Ravens' Lamar Jackson Airs Out Frustrations After Loss

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson once again struggled against his arch rival.

Nov 17, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) passes against pressure from Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Dean Lowry (94) during the first quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

It seems that no matter how well he's playing otherwise, Baltimore Ravens superstar Lamar Jackson can't escape his demons against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Jackson now has a career record of 1-4 as a starter against Pittsburgh, but it's more than that. The Steelers are also responsible for his worst passer rating against any opponent, and they're the only team that he has more interceptions against than passing touchdowns.

Sunday's 18-16 loss in Pittsburgh was unfortunately more of the same, even with Jackson playing some of the best ball of his career this season. The two-time MVP completed 16 of 33 passes for 207 yards, one touchdown and one interception (that was admittedly an incredible play by rookie linebacker Payton Wilson), adding 46 yards on the ground. By his incredibly high standard, that's a bad game through and through.

Once again, it's more of the same problems that have plagued Jackson throughout his career against the team in black and gold.

"I believe we had a lot of slow starts, if anything, a lot of penalties [and] three turnovers," Jackson said postgame. "Stuff like that, we can't have in these types of games. This environment, knowing it's a division game that's still a Raven rivalry. It's the one who has more possessions of the ball and keeping it safe, and we didn't do a good job of that."

The Steelers, who have now won eight of the past nine matchups against the Ravens, are obviously a very well-coached team, as Mike Tomlin hasn't had a single losing season in his 18 years at the helm. However, it seems like Jackson and the Ravens beat themselves when they play their rivals, and that's arguably even more frustrating.

"If anything, we're just too hyped at the beginning. Because I believe when we settle down, we start making things happen," Jackson said. In this type of game, it's a momentum game, it was swinging for both teams. And those guys had the best swing at the end."

Another frustrating aspect of Sunday's loss is that the Ravens' defense, which had struggled throughout the season, actually played very well and didn't allow a single touchdown. It was actually the offense that struggled and ended up sinking Baltimore's chances, and that's incredibly frustrating for a great competitor like Jackson.

"I was hot about that. Our defense played great today. They held a great team, great offense to 18 points, and we just scored 16 points. We had been putting up all of these points all of this year – it's annoying."

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