Lamar Jackson 15-28, 97 total yards, 1 TD. 1 Fumble lost.

[Six Rings]

Lamar Jackson 15-28, 97 total yards, 1 TD. 1 Fumble lost.

The Steelers and the rest of the NFL need to study what Kanas City did. Down 27-10 at the half time, you knew the Ravens had to pass. Jackson likes to throw it to Mark Andrews, his Tight End. He was targeted 8 time, with just 3 catches. Maybe taking him out and forcing Jackson to throw it to his receivers outside the #'s is way to shut him down? It's a theory.

[steel striker]

It seems tat if the Ravens get an early lead they are good but, if they trail by two scores Lamar has problems when they are forced to pass.

[st33lersguy]

Those aren't good stats for the "unanimous MVP"

[86WARD]

Stop the run. Contain Jackson. Cover Andrews.

[Squeegee Thompson]

Meanwhile, Mahomes was spraying the ball all over the field to about 26 different receivers. What the hell do you do to defend that​ guy?

[EzraTank]

Lamar Jackson 15-28, 97 total yards, 1 TD. 1 Fumble lost.

The Steelers and the rest of the NFL need to study what Kanas City did. Down 27-10 at the half time, you knew the Ravens had to pass. Jackson likes to throw it to Mark Andrews, his Tight End. He was targeted 8 time, with just 3 catches. Maybe taking him out and forcing Jackson to throw it to his receivers outside the #'s is way to shut him down? It's a theory.

I said this in the Game balls thread. Like they did to Watson, you keep him in the pocket and make him beat you with his arm not his legs. He's NOT a good throwing QB.

Now beating Mahomes and crew ... different animal.

[polamalubeast]

Stop the run. Contain Jackson. Cover Andrews.

The Ravens had still close to 200 rushing yards yesterday, but Jackson had one of his worst games as a passer .... We must not overreact too, still a great QB.Jackson had a awful game vs steelers last year and after that he has been on fire.

[El-Gonzo Jackson]

The Ravens had still close to 200 rushing yards yesterday, but Jackson had one of his worst games as a passer .... We must not overreact too, still a great QB.Jackson had a awful game vs steelers last year and after that he has been on fire.

Baltimore had 158 yards rushing. Its closer to 150 than 200 yards rushing. Jackson had 83 of them, so the formula is simple....stop the run from the RB's and have edge players run Jackson laterally to the sidelines, where he isnt going to make great throws and will instead run out of running room on the sidelines. Titans did it in the playoffs and KC same last night.

The thing is, I dont think the Steelers front 3 defensive linemen can be as effective as those defenses in stopping the run of Ingram, Edwards and Dobbins, so Jackson can be more effective on the read option or play action to TE's vs the Steelers.

[Six Rings]

Stop the run. Contain Jackson. Cover Andrews.

Yes, I believe this is the formula. Andrews is not that good, he can be covered.

Then again our zone coverage in the middle has been a problem lately.

[DesertSteel]

Lamar is a great running back and a bottom third passer.

[El-Gonzo Jackson]

Lamar is a great running back and a bottom third passer.

I agree with this for now. His passing is improving, with respect to his placement of footballs when he has his feet set. I dont see the consistent accuracy into tight windows and on the deep ball.

Should be lots of teams trying to crowd the LOS or bring late pressure off the edges. IMO, if you can stop their run on early downs, then in late downs, you send pressure up the A and B gaps, while using athletic LB or Safety help on the outside and run him to the sidelines. Dont let him run North-South and you make him pass without his feet set.

The Ravens will never make a pure passer out of him, so eventually he will take hits in the run game and likely fade out of relevance like Bob Griffin and Vince Young did. If he can become a better pocket passer, then he can have a long career.

[st33lersguy]

People want to put him in the same category with Mahomes I say that's unwarranted until Lamar starts being able to win with his arm and lead his team back from deficits. The Ravens are a team that needs to build a lead then pound you into submission, granted they do that well enough to have success against most teams. But in order to beat the Chiefs and make the Super Bowl Lamar needs to learn to win by throwing and to be able to lead a team back from a deficit

[polamalubeast]

9-10 years ago, many including me didn't believe Flacco was going to be able to win the super bowl and especially be the big reason why his team was going to be able to win the SB.....I'm not going to make the same mistake with a much better QB in Jackson this time.

