Steelers’ recipe for beating Ravens QB Lamar Jackson, revealed

Mike Tomlin’s past blueprint to beating the defending MVP

There is a lot of talk this week about how the Pittsburgh Steelers are 7-1 against the Baltimore Ravens since 2020. But most games from the past four years didn’t feature Lamar Jackson under center (Mr. Jackson, if you’re nasty — or a degenerate).

The two-time NFL MVP has a 1-3 career record when starting against the Steelers. Jackson’s lone win was an overtime thriller in 2019 that may not have happened without a JuJu Smith-Schuster fumble in the extra period. Mike Tomlin seems to have unlocked the formula that stops Jackson. Let’s take a look at what seems to work against him.

Get to the quarterback

While the 2024 Steelers have been more reluctant to blitz, that seems to be the key to stopping Jackson. In Week 5 of 2023, Pittsburgh blitzed him 27 times, leading to four sacks. In Week 13 of 2021, the Steelers defense called 18 blitzes, causing pressure on one-third of the snaps. They sacked Jackson seven times in the game. In Week 12 of 2020, Pittsburgh also pressured Jackson one-third of the time, creating four sacks. Even in the Week 5 loss of 2019, Jackson was sacked five times.

Win the turnover battle

This may seem just as obvious, but turnovers have countered much of Jackson’s success. In 2023, not only did Miles Killebrew punt a block for a safety, but the defense caused 3 total turnovers, including an interception and fumble from Jackson himself. In 2021, Minkah Fitzpatrick had a key end zone pick. In 2020, Pittsburgh created four total turnovers, including picking off Jackson twice. In 2019, Jackson threw three interceptions.

Don’t sweat the rushing yards

The Ravens will probably have a successful rushing attack, but it won’t be the ultimate factor in the game if the Steelers can bring pressure and create turnovers. In 2023, Pittsburgh gave up 125 rush yards. Jackson had 45, including 26 on one play, but he only ran for one first down in the game. In 2021, Baltimore had 107 rushing yards, including 55 from Jackson who ran for four first downs. In 2020, the Ravens gashed Pittsburgh for 265 rushing yards. 55 came from Jackson who gained four first downs with his legs. In 2019, Baltimore racked up 138 yards on the ground, including 70 from Jackson.

But don’t let him find his rhythm

Jackson has not looked like an MVP against the Steelers. In addition to the turnovers, his passer rating has been lackluster. In 2023, it was 65.2. In 2021, it was 80.1. In 2020, it was 65.8. In 2019, it was 54.9.

Force (and pray for) mistakes

In this rivalry, the near misses play a big role. In 2023, Jackson had seven bad throws and three dropped passes. In 2021, receivers dropped six of his passes, in addition to four other bad throws. Plus, Jackson heard T.J. Watt’s footsteps on the game-deciding two-point conversion, where he missed Mark Andrews by the tip of his fingers. In 2020, Jackson had nine bad throws. In 2019, Jackson only had three bad throws, but don’t forget about the interceptions.

Hang around until the fourth

We all know this, but Steelers-Ravens games are decided in the fourth quarter, especially when Jackson is the quarterback. The 2023 victory was a result of a fourth-quarter comeback. So were the wins in 2021 and 2020. And when Baltimore won in overtime in 2019, it was because of a game-tying fourth-quarter drive.