From his time on the other side, former Pittsburgh Steelers and current Baltimore Ravens cornerback Arthur Maulet knows exactly how the Steelers will game plan for QB Lamar Jackson Sunday afternoon. He’s not afraid to let the world know, either.
“So this is what they’re trying to do with Lamar,” Maulet said as shared by Ravens beat writer Morgan Adsit. “They’re gonna put a person at the dive and they’re gonna run a person straight at Lamar. And they’re gonna make him make a decision. So that’s their game plan. One person goes to Lamar, one person goes to the dive.”
He spent 2021-22 with Pittsburgh, Ravens CB Arthur Maulet has a pretty good idea what Lamar Jackson might see from the Steelers Sunday. Added some humor saying, “When I was over there he (Lamar) was a little fat man.” Lamar has lost weight & throws way better now Maulet added. pic.twitter.com/9ea3vctfCl
— Morgan Adsit (@MorganAdsit) November 12, 2024
Maulet’s confidence comes from experience. He spent the 2021 and 2022 seasons with the Steelers and was in team meetings preparing for Lamar Jackson and the Ravens. He’s explaining the “mesh charge,” the idea of defending the QB read option by attacking the quarterback and eliminating the read. By doing so, the quarterback has to give the ball each time, neutralizing his ability to create with his legs.
It’s something we’ve pointed out in the past. These examples came against Robert Griffin III, a similarly mobile quarterback, and apply the same to Jackson.
Pittsburgh used this strategy Sunday in its win over the Washington Commanders, holding athletic QB Jayden Daniels to a season-low five rushing yards. Here, you can see LOLB Presto Smith (No. 91) attack Daniels while LDT Larry Ogunjobi slants down and ends up taking the back.
The upside is that Jackson won’t be an impactful runner. The downside is playing run defense with only 10 now that one is solely focused on the quarterback. It’s a trade-off often worth taking when the quarterback is such a run threat but when a team like Baltimore has Derrick Henry, it’s worth second-guessing that strategy.
During his Tuesday press conference, Mike Tomlin said that the Steelers’ plan will be reevaluated against such a familiar opponent.
“I acknowledge that there’s a balance to be struck there,” he told reporters via the team’s YouTube channel. “We’ll try to strike it from a planning standpoint. But I really feel like that is a field thing. I think that you’ll discover that in stadium.”
Pittsburgh will have to discover it quickly to avoid falling behind Baltimore. Arthur Maulet thinks even if the Steelers find a way to slow down the run, Jackson will win with his arm.
“He can throw way better now. He lost a little weight. When I was over there, he was a little fat man,” Maulet said in the locker room, joking in Jackson’s direction. “But now, he lost a little weight and running like his old self.”
The NFL’s obvious frontrunner MVP candidate, Jackson’s 24 touchdown passes already match the total he threw in his 2023 MVP season. Whether it’s the eye test or the box score, he’s having a career season. The Steelers have contained him better than any other defense, but they’ll be in for their biggest test this weekend. And if the Steelers come out with the same game plan, the Ravens will be ready.