[Edman]

Flacco could actually throw the ball from the pocket and had the arm strength to make big throws downfield. Lamar threw a horrendous duck last night to a big receiver In single coverage that had Absolutely no chance of getting it on 4th down with the game on the line. In the playoffs, in big moments like that, you have to make those big Time throws downfield. Lamar’s mediocre arm will not get it done.

Lamar Is an electrifying player and May very well win a Super Bowl someday, but last night was an indictment.

[polamalubeast]

Flacco could actually throw the ball from the pocket and had the arm strength to make big throws downfield. Lamar threw a horrendous duck last night to a big receiver In single coverage that had Absolutely no chance of getting it on 4th down with the game on the line. In the playoffs, in big moments like that, you have to make those big Time throws downfield. Lamar’s mediocre arm will not get it done.

Lamar Is an electrifying player and May very well win a Super Bowl someday, but last night was an indictment.

You can't ignore his legs which was the reason why the ravens had over 3000 rushing yards last year and his RBs are always better because of his legs

BTW, Jackson yesterday was bad, but the ravens defense was also very bad ... I know it was against Mahomes, but a defense must be much better than that in the 3rd down...The chiefs were 10-13 in 3rd down

[Mojouw]

Here is the thing. Bury Jackson if you want to. But, the kid was just a bit off on about a half dozen passes from making teams pay every time they blitz him. He puts air under a few last night instead of throwing darts or he leads his RB or TE a few steps to open grass and those dudes are still running.

FWIW in the college and pros combined he has only thrown a shade over 1700 passes in a game setting.

Will he figure it out? No idea. There are now two game plans out there for beating him. What the Titans did in the playoffs and what the Chiefs did last night. And as was pointed out, make the Ravens a bit less "Ravaney" on offense by getting out to a 2 score lead as soon as possible.

Honestly, the best way to beat this team is to just handle their defensive pressure and complete passes in the voids behind their pass rushers. Ravens just count on teams not being able to do that enough to string drives together.

[st33lersguy]

9-10 years ago, many including me didn't believe Flacco was going to be able to win the super bowl and especially be the big reason why his team was going to be able to win the SB.....I'm not going to make the same mistake with a much better QB in Jackson this time.

I'm not saying that Jackson won't win a Super Bowl, I'm just saying he won't win a Super Bowl until he shows he can consistently win with his arm.

[Fire Goodell]

Ravens aren't a team that's built to play from behind. They're like the early 2000s Steelers.

Shutting down the run or getting an early lead forcing Kordell to beat you with his arm had the same result

[El-Gonzo Jackson]

You can't ignore his legs which was the reason why the ravens had over 3000 rushing yards last year and his RBs are always better because of his legs

BTW, Jackson yesterday was bad, but the ravens defense was also very bad ... I know it was against Mahomes, but a defense must be much better than that in the 3rd down...The chiefs were 10-13 in 3rd down

I just cannot recall a NFL team winning a Super Bowl with a QB that was a better rusher than he was a passer. Cant see it happening.

[polamalubeast]

I just cannot recall a NFL team winning a Super Bowl with a QB that was a better rusher than he was a passer. Cant see it happening.

The league has changed and Cam Newton was in the super bowl, 5 years ago.Kaepernick 8 years ago.

I don't think Jackson is a bad passer ... I know his efficiency and TD pass is a lot because of the threat of his legs but Jackson led the NFL last year in TD pass so he can pass ... He is a much better passer than Vick was in Atlanta or Kordell was with the steelers

It's true that he struggles big time when his team is behind like by 10 points or more, but the Ravens are very often great in the first half, so it's not a major problem for them....It's just that this must not happen at the worst possible moment as last year.

But of course if Jackson's game against the Chiefs are signs to come for him, he is in trouble, but we must not overreact on just one game.Defense was also awful vs KC(10-13 on 3rd down for the chiefs)

[Edman]

Ravens aren't a team that's built to play from behind. They're like the early 2000s Steelers.

