Ravens Send Steelers A Big Time Warning About Lamar Jackson: "They're Going To Have A Tough Time"

The Pittsburgh Steelers have lofty goals headed into the 2024 NFL season. Beyond looking to return to winning ways in the postseason, and eventually make a deep championship run, the organization wants to continue a tradition of defeating rivals in the AFC North. Being the best team in a division is a difficult task, especially in one of the most competitive divisions in football. But in Pittsburgh, it's been common place in the 21 century.

Despite all the controversy and changes to multiple key areas last season, the Steelers went 5-1 in games against the AFC North. This has been a trend for while, as the Steelers haven't had a losing divisional record since 2009 where the team had a 2-4 divisional record finishing 9-7 overall. Though an asterisk can be placed on some of the wins for coming against backup quarterbacks, a win is a win at the end of the day. 

Like the Steelers, the other teams of the AFC North have been busy making improvements to the roster to fuel their own dreams of winning a Super Bowl. The Cleveland Browns brought in Jerry Jeudy and kept many of their defensive pieces in place, and the Cincinnati Bengals were able to keep Tee Higgins in the building for at least one more season courtesy of the franchise tender. But perhaps most notably, the Baltimore Ravens brought in Derrick Henry to start in the backfield next to two-time MVP Lamar Jackson.

With the two dangerous rushers now a tandem in Baltimore, the challenge of which player to focus on and how to keep them both in check has been a hot button question for any team with the Ravens on its schedule. During an interview on NFL Network's The Insiders, Ravens safety Marcus Williams provided little help to teams looking to stop a prolific Ravens rushing attack.

"We're not going to go into how I'm going to tackle them, because I don't gotta tackle them. That's all about the other team. These other safeties that's gotta go up against them in the division, they're going to have a tough time. Lamar looks good, he's throwing the ball great. He looks smooth; he's fast. I can't wait to see both of them on the field at the same time."

Steelers Know How To Handle The Ravens

One of the greatest rivalries in professional sports, the Steelers versus the Ravens has seen several new faces and results in recent seasons. Plenty of narratives surround the rivalry, most notably the one-sidedness over the past few matchups. Headed into 2024, winning seven of their last eight against the Ravens, Pittsburgh is invigorated to keep things headed the same direction.

The signing of Henry is a massive attempt by the Ravens to swing some momentum back in their favor. Even at the age of 30, Henry's 9,502 rushing yards and 90 touchdowns in his career leads all active players. He led the league in carries in 2023 with 280, and finished second in overall rushing yards with 1,167. Add into the equation the 975 total rushing yards of Jackson from last season, and you have a dangerous combination. 

The Ravens are doing everything they can to get over the humps that have plagued them the past few seasons, most notably in the playoffs. But a great way to start is getting back to their winning ways in the division. If there is any team that understands what it takes to shut down Henry, it's the Steelers. In the three games Henry has played against Pittsburgh, Henry averages four yards per carry, has 182 rush yards and just two touchdowns. 

Henry also has never rushed for more than 75 yards against the black and gold in his career. It will certainly be a different feeling in 2024 with the other weapons the Ravens have at their disposal, but if history says anything, it's that the Steelers don't need to fear tackling Henry, they will simply find a way as they usually do.

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