Monday Morning QB Talk: Another Slow Start Dooms Ravens in Must-Win

Rodgers Gets the Upper Hand on Jackson

It was truly the tale of two halves in Sunday’s matchup between the Ravens and Steelers. Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers offense came out firing, completing three deep passes of 20+ yards to DK Metcalf. Entering Week 14, Rodgers had completed just seven deep passes all season, and went the entire month of November without one. Rodgers and Metcalf were on the same page from moment one, as Metcalf finished the contest with a season-high 12 targets for seven receptions and 148 yards. Rodgers came away on the winning side of a questionable reversed interception call in the fourth quarter, after officials deemed he caught his own batted ball. The Ravens defense did their job in limiting the Steelers offense in the second half, and especially in the run game. Pittsburgh managed just 34 rushing yards, and outside of one 88-yard touchdown drive, they had just 58 total yards of offense in the second half.

It was another game, however, in which the Ravens pass rush was nowhere to be found. The Ravens produced 0 sacks for the second time this season, the other time coming in Week 3 against the Lions. It wasn’t a 2020 MVP performance from Rodgers, as he threw for 284 yards, one touchdown, and zero interceptions. It was, however, a much-needed win for Pittsburgh to place them back into the top seed in the AFC North.

Can Rodgers and his new weapons build off of this performance?

As for Lamar Jackson, he was definitely quicker and more agile than we’ve seen recently. Unfortunately for the Ravens, the offensive struggles remained the same. Baltimore struggled to get anything going early, kicking a field goal, punting on back-to-back drives, and throwing an interception on their first four drives of the game. The hole the Ravens offense dug for themselves early became too deep to crawl out of as the game progressed. Baltimore found themselves down 17-3 with 6:05 remaining in the first half, before finally putting together their first touchdown drive, which ended on a 6-yard Lamar Jackson rushing score. Jackson seemed to have a little bit of his old self back, clocking in at a top speed of 15+ mph, his fastest run since Week 9, according to the CBS broadcast.

His receivers, on the other hand, gave fans flashbacks to the 2023 loss in Pittsburgh, a game in which Ravens wideouts dropped five crucial passes. Jackson and the offense watched two frustrating drops again today, one from Zay Flowers and a brutal third-and-short drop inside the 10 from Rashod Bateman that hit him right in the hands. Jackson’s accuracy wasn’t off the charts, as seen on the Derrick Henry screen-pass miss, but it was clearly improved from a week ago, making it even more infuriating to witness lazy drops like Bateman’s.

The supporting cast outside of Flowers seemed to be almost non-existent in the Baltimore passing attack. Flowers finished with eight receptions on 11 targets, for 124 receiving yards. He was the only Ravens receiver to top the 25-yard mark on the stat sheet. Jackson and the Ravens were given an opportunity twice to complete comeback, game-winning drives. A pass to Isaiah Likely, however, has Ravens fans, broadcasters, and pundits alike scratching their heads. What is a catch? Possession and two steps in the end zone ultimately weren’t enough in the eyes of the officials, as a reversed touchdown call led to yet another Tyler Loop field goal, and took the Ravens’ first lead since 3-0 off the board.

The loss puts Baltimore even further behind the eight ball in the hunt for a postseason position. It’s been the case for weeks now, but the Ravens will more than certainly need to win out and get help from other teams if they remain set on playing meaningful football.

A Look Around the AFC North

In what was arguably the best game of the one o’clock slot, Joe Burrow and the Bengals witnessed their playoff hopes potentially evaporate. Surrendering 28 second-half points and interceptions on back-to-back passes, including a Christian Benford pick-six, the Bengals moved to 4-9 and now sit behind Indy, Houston, Kansas City, Baltimore, and Miami for the final postseason spot. In a Buffalo winter wonderland, Burrow finished 25-for-36 for 284 yards and four touchdowns, but also the critical two interceptions. Buffalo had no fear sending pressure with the weather conditions, but Burrow was quite productive both against the blitz and on passes of 10+ yards, going 8-for-15 for 150 yards and all four of his touchdowns on 10+ yard passes. When facing pressure, Burrow completed 10 of 13 passes for 121 yards and three of his scores. It will be the back-to-back turnovers, though, that haunt the Bengals franchise quarterback. On Burrow’s INTs to Benford and A.J. Epenesa, the Bengals win percentage dropped from 83.8% to 8.2%, according to Next Gen Stats. The Bengals will welcome Jackson and the Ravens to town next week, as they look to bounce back from a gut-wrenching loss, and potentially put the dagger in the Ravens’ season as well.

The Browns may have dropped a close one to a one-win Titans team entering Sunday, but Shedeur Sanders is the talk of the town in Cleveland. The rookie quarterback shined in a battle of two of college football’s best from a year ago, as Sanders battled Cam Ward. Sanders became the first Browns quarterback to throw for 300 yards or more this season, finishing 23-for-42, for 364 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception. For a defense that’s been so lights out this season, it was ultimately the Browns lack of run defense that spoiled what could’ve been a confidence-boosting win for the former Colorado standout. The Browns have stated they’d give Sanders an extended look to end the season. A couple more performances similar to Sunday could have Cleveland questioning their decisions heading into the 2026 draft.

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