Shutting down the run or getting an early lead forcing Kordell to beat you with his arm had the same result

Lamar is far better than Kordell. The Ravens are more like the 2014-2016 Era Steelers.

Exciting electrifying team that can light it up anytime, but If things aren’t going absolutely perfectly or things fall out of sync, it snowballs and the team cannot fight out of it.

[polamalubeast]

Lamar is far better than Kordell. The Ravens are more like the 2014-2016 Era Steelers.

Exciting electrifying team that can light it up anytime, but If things aren’t going absolutely perfectly or things fall out of sync, it snowballs and the team cannot fight out of it.

This ravens team have a very good defense(not yesterday but for the most part yes).The steelers defense had no consistency in his years.

[El-Gonzo Jackson]

The league has changed and Cam Newton was in the super bowl, 5 years ago.Kaepernick 8 years ago.

I don't think Jackson is a bad passer ... I know his efficiency and TD pass is a lot because of the threat of his legs but Jackson led the NFL last year in TD pass so he can pass ... He is a much better passer than Vick was in Atlanta or Kordell was with the steelers

It's true that he struggles big time when his team is behind like by 10 points or more, but the Ravens are very often great in the first half, so it's not a major problem for them....It's just that this must not happen at the worst possible moment as last year.

But of course if Jackson's game against the Chiefs are signs to come for him, he is in trouble, but we must not overreact on just one game.Defense was also awful vs KC(10-13 on 3rd down for the chiefs)

Cam Newton had 3800 passing yards and 35 passing TD's the year he went to the super bowl and 630 yards rushing. He was a much more effective passer than runner of the football. Until Jackson becomes a better passer, he will always be a guy that can move the chains against average NFL defenses, but not one that can win against good teams with good defenses.

Until Jackson becomes a QB that is actually proficient at passing the football, he will be Bob Griffin, Vince Young, Mike Vick, etc and never win a Super Bowl.

[Hawkman]

Gee....and here I was thinking this had something to do with The Steelers. This site has so many opportunities to post...

[RunNGun]

I said this in the Game balls thread. Like they did to Watson, you keep him in the pocket and make him beat you with his arm not his legs. He's NOT a good throwing QB.

Now beating Mahomes and crew ... different animal.

Whole different animal for sure. Ravens definitely look beatable. The Chiefs on the other hand...I think you have to make Mahomes feel you. Hit him early and often. Bud's gotta put a few ass whooping on him if they were to play in the playoffs. Sooo many weapons for KC and Mahomes is the best in the business at getting the ball out, as well as sensing blitzes.

[EzraTank]

Here is the thing. Bury Jackson if you want to. But, the kid was just a bit off on about a half dozen passes from making teams pay every time they blitz him. He puts air under a few last night instead of throwing darts or he leads his RB or TE a few steps to open grass and those dudes are still running.

FWIW in the college and pros combined he has only thrown a shade over 1700 passes in a game setting.

Will he figure it out? No idea. There are now two game plans out there for beating him. What the Titans did in the playoffs and what the Chiefs did last night. And as was pointed out, make the Ravens a bit less "Ravaney" on offense by getting out to a 2 score lead as soon as possible.

Honestly, the best way to beat this team is to just handle their defensive pressure and complete passes in the voids behind their pass rushers. Ravens just count on teams not being able to do that enough to string drives together.

As Fire Goodell pointed out at this point he's a better version of Kordell Stewart. Will he get better? Who knows but until he does he will eventually be stopped by a better defense when the money is on the table. Like Kordell he will have huge runs and games but not win it all. A lot of young QB's go through this. Donovan McNabb comes to mind. He used his legs constantly and when he did have to throw he got better, but never good enough to win.

[polamalubeast]

Maybe Jackson is the Giannis Antetokounmpo of the NFL....Amazing talent but he has some hole in his game that can be exploited.

[El-Gonzo Jackson]

Maybe Jackson is the Giannis Antetokounmpo of the NFL....Amazing talent but he has some hole in his game that can be exploited.

