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Jags RB Leonard Fournette says his two best plays came against Steelers

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Leading up to Sunday's divisional playoff game, a lot of attention has been paid to Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger wanting another shot at the Jaguars defense to atone for his five-interception performance in October.

That was Roethlisberger's worst day of the season. It also was Jaguars running back Leonard Fournette's best.

Fournette ran for 181 yards and two touchdowns in the Jaguars' 30-9 victory at Heinz Field. The first touchdown was a 2-yarder in the second quarter and the second was a 90-yarder on his 28th and final carry. Fournette called those the top two plays of his rookie season.

Why does a 2-yard run qualify? Because he took the handoff from Blake Bortles, leaped from inside the 5-yard line and landed a yard deep in the end zone.

The 90-yard touchdown came on the first play after the two-minute warning. Fournette went off left guard, hit the open field and poured it on. The NFL says Fournette reached a top speed of 22.05 mph, which ended up being the fastest any ball carrier has run in 2017.

There was another memorable play in that game: Fournette waving on safety Mike Mitchell. The two had been yapping back and forth all game and Fournette just got tired of hearing it, so when he broke free after stiff-arming linebacker Bud Dupree on a fourth-quarter run off right tackle, he sought out Mitchell.

The 6-foot-1, 221-pound Mitchell went low and the 6-foot, 228-pound Fournette ran through the contact and ended up with a 12-yard gain. Mitchell popped up immediately after the play and started celebrating. Fournette yelled a few things, too.

Surprisingly, Fournette, who ran for 1,040 yards and nine touchdowns for the season, doesn't list that among his top plays as a rookie.

"I don't rank that one," he said. "Like I said, it's competing, really. He's a great safety and can't wait to get at it with him once again."

There's a good chance they'll meet again on Sunday.