Steelers Land Birds
- Updated: November 18, 2024
As the reigning NFL MVP and favorite to win the award a third time this season, Lamar Jackson might be the closest thing pro football has to a Superman.
In becoming Jackson’s kryptonite, the Pittsburgh Steelers defense made itself act like an army of Clark Kents.
“There were no superhero plays,” linebacker Elandon Roberts said after the Steelers shut Jackson down again Sunday. “Everybody was just out there doing their job.”
Jackson had his worst game of the season in the Steelers’ 18-16 victory against the Baltimore Ravens, completing less than 50% of his passes and posting a 66.1 passer rating.
“Every single guy just did (his) job. Nobody wanted to be Superman,” Steelers linebacker Patrick Queen said. “Nobody wanted to try to do too much.”
The collective prevented Jackson from doing much at all.
Until Baltimore’s final possession Sunday, Jackson was having arguably the worst game of his eight-year career. After two consecutive incompletions to begin a do-or-die drive that started with 3 minutes, 29 seconds left and the Ravens at their own 31 yard-line down by eight points, Jackson’s stat line was unsightly: 10 for 27 for 133 yards, no touchdowns, one interception and a passer rating of 38.0.
To Jackson’s credit, he went 6 for 6 for 74 yards and a 16-yard touchdown pass to Zay Flowers with 1:11 left. But even with that buoy, Jackson’s final completion percentage (48.5), rating and yards per attempt (6.3) were his worst of the season.
“We did what we always do, to be quite honest with you,” said Steelers coach Mike Tomlin, whose team improved to 4-1 when Jackson starts against it.
“You better play hard, fast and together when you play this group and when you play Mr. Jackson. His talents are unique. Their schematics are unique. Forget the minutiae of what it is you do. You better play hard, fast, and together or you have no shot. We always start there.”
Baltimore came in leading the NFL in scoring (31.8 points per game) with Jackson the league leader in passer rating (123.2) and yards per attempt (9.3). The Ravens hadn’t been held under 20 points all season, and Jackson hadn’t completed less than 60% of his passes in any of his first 10 games.
“I think it’s just because we play sound football, sound defense,” Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. said of his team’s success against Jackson. “We give our offense the opportunity to score, put stuff in the end zone. We just fly around and make plays and make it difficult for him.”
The Steelers have a history of that. Whereas Jackson is a sparkling 64-19 (.771) as a starter against the rest of the NFL in his career, he has beaten the Steelers only once.
Including Sunday, four of the seven worst passer ratings he has posted game have come when the Steelers are the opponent.
“Seeing him and his emotion after the games, I know he really wants these wins, especially in division,” said Queen, who played his first four NFL seasons as Jackson’s teammate with the Ravens. “Give him all the credit. He’s a great player, MVP, but Pittsburgh just has a plan.”
The Ravens, in part, blamed the nine times they were flagged offensively, a big part of the second- and third-and-longs they faced. Baltimore also fumbled on its first drive, something that was no fault of Jackson’s.
“We were just trying to get back on track,” Jackson said, “and we weren’t having success.”
Still, the Steelers’ stifling of Jackson no longer can be written off as a coincidence or product of the circumstance associated with small sample size. This has gone on for more than a half decade.
Jackson’s lone win as a starting QB against the Steelers came in overtime in October 2019, a remarkable lack of success for a perennial MVP candidate.
“We don’t look at it like that,” linebacker Nick Herbig said. “We are just trying to come out with the W. It’s not about how they play and who they have. It’s about how we come out and how we play Steeler football, and I think we did that tonight. A win’s a win, a (W’s) a (W), and we are all happy.”
To Jackson’s credit, he went 6 for 6 for 74 yards and a 16-yard touchdown pass to Zay Flowers with 1:11 left. But even with that buoy, Jackson’s final completion percentage (48.5), rating and yards per attempt (6.3) were his worst of the season.
“We did what we always do, to be quite honest with you,” said Steelers coach Mike Tomlin, whose team improved to 4-1 when Jackson starts against it.
“You better play hard, fast and together when you play this group and when you play Mr. Jackson. His talents are unique. Their schematics are unique. Forget the minutiae of what it is you do. You better play hard, fast, and together or you have no shot. We always start there.”
Baltimore came in leading the NFL in scoring (31.8 points per game) with Jackson the league leader in passer rating (123.2) and yards per attempt (9.3). The Ravens hadn’t been held under 20 points all season, and Jackson hadn’t completed less than 60% of his passes in any of his first 10 games.
“I think it’s just because we play sound football, sound defense,” Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. said of his team’s success against Jackson. “We give our offense the opportunity to score, put stuff in the end zone. We just fly around and make plays and make it difficult for him.”
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