2023-10-05 18:13:11
Lamar Jackson has performed well once morest the Cincinnati Bengals, averaging 196 passing yards and 80 rushing yards in eight career starts and totaling 14 touchdowns. For a guy who consistently says the only thing that matters is winning, Jackson’s Baltimore Ravens are 7-1 once morest the Bengals in games he has started.
He’s also played winning football once morest the Cleveland Browns, averaging 177 passing yards and 65 rushing yards with 19 total touchdowns in nine career starts. The Ravens are 7-2 versus Cleveland with Jackson at the helm, and one of those losses came in a game where he left in the first quarter with an injury.
But there is one AFC North team Jackson’s struggled to solve, albeit in far fewer opportunities. He’ll get another chance Sunday followingnoon at Acrisure Stadium. In three career starts once morest the Pittsburgh Steelers, Jackson has completed just 59 percent of his pass attempts, posted a paltry 67.4 quarterback rating, thrown six interceptions compared to just four touchdown passes, fumbled six times (losing two of them) and gotten sacked 16 times.
When asked regarding his struggles once morest Pittsburgh Wednesday, Jackson didn’t have an explanation, nor did he seem particularly concerned.
“I’ve probably played the Steelers three times,” Jackson said. “I don’t think I’ve played my best once morest them yet, but I don’t know. We’re going to see Sunday.”
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Jackson hasn’t faced the Steelers since Week 13 of the 2021 season, which was the first matchup between the two rivals that year. Overall, he’s been sidelined for five of the last seven meetings between the two teams — and hasn’t played in both annual matchups since his rookie year in 2018 when he was the backup to Joe Flacco.
Jackson hasn’t been part of a winning effort once morest the Steelers since Week 5 of the 2019 season, when the Ravens won 26-23 in overtime despite Jackson throwing three interceptions and getting sacked five times.
Steelers coach Mike Tomlin once explained his team’s success once morest Jackson by saying, “We have respect for him, but we don’t fear him.”
Jackson, meanwhile, acknowledged that “it’s different when we play the Steelers. Hopefully, it’s a different outcome this season. I don’t know what it is, but hopefully it’s different right now.”
The Steelers are the only team in the NFL that Jackson has thrown more interceptions once morest than touchdown passes. His 67.4 passer rating once morest Pittsburgh is his lowest once morest any opponent.
One of the worst games of Jackson’s career came at M&T Bank Stadium once morest Pittsburgh in Week 8 of the 2020 season. He threw a pick six to Steelers linebacker Robert Spillane just 54 seconds into the contest, and things never got much better from there. Jackson completed only 13 of 28 passing attempts, threw two interceptions (both resulting in Steelers scores) and lost two fumbles (one inside the Steelers’ 10-yard line). Afterward, Jackson pointed to his turnovers as the reason Baltimore lost.
That was three years ago, and both the Ravens’ offense and the Steelers’ defense have undergone plenty of changes since. Pittsburgh, though, still has the dynamic edge-rush tandem of T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith, along with an elite playmaker in the back end in safety Minkah Fitzpatrick.
Safety Minkah Fitzpatrick is among the many playmakers on the Steelers’ defense. (Mark Alberti / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Pittsburgh hasn’t played particularly well defensively this season, entering Sunday ranked 30th in yards allowed per game (403.0) and 23rd in points per game (25.0). But just regarding all of these Ravens-Steelers matchups tend to be close, hard-fought games where the offenses have to battle for every inch and turnovers play a big role in deciding the winner.
“You talk regarding what kind of team that they are. The defensive front is obviously physical, tough, all those things you expect from a Pittsburgh defense,” Ravens tight end Mark Andrews said. “At the end of the day, when you have two teams like this, and you have that rivalry, it’s something that you always have to bring your lunch (pail) because it’s a tough game. No matter if the team is doing really well or not, it’s going to be a good game.”
Jackson is off to an interesting start as he adjusts to Todd Monken’s new offense. In many ways, the 2019 unanimous league MVP is laying the groundwork for one of the best seasons of his career, but his modest statistics in several categories don’t necessarily bear that out.
He’s throwing the ball as accurately as he ever has. His 74.3 completion percentage ranks second in the NFL behind only Buffalo’s Josh Allen (74.8) and puts him on pace to shatter his previous career high in that category (66.1 in 2019). He’s making good decisions, having thrown just one interception, and that came on Baltimore’s second drive of the season.
The Ravens have the No. 1 red zone offense and are fifth-best on third down, both areas in which Jackson has struck the right balance between using his legs when necessary — he ranks 19th in the league with 220 rushing yards — and staying in the pocket and finding receivers.
“I believe it’s just taking our time when we’re in the red zone — not trying to rush anything,” Jackson said Wednesday. “That’s just given us so much success right now. We just need to keep it going.”
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Not everything has gone as smoothly. The Ravens’ downfield passing game remains spotty. Jackson has passed for 794 yards, which ranks 22nd in the league, and thrown only four touchdown passes, with three of them going to Andrews. According to Pro Football Focus, Jackson ranks 29th in the league in throws 10-plus yards downfield.
The Ravens have had success when Jackson has taken downfield shots. He just hasn’t done it very often. As a result, Baltimore is averaging just 183.8 passing yards per game, which ranks 26th in the NFL.
“It’s probably a function of the offense and where we want to go with it and what the defense is giving us, so both of those two things,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “We want to throw the ball downfield. We’ve had some success doing it. It’s really a big part of what we want to do. If we can beat people downfield with double moves, straight-up deep routes, play-action shots — those are massive, massive plays.
“But we also want to get the ball out quick — quick passes, (run-pass options). Those are things that keep a defense honest when they want to pack in on your run game, too. I have to say it’s all part of it, and I think we’ll just see as it goes game to game. Every week is different. It really is not a function of any grand plan other than we want to be able to do all those things well.”
It certainly hasn’t helped Jackson’s cause that the team’s most explosive running back, J.K. Dobbins, went down with a season-ending Achilles injury in Week 1. Andrews, Jackson’s favorite target, missed a game, as did starting receiver Rashod Bateman. Odell Beckham Jr., the team’s big free-agent addition, has missed the last two games with an ankle injury. The Ravens also have played much of the first four games without starting left tackle Ronnie Stanley and center Tyler Linderbaum.
The good news for Jackson is both Beckham and Bateman are back practicing this week and the wide receiver group looks whole once more. Andrews seems to have distanced himself from the quadriceps injury that kept him out in Week 1. Linderbaum returned from an ankle sprain once morest the Browns, and Stanley is practicing for a second straight week, increasing his chances of playing Sunday.
But first things first: Jackson has to find a way to avoid crushing mistakes and give the Steelers the same treatment he’s provided for the rest of the AFC North.
“It’s a different one out of the Browns and the Cincinnati Bengals,” Jackson said. “The atmosphere is different. It’s more intense, more aggressive. Even in practice, guys are just getting pumped for this game.”
(Top photo: Justin K. Aller / Getty Images)
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