Jackson has always been an athlete and a runner of the ball. I mentioned in his pre draft discussion, that his junior year film showed improvement over his sophomore Heisman season, in his footwork, base and squaring up to make throws. He needs to keep progressing with that IMO to become a complete and more accurate passer. But, the Ravens use him in a lot of read option college type offensive plays, where he isnt forced to be a passer and I think that will hurt his development.

Running QB's always get hit. Its the defensive coordinators design to get hits on the QB and make them uncomfortable doing what they want to. Its also their design to scheme concepts to get hits on the QB. Look at the below video ( at the 5:15 mark) and when Kyler Murray tucks and runs to the left, because the outside Steeler defender jumps to the handoff, there is a gap responsibility exchange with the safety to come down and cover the QB keep.

Because the QB often reads the end, there are concepts of using a LB-DE loop, to confuse the QB into keeping the football so the defense can accumulate another hit on the QB. Opposing teams will get hits on Jackson as long as Greg Roman keeps running him, those hits will take their toll.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixAKpxx3s4s

[Mojouw]

Maybe Jackson is the Giannis Antetokounmpo of the NFL....Amazing talent but he has some hole in his game that can be exploited.

His teammates? His coaches? Because if the Bucks coaching staff wasn't stubborn and Giannis' teammates could make open buckets...they'd still be playing.

But you have a decent enough point and I see where you are going! Jackson's "hole" is that he throws everything on a line @ 100 MPH. If he can start putting some "tocuh" and placement on his passes, he is going to be a cheat code for the NFL.

But that has been said about a # of strong armed QBs over the years. Some do it. Many do not ever learn.

[Fire Goodell]

His teammates? His coaches? Because if the Bucks coaching staff wasn't stubborn and Giannis' teammates could make open buckets...they'd still be playing.

But you have a decent enough point and I see where you are going! Jackson's "hole" is that he throws everything on a line @ 100 MPH. If he can start putting some "tocuh" and placement on his passes, he is going to be a cheat code for the NFL.

But that has been said about a # of strong armed QBs over the years. Some do it. Many do not ever learn.

speaking of strong armed NFL QB's, I used to get a kick out of watching Elway, some of his passes were total missiles that would knock his receivers down. sometimes he threw 5 yard passes with as much force as a downfield bomb. though there was a function to it, decreased the chances a defender could jump a crosser. he could throw touch passes if needed

[El-Gonzo Jackson]

His teammates? His coaches? Because if the Bucks coaching staff wasn't stubborn and Giannis' teammates could make open buckets...they'd still be playing.

But you have a decent enough point and I see where you are going! Jackson's "hole" is that he throws everything on a line @ 100 MPH. If he can start putting some "tocuh" and placement on his passes, he is going to be a cheat code for the NFL.

But that has been said about a # of strong armed QBs over the years. Some do it. Many do not ever learn.

Watch this video at the Pro Bowl skills competition. This is the "hole" in Jacksons passing game.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhxDfz2QaRo

The passing mechanics would take so much time, paper and crayons to break down. He needs a lot of work as a passer, but man can he run.

[EzraTank]

speaking of strong armed NFL QB's, I used to get a kick out of watching Elway, some of his passes were total missiles that would knock his receivers down. sometimes he threw 5 yard passes with as much force as a downfield bomb. though there was a function to it, decreased the chances a defender could jump a crosser. he could throw touch passes if needed

McNabb was the same way. Growing up near Philly I constantly heard Eagles fans bitching about McNabb throwing rockets into the ground (worm burners).

- - - Updated - - -


Watch this video at the Pro Bowl skills competition. This is the "hole" in Jacksons passing game.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhxDfz2QaRo

The passing mechanics would take so much time, paper and crayons to break down. He needs a lot of work as a passer, but man can he run.

LOL at that drill. I'm 52 years old and would have scored more points. The dude is NOT an NFL QB. And that was with NO pressure from anyone.

[tube517]

Watch this video at the Pro Bowl skills competition. This is the "hole" in Jacksons passing game.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhxDfz2QaRo

The passing mechanics would take so much time, paper and crayons to break down. He needs a lot of work as a passer, but man can he run.

