Heading into Week 14, both the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers are sitting at 6-6 - squarely in the middle of the pack, with playoff hopes flickering but far from extinguished. But if either team is going to make a late-season push, it’s going to come down to quarterback play. And right now, both Lamar Jackson and Aaron Rodgers are looking for answers.
Let’s start in Baltimore, where Lamar Jackson is still trying to recapture the magic that made him a league MVP. The raw numbers don’t scream disaster - he’s completing 64.8% of his passes with a 15-to-4 touchdown-to-interception ratio - but the deeper dive shows something’s off.
In nine games, Jackson’s averaging just 205 passing yards and 1.7 touchdowns per game. Compare that to last season, when he was putting up 245 yards and 2.4 touchdowns a game, and the drop-off becomes hard to ignore.
Even more concerning? Jackson hasn’t found the end zone - through the air or on the ground - in three straight games.
That’s not just a cold streak; that’s a red flag for a player who built his reputation on being a dual-threat nightmare. He’s got just one rushing touchdown all season.
For a player whose legs have always been a game-breaking weapon, that’s a sign something’s not right.
Whether it’s lingering injuries, a new offensive system under Todd Monken, or just a rough patch, Jackson’s not playing like the elite quarterback we’ve seen in the past. But there’s still belief in the building - and from former Ravens great Rod Woodson, who knows a thing or two about what it takes to win in December.
“Obviously, he can shake out of it,” Woodson said. “I think there's a version of that he can get to again, and I think Todd Monken can help him. But he has to help himself by doing the little things right.”
Woodson’s point is simple but sharp: it’s not always about the highlight-reel plays. Sometimes it’s about taking the five-yard completion instead of hunting the 20-yard bomb and ending up in a sack. It’s about footwork, timing, and trusting the system - the foundational stuff that builds consistency.
And here’s the thing: Jackson has shown he can do it. The question now is whether he can do it when it matters most.
His playoff record - 3-5 with modest averages of 219 yards, 1.25 touchdowns, and nearly one interception per game - doesn’t scream clutch. But he’s still in his prime, and the tools are there.
If he can flip the switch, Baltimore’s season isn’t over yet.
Now, over in Pittsburgh, the situation is a little different - and a little more complicated.
Aaron Rodgers is still suiting up at 42 years old, playing through a fractured wrist, and refusing to ride off into the sunset. That kind of toughness is worth acknowledging.
At this stage of his career, with his legacy and bank account secure, he could be in a broadcast booth. Instead, he’s still taking hits and trying to will a struggling Steelers team back into the playoff mix.
But the results? They haven’t been pretty.
Rodgers went just 10-of-21 for 117 yards last Sunday, and he’s averaging only 189.6 passing yards per game - the lowest mark of his career by a wide margin. The arm talent is still there in flashes, but the consistency is gone.
And while Rodgers still talks the talk - calling out teammates for missed assignments - the execution hasn’t backed it up.
“When I check to a route, run the right route,” Rodgers said recently. That’s classic Rodgers - demanding precision, even when his own throws are hitting the turf.
To be fair, he’s not wrong about needing better execution around him. But at some point, the quarterback has to elevate the group.
That’s what he used to do. That’s what the greats do when the margins are tight and the season’s on the line.
The Steelers started the year 4-1 but have gone 2-5 since. The offense has sputtered, and Rodgers hasn’t been able to stop the slide. Now, with a divisional showdown against Baltimore looming, he gets one more shot to change the narrative.
If Rodgers can somehow turn back the clock - throw for 250 yards, toss a few touchdowns, and lead Pittsburgh to a win - he’ll have earned the right to strut a little. But based on what we’ve seen lately, that’s a big “if.”
So who’s more likely to flip the switch?
Jackson has youth, athleticism, and a higher ceiling at this point in his career. Rodgers has experience, toughness, and a long track record of late-season heroics - but the physical decline is hard to ignore.
This Week 14 clash isn’t just a battle for playoff positioning. It’s a referendum on two quarterbacks at very different crossroads.
One trying to rediscover his peak. The other trying to hold off the inevitable.
Whichever one rises to the moment could end up dragging their team - and maybe their season - back from the brink.