Owings Mills, Md. — Three years ago, Baltimore Ravens cornerback Arthur Maulet sat in a conference room with Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Lamar Jackson, preparing for a game against him.
“Shall I tell you this secret?” Maulet said this week. He then explained how the Steelers focused on stopping Jackson in run-option plays. He admitted his game plan may change after being released in May 2023 and later joined the AFC North rival Ravens. But Jackson has also changed over the years.
“Exact.” said Maulet. “He can throw a lot better.”
Baltimore can take sole possession of first place when the Ravens (7-3) face the Steelers (7-2) on Sunday (1 p.m. ET, CBS) and Jackson is ready to solve his problems in Pittsburgh. You can prove it was done. Jackson is 1-3 against the Steelers, the only team he has faced more and thrown more interceptions (seven) than touchdowns (four).
There is no real reason why Jackson struggled against Pittsburgh and earned NFL MVP numbers against the rest of the league.
“I don’t know what this is,” Jackson said.
“I’m not sure,” Ravens right tackle Mark Andrews said.
Here are three reasons why Jackson will hold up against the Steelers. Things may be different on Sunday.
Pocket Inefficiency: Jackson’s 21.2 QBR in the pocket against Pittsburgh is the lowest against any team. He shot just 59.2 percent of his throws in the pocket against the Steelers, averaging 6.4 yards per pass attempt. But this is one area where Jackson currently thrives. This season, he is averaging 9.3 yards per pass attempt and completing a career-high 71.5 percent of his pocket passes.
Pressure: The Steelers sacked Jackson 20 times, an average of five per game. The biggest problem is Pittsburgh backup T.J. Watt has recorded 14 tackles in four games, facing Jackson 7.5 times. Jackson has been sacked 13 times this season alone. That ties him with the Bills’ Josh Allen for the fewest sacks among quarterbacks with at least eight starts.
INTERCEPTIONS: Jackson’s seven against the Steelers are the second most against any team behind the Cleveland Browns (eight). However, Jackson made three more starts against Cleveland. Jackson has been outstanding on the defensive end this season. He threw two interceptions in 10 games and no interceptions in 136 passing games, the third-longest active streak in the league.
“I think Lamar made a conscious effort to play as well as he could, that’s a big part of it,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “There’s a lot about playing quarterback and there’s a lot about what you talk about. We’ve made a lot of progress in engagement and early engagement. We need to improve on this and perform at a higher level.
So, all of those things go into it, and all of us would say we have to continue to improve with a sense of urgency in everything we’re doing.”
The last time Jackson played against the Steelers was October 2023, when Baltimore lost 17-10 at Pittsburgh. Jackson wasn’t at fault 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 didn’t play very good on the road [game]. Gave that away.”
The Ravens-Steelers rivalry has been one of the NFL’s best for years, but it’s been the most unusual matchup for Jackson.
Since becoming Baltimore’s starting quarterback halfway through the 2018 season, Jackson has missed more games against the Steelers (six) than he’s started (four). He has been sidelined three times by injury and sat out two games because the Ravens had already clinched the AFC’s No. 1 seed. He’s also missed one game due to COVID-19.
“Certain years, there are different things going on, and sometimes we’ve been in a good position,” Andrews said. “But we’re glad to have him this week. It will be fun.”
