The Ravens will face the Pittsburgh Steelers this coming Sunday at Acrisure Stadium in a huge AFC North matchup that will give the winner first place in the division, and much attention has been paid to the Steelers’ recent dominance in the rivalry.
Pittsburgh has won seven of the past eight meetings, including both wins last season by 17-10 scores.
Ravens fans, with some validity, would plant a few asterisks on that run; that stretch includes the Wednesday afternoon “COVID Bowl” in Pittsburgh on Dec. 2, 2020, during which the Ravens called up 10 players from the practice squad because of a team COVID outbreak, and the regular-season finale last season when the Ravens rested most starters as they prepared for the playoffs. Lamar Jackson has missed several games in that stretch because of injury, COVID or rest.
What’s more instructive is the fact that Pittsburgh, more than any other team, has flummoxed Jackson throughout the years.
Jackson is just 1-3 as a starter against the Steelers, and his passer rating against Pittsburgh (66.8) is his lowest against any team. He has a worse winning percentage against just one other team (Kansas City, at 1-5, counting the postseason).
“[The Steelers] have played well against us, and we haven’t played well against them, in that sense, as far as moving the ball and scoring points,” Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said.
“This is a new game,” he added. “We don’t live in the past. … None of that matters.”
The Ravens (7-3) have won seven of their past eight after an 0-2 start, with Jackson leading the way. He is on an MVP trajectory with the league’s best passer rating (123.2), 24 touchdowns and two interceptions. He also rushed for 538 yards and two scores for the league’s top-ranked offense.
The Steelers (7-2) have won four in a row to take over first place in the division, so the winner of Sunday’s game takes the upper hand in a division race in which the top two teams have separated from Cincinnati (4-6) and Cleveland (2-7).
How have the Steelers done it against Jackson? Sometimes it has come down to plays made by them, and sometimes it has come down to plays not made by the Ravens.
Here’s a quick recap of all four of Jackson’s starts against the Steelers:
Oct. 6, 2019 — Ravens 26, Steelers 23 (OT)
Jackson made his first start in this classic rivalry at Pittsburgh after appearing briefly in two games off the bench as a rookie. The Ravens tied the game with 10 seconds left in regulation on a 48-yard field goal by Justin Tucker, then won it on a 46-yard kick by Tucker after cornerback Marlon Humphrey forced and then recovered a fumble on the Steelers’ opening drive of overtime.
Jackson threw one touchdown but three interceptions, including one late in the first half when the Ravens got overly aggressive after taking over at their own 11 with 1:36 left in the half. That interception led to a Steelers field goal on the final play of the half.
Jackson’s passer rating of 54.9 in that game remains the second-lowest of his career.
Jackson’s stats: 19-for-28, 161 yards, 5 sacks, 1 TD, 3 INT, rating 54.9. Rushing: 14-70.
Nov. 1, 2020 — Steelers 28, Ravens 24
Playing at M&T Bank Stadium, Jackson threw a pick-six snagged by Steelers linebacker Robert Spillane on the Ravens’ third offensive snap. The Ravens overcame that rocky start to take a 17-7 halftime lead, but another interception early in the third quarter led to a Steelers touchdown.
The Ravens went ahead 24-21 in the fourth quarter on a 3-yard touchdown pass from Jackson to Marquise Brown, but Ben Roethlisberger countered with a touchdown pass to Chase Claypool. The Ravens had two more chances at the lead. Jackson was stopped on fourth-and-3 from the Steelers’ 8-yard line on one drive, and then on the game’s final play, Jackson’s pass to Willie Snead at the goal line fell incomplete as time expired.
Jackson’s stats: 13-for-28, 208 yards, 4 sacks, 2 TD, 2 INT, rating 65.8. Rushing: 16-65.
Dec. 5, 2021 — Steelers 20, Ravens 19
The Steelers held on for the win at Heinz Field when Jackson’s two-point conversion try to Mark Andrews in the right flat fell incomplete with 12 seconds left. The Steelers had taken a 20-13 lead on a 5-yard touchdown pass from Ben Roethlisberger to current Ravens receiver Diontae Johnson with 1:48 left. That proved to be the final play of Marlon Humphrey’s season, as he suffered a torn pectoral muscle on the play.
Jackson and the Ravens promptly drove 60 yards in eight plays, and Jackson hit Sammy Watkins on a 6-yard touchdown pass to cut the lead to 20-19. After the game, Harbaugh cited Humphrey’s injury as a factor in playing for the win with the two-point try. T.J. Watt fired off the edge to disrupt the timing, and Jackson’s pass to Andrews fell incomplete.
Jackson’s stats: 23-for-37, 253 yards, 7 sacks, 1 TD, 1 INT, rating 80.1. Rushing: 8-55.
Oct. 8, 2023 — Steelers 17, Ravens 10
After missing both games against Pittsburgh in 2022, Jackson returned to the rivalry at Pittsburgh in 2023, but the Ravens chances were derailed by a host of dropped passes. In the second quarter, Mark Andrews and Rashod Bateman dropped would-be touchdown passes on back-to-back plays and the Ravens had to settle for a field goal on that drive. Zay Flowers and Nelson Agholor also dropped would-be catches that would have been big gains, and the Ravens, who took a 10-0 lead, went scoreless for the final 42 minutes.
The Ravens held Pittsburgh to three points through three quarters, but a blocked punt for a safety gave the Steelers a spark, and George Pickens got behind Marlon Humphrey for a go-ahead, 41-yard touchdown pass from Kenny Pickett with 1:17 left.
That touchdown came after the Ravens missed a golden chance to add to a 10-8 lead when Jackson was intercepted in the Pittsburgh end zone, one of three turnovers for the Ravens.
Jackson’s stats: 22-for-38, 236 yards, 4 sacks, 0 TD, 1 INT, rating 65.2. Rushing: 6-45.
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