Steelers 4 Downs: Ravens’ Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry have opponents seeing red in red zone

1. Zone-ing in

Rest assured that in advance of the AFC North showdown Sunday the Pittsburgh Steelers are aware of the Baltimore Ravens’ offensive abilities once they get inside the 20-yard line. The Ravens lead the NFL by scoring touchdowns on 76.7% of red-zone possessions, and it should come as no surprise that their duo of future Hall of Fame skill players has excelled in such situations.

Quarterback Lamar Jackson leads the NFL in red-zone passing touchdowns (20), passing yards (253) and passer rating (122.5). He has not thrown an interception inside the opponents’ 20. Derrick Henry, meanwhile, leads all running backs in red-zone rushing touchdowns (10).

Henry is also the only player to have 10 rushing touchdowns from inside the 10, and his six rushing touchdowns from inside the 5 are tied for the third-most in the league. Incidentally, Henry has 12 of Baltimore’s 13 rushing attempts from inside the 5.

Jackson is 31 for 45 on passing attempts in the red zone, a 68.9% completion percentage that ranks fifth among NFL starting QBs. Like Henry’s rushing, Jackson leads the league in passing touchdowns from inside the 10 (tied with two others with 12).

The Steelers led the league in red-zone defense (opponent touchdown rate) … until last week when the Washington Commanders scored touchdowns on all three of their possessions that reached the 20. That dropped the Steelers into a tie for fourth at 44.4%.

2. Chunk plays

When you think Ravens, you think winning with defense. Not the 2024 edition — they are explosive … and they’ve let opponents be so, too.

Baltimore games this season have averaged 57.1 points (both teams) — the highest rate in the league. That’s what happens when a team leads the league in scoring offense (31.8 points per game) and is 25th in scoring defense (25.3). There have been an average of 808.1 total yards in Ravens games this season (440.2 for and 367.9 against) — again, the most in the league. For perspective, Steelers games this season have averaged a total of 40.1 points and 629.0 yards.

In addition to lots of points and yards, expect plenty of explosive plays during Ravens games. According to Sharp Football Analysis, Baltimore leads the NFL in plays that gain 15 or more yards (93) and 20 or more yards (50) — and they also have allowed the most plays of 15-plus (88) and 20-plus yards (49).

3. Lots of runs

The Steelers (34.3 carries per game) and Ravens (31.9) rank among the top three of the NFL in rushing attempts. They also each derive a greater share of their offensive production from runs. Per Sharp Football, 53.3% of the Steelers’ total yardage this season has come via rushing yards, the second-highest rate in the league. For the Ravens, it’s 51.4% of their yards coming on the ground — third-most in the league.

Baltimore, though, is much more efficient — its 5.7 yards per carry is best in the NFL, whereas the Steelers (4.0) are 23rd.

The Ravens count on such an advantage. They lead the NFL in per-carry rushing defense (3.4). The plus-2.3 differential from their rushing offense over their rushing defense is by far the best in the league. In second place is the Green Bay Packers at a mere plus-0.8.

4. Thirty-something

Remember when the Steelers couldn’t score more than 30 points in a game? Over a span of 55 regular-season games from mid-2020 until late last year, the Steelers scored more than 30 points just once.

Over the past four games (the past three since Russell Wilson took over at quarterback), the Steelers are averaging 30.8 points. The Steelers won all four, coming back from second-half deficits in two of them.

The improved offense equates to comebacks. The Steelers at one point trailed by 10 points during the third quarter of last week’s win at the Washington Commanders. They’d lost their previous eight when down by at least that many at any point in the second half.