers | 0 | 0 |
| Fumbles Lost | 0 | 0 |
| Interceptions Thrown | 0 | 0 |
| Time of Possession | 30:44 | 29:16 |
| Total Plays | 65 | 61 |
Pittsburgh Steelers — Full Player Stats
Passing
| Player | C/ATT | YDS | AVG | TD | INT | SACKS | RTG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skylar Thompson | 20/28 | 233 | 8.3 | 3 | 0 | 1–6 | 132.0 |
| Mason Rudolph | 9/10 | 84 | 8.4 | 1 | 0 | 1–10 | 135.0 |
| Team | 29/38 | 301 | 8.3 | 4 | 0 | 2–16 | 135.5 |
Rushing
| Player | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lew Nichols | 6 | 31 | 5.2 | 0 | 14 |
| Kaleb Johnson | 8 | 20 | 2.5 | 0 | 7 |
| Trey Sermon | 3 | 7 | 2.3 | 0 | 6 |
| Evan Hull | 6 | 7 | 1.2 | 0 | 4 |
| Skylar Thompson | 1 | 3 | 3.0 | 0 | 3 |
| Logan Woodside | 1 | –2 | –2.0 | 0 | –2 |
| Team | 25 | 66 | 2.6 | 0 | 14 |
Receiving
| Player | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | LG | TGT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ke’Shawn Williams | 2 | 55 | 27.5 | 1 | 29 | 2 |
| Scotty Miller | 4 | 47 | 11.8 | 0 | 22 | 4 |
| Roc Taylor | 2 | 38 | 19.0 | 0 | 22 | 3 |
| Max Hurleman | 2 | 29 | 14.5 | 1 | 26 | 4 |
| Trey Sermon | 4 | 28 | 7.0 | 1 | 11 | 4 |
| Roman Wilson | 2 | 24 | 12.0 | 0 | 19 | 2 |
| Darnell Washington | 1 | 19 | 19.0 | 1 | 19 | 1 |
| Connor Heyward | 2 | 17 | 8.5 | 0 | 9 | 3 |
| Lance McCutcheon | 2 | 14 | 7.0 | 0 | 8 | 2 |
| Brandon Johnson | 2 | 12 | 6.0 | 0 | 7 | 2 |
| Lew Nichols | 1 | 9 | 9.0 | 0 | 9 | 3 |
| Evan Hull | 1 | 6 | 6.0 | 0 | 6 | 3 |
| JJ Galbreath | 1 | 6 | 6.0 | 0 | 6 | 1 |
| Kaleb Johnson | 1 | 6 | 6.0 | 0 | 6 | 2 |
| Robert Woods | 1 | 4 | 4.0 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
| Ben Skowronek | 1 | 3 | 3.0 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| Team | 29 | 317 | 10.9 | 4 | 29 | 38 |
Jacksonville Jaguars — Full Player Stats
Passing
| Player | C/ATT | YDS | AVG | TD | INT | SACKS | RTG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trevor Lawrence | 6/7 | 43 | 6.1 | 0 | 0 | 0–0 | 92.3 |
| Nick Mullens | 11/18 | 89 | 4.9 | 1 | 0 | 0–0 | 92.1 |
| Seth Henigan | 11/14 | 78 | 5.6 | 0 | 0 | 0–0 | 89.9 |
| John Wolford | 3/5 | 63 | 12.6 | 0 | 0 | 0–0 | 104.2 |
| Team | 31/44 | 273 | 6.2 | 1 | 0 | 0–0 | 94.2 |
Rushing
| Player | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bhayshul Tuten | 6 | 24 | 4.0 | 1 | 8 |
| Tank Bigsby | 6 | 24 | 4.0 | 0 | 7 |
| Dyami Brown | 1 | 7 | 7.0 | 0 | 7 |
| Travis Etienne Jr. | 2 | 6 | 3.0 | 0 | 3 |
| Trevor Lawrence | 1 | 3 | 3.0 | 0 | 3 |
| Seth Henigan | 1 | 2 | 2.0 | 0 | 2 |
| Team | 17 | 66 | 3.9 | 1 | 8 |
Receiving
| Player | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | LG | TGT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trenton Irwin | 4 | 48 | 12.0 | 1 | 14 | 6 |
| Dorian Singer | 3 | 40 | 13.3 | 0 | 21 | 3 |
| Quintin Morris | 4 | 39 | 9.8 | 0 | 21 | 4 |
| Eli Pancol | 2 | 28 | 14.0 | 0 | 27 | 3 |
| Joshua Cephus | 3 | 25 | 8.3 | 0 | 18 | 3 |
| LeQuint Allen Jr. | 4 | 20 | 5.0 | 0 | 11 | 4 |
| Bhayshul Tuten | 2 | 16 | 8.0 | 0 | 13 | 2 |
| Cam Camper | 1 | 14 | 14.0 | 0 | 14 | 3 |
| Brenton Strange | 1 | 11 | 11.0 | 0 | 11 | 1 |
| Travis Etienne Jr. | 1 | 10 | 10.0 | 0 | 10 | 1 |
| Travis Hunter | 2 | 9 | 4.5 | 0 | 6 | 2 |
| Brian Thomas Jr. | 1 | 8 | 8.0 | 0 | 8 | 2 |
| Parker Washington | 3 | 5 | 1.7 | 0 | 5 | 5 |
| Hunter Long | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | — | 2 |
| Tank Bigsby | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | — | 1 |
| Chandler Brayboy | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | — | 1 |
| Darius Lassiter | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | — | 1 |
| Team | 31 | 273 | 8.8 | 1 | 27 | 44 |
Defense
Pittsburgh Steelers Defense
| Player | TOT | SOLO | SACKS | TFL | PD | QB HTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carson Bruener | 7 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Beanie Bishop Jr. | 6 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| James Pierre | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| D’Shawn Jamison | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sebastian Castro | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Devin Harper | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mark Robinson | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Payton Wilson | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Quindell Johnson | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Daryl Porter Jr. | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chuck Clark | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Miles Killebrew | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jack Sawyer | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Trey Sermon | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Daniel Ekuale | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Isaiahh Loudermilk | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Malik Harrison | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Esezi Otomewo | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Yahya Black | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Brandin Echols | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Max Hurleman | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cole Holcomb | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Brandon Johnson | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kyler McMichael | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kyler Baugh | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Juan Thornhill | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Julius Welschof | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| DeMarvin Leal | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Team | 62 | 45 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
