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“Do you want me to tell you that secret?” Maulet said this week.
He went on to describe how the Steelers focused on stopping Jackson on run option plays. He acknowledged that the game plan may have changed since he was released in May 2023, and then joined the AFC North rival Ravens. But Jackson has also changed over the years.
“Exactly,” Maulet said. “He can throw a lot better.”
When the Ravens (7-3) play the Steelers (7-2) on Sunday (1 p.m. ET, CBS), Baltimore can take sole possession of first place and Jackson can show he’s ready to overcome his Pittsburgh problem. Jackson is 1-3 against the Steelers, which is the only team he has faced multiple times and against whom he has thrown more interceptions (seven) than touchdowns (four).
The consensus among them is that there is no definitive reason why Jackson struggled against Pittsburgh and put up NFL MVP numbers against the rest of the league.
“I don’t know what it is, man,” Jackson said.
“I’m not sure,” Ravens tight end Mark Andrews said.
Here are three reasons why Jackson has stumbled against the Steelers and why it could be different on Sunday:
No cash in your pocket: Jackson’s 21.2 QBR when in the pocket against Pittsburgh is the lowest against any team. He only completed 59.2% of his throws inside the pocket against the Steelers, averaging 6.4 yards per pass attempt. But this is an area where Jackson is thriving now. This season, he is connecting on a career-high 71.5% of his passes inside the pocket, averaging 9.3 yards per pass attempt.
Pressure: The Steelers have sacked Jackson 20 times, an average of five per game. The biggest problem has been Pittsburgh linebacker TJ Watt, who sacked Jackson 7.5 times and recorded 14 hits in four games against him. This season, Jackson has been sacked 13 times, tied with the Bills’ Josh Allen for the fewest among quarterbacks with at least eight starts.
Interceptions: Jackson’s seven interceptions against the Steelers are the second most against any team behind the Cleveland Browns (eight). But Jackson has started nearly three times as many games against Cleveland. This season, Jackson has been excellent protecting the ball. He has been intercepted twice in 10 games and has not thrown an interception in 136 passes, which is the third-longest active streak in the league.
“I think Lamar has been intentional about playing his best across the board, and that’s a big part of it,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “There are so many things that go into playing the quarterback position, and also so many things that go into what you’re talking about. We’ve gotten a lot better in those areas of pre-snap communication; we have to continue to get better at that and then operate the played at a high level. So all those things come into play, and we would all say that we have to continue to improve with a sense of urgency in everything we do.”
The last time Jackson played against the Steelers was in October 2023, when Baltimore lost 17-10 in Pittsburgh. Jackson wasn’t to blame because the Ravens dropped a handful of passes, including two in the end zone.
“We owe them one,” Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken said. “We don’t play very well away from home [game]. I gave that away.”
The Ravens-Steelers rivalry has been one of the best in the NFL for years, but it has been the most unusual matchup for Jackson.
Since becoming Baltimore’s starting quarterback midway through the 2018 season, Jackson has missed more games against the Steelers (six) than he has started (four). He has been sidelined three times due to injury and missed two games because the Ravens had already clinched the AFC’s No. 1 seed. He also missed a game due to COVID-19.
“Certain years different things happen and sometimes we’ve been in a good position,” Andrews said. “But we’re happy to have him this week. It’ll be fun.”
