Is Lamar Jackson’s first home-field advantage against the Steelers a big deal?
When the Steelers come to visit on Saturday, they will play in front of a hostile crowd for the first time against Lamar Jackson. It marks the first start in the Ravens quarterback’s career in which he will play the Steelers in Baltimore—sort of. His only previous start in Baltimore against the Steelers came during 2020, which due to COVID-19 restrictions, did not allow fans at M&T Bank Stadium.
Now, such a quirk normally wouldn’t be very notable, but it is when you’re talking about one of the greatest quarterbacks in the game who can’t seem to beat a team. Lamar Jackson is 1-4 against the Steelers, and his only win is in overtime against a backup’s backup. And that was five years ago.
Of course, Jackson has been a full-time starter since 2019 yet has only started five games against the Steelers. He has missed a number of games, often as season finales when the Ravens had nothing to play for. And those games he missed always seemed to be the ones at home.
As a result, we are just in this odd circumstance where Jackson is playing the Steelers in front of a favorable crowd for the first time in his career. And for a divisional opponent he’s never beaten while facing its starting quarterback, that feels notable.
The Ravens are well aware of the fact that they have lost a ton of games against the Steelers lately, whether Jackson is playing or not. Before their most recent loss, they talked about having no idea why they keep losing. Could it be a matter of getting over the proverbial hump? And can their home crowd help them clear that barrier?
Both the Steelers and Ravens have everything to play for. If the Steelers win, they win the AFC North. If the Ravens win, then they only need the Steelers to lose one more game to win the division. The Ravens have only won the division twice with Lamar Jackson, including last season. And of course they view themselves as Super Bowl contenders, so they know they can’t afford to blow this. Their fans know that too, but can they make a difference?
The Steelers’ 2024 season is underway, following another disappointing year ending in a first-round playoff loss. They have had a long offseason since the Buffalo Bills stamped them out of their misery back in January. There are positive signs, but things could jump off the rails any moment.
The biggest question hanging over the team is the quarterback question. Is Russell Wilson earning a lucrative new deal next year, and is Justin Fields still in consideration? How will the team continue to address the depth chart, which is surprisingly still in flux?
The regular season is here, following weeks of camp and preseason games. The Steelers made numerous moves through signings and trade—and release. More than usual, they seemed comfortable creating holes, confident they can fill them. Some they managed to fill, others not so much. Now that we have so many pieces of the puzzle, however, we merely have a new set of questions to ask.
