Steelers should still have confidence they can catch Ravens all thanks to Lamar Jackson

Before the 2024 NFL season began, many experts projected the Pittsburgh Steelers to be in the basement of the AFC North. The unanimous top three in the division, outside of the city of Pittsburgh, seemed to be the Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns, in whichever order you may choose.

But through seven weeks, the narrative has completely changed. The Browns have one of, if not the single worst offense in the league and they just lost Deshaun Watson for the season due to a ruptured Achillies tendon. The Cincinnati Bengals' defense is so horrific that despite MVP play from Joe Burrow, they sit at 3-4.

It's the Ravens and the Steelers at the top of the division, which isn't really what anybody expected before the season. Both teams sit at 5-2 and have challenging schedules ahead of them. The AFC North is still up for grabs and the Steelers should remain very confident because of their historic dominance over the Lamar Jackson led Ravens.

AFC North remains wide open thanks to Lamar Jackson's historic struggles vs Steelers

In six career games against the Steelers, Jackson has a passer rating of 66.8 with 870 passing yards, four touchdowns and seven interceptions. He's carried the ball 53 times for 262 yards on the ground while also being sacked 20 times. Jackson is 2-4 in his career against the Steelers.

These two teams will face off two times over the last ten weeks of the season. Jackson is playing like an MVP frontrunner again, so the Steelers defense will meet their biggest test when the Steelers and Ravens face off on Nov. 17 and Dec. 21.

Through seven games this year, Jackson has thrown for 1,810 yards, 15 touchdowns and two interceptions. He's carried the ball 73 times for 455 yards and two touchdowns.

The Ravens have an added staple in their offense this year that the Steelers haven't had to worry about in the past: Derrick Henry. Henry completely changes the game for Lamar. He could completely change the way that the Steelers have to play defense and it could open up the field much more than in the past.

Still, this historic dominance over Lamar and the Ravens should provide the Steelers with a ton of confidence. If Mike Tomlin and the Steelers can continue to play like they have, especially this week against the Jets, they will be in good shape. If the Steelers can continue their dominance over the Ravens and earn a split or sweep, they could run away with the AFC North.