Former Steelers defender’s betrayal could give Lamar Jackson a head start

Both the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens won their Week 10 contests by a whisker, meaning next Sunday's rivalry clash will decide the AFC North leader through nearly two-thirds of the season.

Lamar Jackson is playing at an MVP level, and could win the award for the third time in his career. Through 10 games, Jackson has 24 touchdowns through the air and another two on the ground. He remains a game-breaking threat on any given play, which makes him the most dangerous quarterback in the NFL, bar none. Frankly, Jackson doesn't need any help, and Mike Tomlin made sure not to provide him with any bulletin-board material when asked to compare Commanders rookie Jayden Daniels to Lamar at his postgame press conference following the Steelers latest win.

“Man, be real slow comparing people to Lamar Jackson. That’s a multi-time MVP. That’s Mr. Jackson. We’ll see Mr. Jackson in a few days," Tomlin said.

Lamar Jackson gets a heads up on the Steelers defensive strategy against him

The current iteration of the Steelers has been smart not to give in to the media narrative. Yes, this is a rivalry game, but there is mutual respect between Pittsburgh and Baltimore, and that all starts with the head coaches John Harbaugh and Tomlin. However, one former Steeler gave Jackson a heads-up on how Pittsburgh will defend him, and it wasn't Diontae Johnson.

"So this is what they're trying to do with Lamar,” Arthur Maulet said. "They're gonna put a person at the dive and they're gonna run a person straight at Lamar. And they're gonna make him make a decision. So that's their game plan. One person goes to Lamar, one person goes to the dive."

Maulet played for the Steelers in 2021 and 2022 before signing with the Ravens for the final two years of his career. He's seen both sides of this rivalry, and doesn't appear to have an allegiance to either Pittsburgh or Baltimore.

Steelers defensive coordinator Teryl Austin coached Maulet when he was a Steeler, so the former defensive back does know a thing or two about the team's strategy. And, as much as the Steelers may try to contain Jackson, he surely knows what's coming at this point in his career.

Jackson has played in six career games against the Steelers. In those games, he has a passer rating of 66.8 with 870 yards, 4 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. Whatever Pittsburgh is doing is working.