While the Ravens' 27-22 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium stung, one bright spot was the play of quarterback Lamar Jackson.
The Ravens needed Jackson to get hot down the stretch to have a chance of making the playoffs. While Baltimore's odds took a hit with the loss, the fact that Jackson may be heating up gives hope that the Ravens could pull off a comeback.
Jackson's 76.3 Pro Football Focus (PFF) grade led the Ravens offense and was his highest mark since he threw four touchdowns in Miami on Oct. 30. He rebounded after a three-turnover performance on Thanksgiving versus the Bengals.
Against the Steelers, Jackson was 19-of-35 for 219 yards, with one touchdown and one interception. He had his first rushing touchdown since Week 1 and scampered for 43 yards on seven carries. Showing more mobility than in recent weeks, Jackson made several plays avoiding pressure, even with free runners in his face.
Jackson made one costly mistake when, as he said, he "threw it too light" on a third-down pass intended for Rasheen Ali that was picked off by his cousin, James Pierre, with one hand. Otherwise, he played an efficient game.
"I thought Lamar played really well," Head Coach John Harbaugh said. "It was what we've come to expect in how he plays. I always have so much respect for him and the way he plays, the way he fights and competes, and everything else out there."
Jackson hasn't had a full week of practice since early November, as he's missed at least one day due to knee, ankle, and toe injuries. He said he felt good against the Steelers.
"I felt like I moved pretty well, kept drives alive," Jackson said.
Here are other takeaways from the grades and snap counts in Sunday's loss:
- Left guard Andrew Vorhees played every offensive snap as the rotation with rookie Emery Jones Jr. didn't continue into a second straight game. Jones didn't take a snap. Vorhees had a solid 63.6 grade but committed a costly holding penalty on the Ravens' final drive.
- After back-to-back weeks with strong grades, right guard Daniel Faalele was credited with four pressures allowed and scored the offensive line's lowest mark (45.3) in pass protection.
- The Ravens held T.J. Watt out of the box score in last year's playoffs. Baltimore didn't do that this time around, but right tackle Roger Rosengarten had another strong game against the star pass rusher. In 24 true pass sets, Rosengarten allowed zero pressures. Watt had six tackles, including one for loss, but no sacks.
- Linebacker Roquan Smith rose to the occasion against the Steelers, posting the Ravens' highest defensive grade (84.4) and leading the team with 10 tackles, including one for loss. Three of Smith's highest grades this season have come against divisional foes.
- Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers was used in motion at the snap 20 times, the second-most such instances by any player in a game this season, per Next Gen Stats. When in motion, he caught two of his four targets for 38 yards. With 124 receiving yards overall, Flowers posted his third-highest PFF grade (74.8) of the season.
- Steelers 42-year-old quarterback Aaron Rodgers had a throwback performance against the Ravens and his highest grade since 2023. Rodgers threw for a season-high 284 passing yards. After not competing a deep pass in the entire month of November, he completed all three deep passes (20+) yards against the Ravens.
- Steelers wide receiver D.K. Metcalf caught all three of his deep targets for 121 yards, his most deep receptions in a game in his career, per Next Gen Stats. Metcalf was targeted on half of his routes when facing man coverage.
