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Jamison Hensley, ESPN writer
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — At the start of practice Wednesday, Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken was upset with how players were approaching a ball security drill.
After running down the field, Monken put the ball in one of his wide receiver’s hands and began trying to pluck and hit him.
When the Ravens host the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday (4:30 p.m. ET, Fox), all the talk will center on Jackson’s 1-4 record against his biggest rival. But Baltimore believes it knows the solution to Jackson’s problems with the Steelers.
“It all starts with us,” Monken said. “Guys have to play well around him; [you] I can’t turn it around; [you] “You can’t have penalties that put you behind the posts against good teams, or you’ll be in trouble.”
When Jackson faced Pittsburgh, he didn’t look like the two-time NFL MVP. But Jackson’s supporting cast has also stumbled.
In Jackson’s five starts against the Steelers, the Ravens lost six fumbles, dropped a dozen passes and committed 51 penalties.
Jackson hasn’t watched much film of the Ravens’ 18-16 loss to the Steelers in Week 11. He remembers the three turnovers and 12 penalties in Baltimore’s lowest-scoring game of the season.
“[It was] “Just self-inflicted wounds,” Jackson said. “[We had] penalties, turnovers, [trying to get] back on the road [on] second and long, third and long, first and long. [With] things like that, we’re killing impulses before they even start, and I’ve seen movies about that.”
Jackson added: “Last week [against the New York Giants]we did a better job at that. So, [with] “If we’re staying on schedule with those guys, I feel like we’ll be where we need to be.”
On Saturday, Jackson will end Pittsburgh’s dominance over Baltimore or the Steelers will clinch the AFC North title on the Ravens’ home field. Baltimore (9-5) can clinch a playoff berth and tie for first place in the division with Pittsburgh (10-4) with a win, but they will likely need Jackson to cut down on his mistakes as well.
The Steelers are the only team against whom Jackson has thrown more interceptions (eight) than touchdown passes (five). Jackson has also turned the ball over three times against the Steelers while posting career-lows in QBR (39) and completion rate (56.7%) against them.
Pittsburgh’s success is due to its aggressiveness. The Steelers have pressured Jackson on 31% of their dropbacks, sacking him 22 times, including 8.5 by TJ Watt.
“They’ve made plays against us,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “They’ve had sacks; they’ve had some timely sacks, some timely turnovers and timely stops. They’ve managed to do that, and that’s what it is. That’s winning games. They’ve done a good job of that.”
In Jackson’s seven-year career, Baltimore has been held under 20 points and 350 total yards eight times. But three of those games were against Pittsburgh.
Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers was asked what the Steelers defense does to make it difficult for Baltimore.
“Nothing,” Flores said. “[The Steelers] really don’t do it [anything] That really stresses me out, if I’m honest. you have some [down] games, and [the Week 11 game] It ended up being that game, so we’ll figure it out when we get there. This week we have them, so I’m looking forward to it.”
Still, the Ravens have been held under 20 points in eight straight games against the Steelers. The last time Baltimore scored more than 20 was in 2020, when it lost 24-28.
But this is an offense that has a chance of being remembered as the best in franchise history. The Ravens, who currently lead the NFL with 424.1 yards per game, have never finished as the No. 1 offense in their 29 years of existence.
Baltimore also ranks in the top three in the league in rushing (second), passing (third), scoring (third), third down conversion rate (second), and red zone efficiency (first). Jackson is surrounded by the likes of running back Derrick Henry, who ranks second in the NFL with 1,474 rushing yards; Mark Andrews, who is tied with George Kittle of the San Francisco 49ers for most touchdowns by tight ends (eight); and Flowers, who is 84 yards away from becoming the team’s first 1,000-yard receiver since 2021.
When asked if he thinks the Ravens should have more answers for this Steelers defense, Jackson responded: “I think so. I think we should have answers. I bet I’ll have an answer for you after the game.”
