Too much Lamar Jackson. That was how Mike Tomlin summed up another bitter Pittsburgh Steelers’ playoff loss. Unable to stop Jackson, Derrick Henry, and little on the Baltimore Ravens’ offense, the Steelers’ season came to a close Saturday night in general uncompetitive fashion. After allowing nearly 300 rushing yards and Jackson to look like an MVP with his legs and arm, Tomlin sounded flummoxed searching for answers and explanations.
“They were the better group today,” Tomlin told reporters via the team’s website. “That was obvious. The X-factor was Lamar’s unique talents. It seems like every time we got him behind the sticks, he made up for it or we got him into possession-down circumstance. He extended and won those circumstances, and we never really found a fluid answer all day, obviously.”
Jackson did little wrong as Baltimore cruised to a 21-0 lead in a 28-14 victory. Through the air, he completed 16-of-21 passes for 175 yards and pair of passing scores. Numbers that might not pop out but were efficient and all he needed to do as the ground game played a leading role.
To Tomlin’s point, Jackson made plays in the passing game to bail out of tough situations. The best example came mid-way through the third quarter. After Pittsburgh finally got on the board to cut into Baltimore’s lead 21-7, an Alex Highsmith sack backed the Ravens up into 2nd and 20. But Jackson proceeded to get it all back, scrambling right and hitting WR Tylan Wallace for a 21-yard pickup to move the sticks and take the wind out of the Steelers’ sail.
Now in the postseason, the Ravens leaned on Jackson’s legs. He rushed the ball 15 times for 81 yards with a long of 20. His rushing attempts were the second-most in a game this year only trailing the 16 he had in the literal season opener, posting 16 in Week 1 against the Kansas City Chiefs.
His legs countered the Steelers’ attention of RB Derrick Henry even if that did little to slow him down, rushing for a playoff record 186 yards against Pittsburgh.
In the AFC North for likely the rest of his career, the Steelers no longer have Jackson’s number. He’s flipped the script the past two games and looked as good if not better than he normally does against the rest of the league. That’s why he and the Ravens are moving on and the Steelers, once again, are searching for answers of Jackson, of a five-game losing streak, a six-game playoff drought, and so much more.
