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The Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens have been bitter rivals ever since the Ravens joined the league in 1996 after moving from Cleveland. No matter where either team is in the standings, they always seem to have tightly contested battles, usually with a special brand of physicality that defines the rivalry. Pittsburgh quarterback Kenny Pickett is a relative newcomer to the feud between these two franchises, but that hasn't stopped former Ravens linebacker Bart Scott from piling on to the young signal-caller.
Julio Cortez / AP Photo
Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett evades the pressure of an oncoming Baltimore Ravens pass rusher during a Week 17 comeback win over the Baltimore Ravens in 2022.
Scott played for the Ravens from 2002 to 2008 before he became a member of the media. He was very critical of the Steelers' choice to take Pickett in the draft back in 2022 and had more criticism for the University of Pittsburgh product during a segment with former Steelers safety Ryan Clark on ESPN's Get Up on Friday, stemming from the quarterback matchup on Sunday.
"It’s no fun when the rabbit has a gun and your QB stinks and ours is an MVP," Scott said to Clark. "Now you see what it feels like to be on the other side trying to stop a Hall of Famer when you got a guy over there with a peashooter with Jr. Whopper hands.”
Over the years when Scott and Clark were on opposing sides of the rivalry, future Hall of Fame quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was the quarterback for the majority of the matchups. On the other side, Steve McNair and Kyle Boller were the primary quarterbacks for the Ravens before Joe Flacco emerged in 2008.
Scott was referencing the fact that he thinks those tables of having an elite starting quarterback have shifted now with Roethlisberger retired. Pickett and Lamar Jackson are the two faces at quarterback in this matchup now and Scott thinks the 2019 AP Most Valuable Player of the Year gives the Ravens a clear advantage.
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers linebacker Cole Holcomb makes a tackle on Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson during a Week 5 contest at Acrisure Stadium in 2023.
Jackson does give the Ravens the upper hand on paper for sure. He's got two Pro Bowl nods and a First Team All-Pro nomination to go with his MVP Award. In 2023, Jackson has thrown for 1,030 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions. He's tacked on 265 rushing yards and another four scores on the ground.
Pickett has 1,027 passing yards with five touchdowns and four interceptions. He's added only 12 yards on the ground and hasn't found the end zone yet rushing, but had three in his rookie season in 2022. He's had a tough start to 2023 that's only been complicated now that he's playing through a knee injury suffered against the Houston Texans in Week 4.
The stats and the trophy case certainly favor Jackson. To be fair to Pickett, he hasn't had the time in the league to collect many accolades yet, but once a Ravens-Steelers game gets going, throw records and stats out the window. Even a 38-year-old Charlie Batch got a win as the starting quarterback back in Week 13 of 2012.
Steelers' Pickett Outduels Jackson For The Top Spot In The North
Pickett by no means showed he was a class above Jackson on Sunday talent-wise, but he did what the team needed in key moments to get the 17-10 win on Sunday. He rebounded from a challenging first half to rise to the occasion and engineered his fourth career comeback in the final frame with a game-winning drive.
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers' Kenny Pickett loading up to throw against the Baltimore Ravens during Week 5 in 2023.
In the game's crucial moments, it was Pickett, not the former MVP making plays. The first of these junctures came when the Ravens had a chance to put the Steelers in a very tough position in the fourth quarter. Baltimore knocked on the door at Pittsburgh's end zone with the Steelers trailing 10-8. Looking to try and put the game away, Jackson tried to connect with Odell Beckham Jr. in the back of the end zone, but Pittsburgh rookie cornerback Joey Porter Jr. snagged his first career interception to stop the drive.
Down by two points with 4:06 left on the clock, Pickett and the offense needed to drive 80 yards to get a score or at least get in range for Chris Boswell to kick a go-ahead field goal. He did just that finding receiver George Pickens twice on the drive in key moments. On a third and four with 2:09 to go, Pickett found Pickens for a 21-yard gain to move the chains. Two plays later, he found him again for a 41-yard catch and run touchdown.
The other area where Pickett triumphed over Jackson was the turnover battle. Though Pickett had a tough time settling into the game, he didn't turn over the ball at all. Contrast that to Jackson who threw the pick to Porter and lost a fumble on an Alex Highsmith strip sack.
The win moves Pickett to 2-0 against the Ravens in games that he started and finished, both coming with fourth-quarter comebacks. Jackson is now 1-3 in full games against Pittsburgh. The two will be at the center of an exciting game in Week 18, barring injury, and Pickett will put his perfect record to the test.
Who did you think was the better quarterback on Sunday? What factors do you weigh in your decision? Comment below!
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