OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- Three years ago, Baltimore Ravens cornerback Arthur Maulet was with the Pittsburgh Steelers and sat in the meeting room as they prepared to play quarterback Lamar Jackson.
"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 the run option plays. He acknowledged that the game plan may have changed since he was released in May 2023, later joining the AFC North rival Ravens. But Jackson has changed over the years, too.
"Exactly," Maulet said. "He can throw way better."
When the Ravens (7-3) play at the Steelers (7-2) on Sunday (1 p.m. ET, CBS), Baltimore can move into 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 that he has faced multiple times and has thrown more interceptions (seven) than touchdowns (four) against.
The consensus among is that there's no definitive reason why Jackson has struggled against Pittsburgh and has 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 Sunday:
Not effective in the pocket: Jackson's 21.2 QBR when inside the pocket against Pittsburgh is his lowest against any team. He has only completed 59.2% of his throws when inside the pocket against the Steelers, averaging 6.4 yards per pass attempt. But this is an area where Jackson is now thriving. This season, he is connecting on a career-best 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 issue has been Pittsburgh linebacker T.J. Watt, who has 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 his 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 at protecting the ball. He's been picked off 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 just been intentional about playing as well as he can 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 then so many things that go into the thing that you're talking about, as well. We've improved greatly in those huddle, pre-snap communication areas; we have to continue to get better at that and then operating the plays at a high 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."