Jacksonville Jaguars Defense
| Player | TOT | SOLO | SACKS | TFL | PD | QB HTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| De’Antre Prince | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jabbar Muhammad | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Daniel Thomas | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rayuan Lane III | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Emmanuel Ogbah | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chad Muma | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Antonio Johnson | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Darnell Savage | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Tyson Campbell | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Zech McPhearson | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Yasir Abdullah | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Jack Kiser | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Branson Combs | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jordan Jefferson | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Danny Striggow | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Doneiko Slaughter | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ethan Downs | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cam’Ron Silmon-Craig | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dawuane Smoot | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Eric Murray | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Austin Johnson | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jourdan Lewis | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Logan Cooke | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Andrew Wingard | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Devin Lloyd | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Christian Braswell | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Myles Cole | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Aydan White | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| LeQuint Allen Jr. | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tyler Lacy | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Eli Mostaert | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| James Carpenter | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| B.J. Green II | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Team | 73 | 45 | 2 | 7 | 3 | 5 |
Special Teams
Kicking
| Team | Player | FG | FG% | LG | XP | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh | Ben Sauls | 1/1 | 100% | 36 yds | 4/4 | 7 |
| Jacksonville | Cam Little | 4/4 | 100% | 70 yds | 1/1 | 13 |
Little’s four field goals: 41 yds (Q1), 40 yds (Q2), 70 yds (Q2, final play of half), 52 yds (Q4)
Punting
| Team | Player | NO | YDS | AVG | TB | In 20 | LG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh | Cameron Johnston | 2 | 94 | 47.0 | 0 | 1 | 52 |
| Pittsburgh | Corliss Waitman | 1 | 57 | 57.0 | 0 | 0 | 57 |
| Jacksonville | Logan Cooke | 3 | 150 | 50.0 | 0 | 1 | 60 |
Kick Returns
| Team | Player | NO | YDS | AVG | LG | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh | D’Shawn Jamison | 3 | 89 | 29.7 | 32 | 0 |
| Pittsburgh | Trey Sermon | 1 | 26 | 26.0 | 26 | 0 |
| Jacksonville | Austin Trammell | 2 | 65 | 32.5 | 37 | 0 |
| Jacksonville | Dorian Singer | 2 | 52 | 26.0 | 28 | 0 |
| Jacksonville | Trenton Irwin | 1 | 24 | 24.0 | 24 | 0 |
Punt Returns
| Team | Player | NO | YDS | AVG | LG | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh | Ke’Shawn Williams | 2 | 17 | 8.5 | 16 | 0 |
| Jacksonville | Austin Trammell | 2 | 16 | 8.0 | 10 | 0 |
| Jacksonville | Trenton Irwin | 1 | 5 | 5.0 | 5 | 0 |
Fumbles
| Team | Player | FUM | LOST | REC |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh | Skylar Thompson | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Pittsburgh | Evan Hull | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Jacksonville | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Jacksonville lost the game. The drops, the penalties, and the 30% third-down rate were all things Coen could point to on film the following week. But by the time the 2025 regular season was over, the most durable image from Preseason Week 1 was a sixth-round kicker from Arkansas watching a football sail through the air from 70 yards away, already knowing it was good before it got there.
“He wanted it,” Coen said that night, “so we gave it to him.”
Pittsburgh Steelers 31, Jacksonville Jaguars 25 | NFL Preseason Week 1 | August 9, 2025 | EverBank Stadium, Jacksonville, FL | Attendance: 58,316 | TV: FOX30 / KDKA-TV