Who won this event and what was the score? That was awful. I think Cliff Stoudt or Kent Graham would have at least scored 3 points.

[Mojouw]

Watch this video at the Pro Bowl skills competition. This is the "hole" in Jacksons passing game.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhxDfz2QaRo

The passing mechanics would take so much time, paper and crayons to break down. He needs a lot of work as a passer, but man can he run.

That was sort of what I was getting at. For me, it is about accuracy versus precision. Jackson is accurate enough. During games the ball gets to the right area with a chance for his receiver to make a play on it for the most part. He is not precise. The ball is very often not placed well or is coming to the receiver in a way that makes them have to do some weird contortion to get at it. Whatever.

I assumed, as you have pointed out, that it has something to do with mechanics and footwork. Will he correct it and improve? Only time will tell...

[El-Gonzo Jackson]

Who won this event and what was the score? That was awful. I think Cliff Stoudt or Kent Graham would have at least scored 3 points.

Russell Wilson had 19
Kirk Cousins ..18
DeSean Watson ...9
Jackson...............2

[Six Rings]

Take away Jackson's Tight End Mark Andrews, and he struggles some.

[Steeldude]

Stop the run. Contain Jackson. Cover Andrews.

The problem is who is going to cover Andrews?

[86WARD]

The problem is who is going to cover Andrews?

Andrews isn’t that great. Bush, Fitzpatrick Edmunds...they could all handle him.

[oneforthetoe]

The Ravens have two big weaknesses, imo. They don't play catchup well against good teams. In addition, they cant pressure the QB unless they blitz.

And its' not just that Jackson isn't a prolific passer, but there whole offense seems to fall apart when they have to score a bunch quickly. That includes Jackson's weaknesses, the play calling and the offenses overall effectiveness.

Still, it really depends on what team the Raven are playing. If they fall 10 points behind to most teams in the league, I don't think they will start falling apart. I think the reason the Chiefs are the Ravens Kryptonite is because they know that they cant stop the Chiefs so it they fall behind they start pressing. I believe the Steelers can potentially handle the Ravens in a similar way. We are not as consistent on offense as the Chiefs, but with a little more rust shook off, we should be able to pile on points. In addition, from what I saw, the Ravens have to blitz to get pressure, and Ben can make them pay.

I think we have a better chance of beating the Chiefs than the Ravens (although we will need to be almost perfect) . However, I think the Ravens will still win the division. We will always struggle with weaker teams and probably lose a game or two we shouldn't. The Ravens will likely keep steam rolling the weaker teams on their schedule.

We prob

The issue is that.

[Six Rings]

The problem is who is going to cover Andrews?

Maybe Fitzpatrick. Of maybe someone chip Andrews at the line of scrimmage, throwing off the timing. Andrews is a good solid player, but he's not elite. Take away Andrews and Jackson has issues moving the I too a look at the games the Ravens lost, and in all of them Andrew didn't have much production. There is a definite correlation.

Jackson has a set of wheel on him for sure, but his playing style is not sustainable. He's a slim type of guy listed at 212 pounds ( More like 205 if you ask me ), Jackson is not exactly Cam Newton who's 6'5 250 pounds

[slippy]

I've been waiting for a leg injury to Lamar Jackson, and he missed two days of practice this week with a knee.

A pinch slower and he may start taking a few big hits on those scrambles. That's when he becomes RG3. So far no one has been able to lay a glove on him.

[FrancoLambert]

Andrews isn’t that great. Bush, Fitzpatrick Edmunds...they could all handle him.

Respectfully disagree. :drink:
Andrews isn’t that great, but he’s very good. Good hands and a tough one on one matchup especially for Bush.
I’d rather have a safety on him. Bush isn’t tall enough to contain Andrews.

[Six Rings]

Respectfully disagree. :drink:
Andrews isn’t that great, but he’s very good. Good hands and a tough one on one matchup especially for Bush.
I’d rather have a safety on him. Bush isn’t tall enough to contain Andrews.

I agree on Bush who's turning into a disappointment in coverage. Bush is no Shazier in coverage. But Fitz? I think he could do the job.