The Ravens’ quarterback situation has gone from shaky to full-blown emergency, and the Steelers are sitting in the perfect spot to cash in.
Lamar Jackson is headed to injured reserve after suffering a right thumb injury Sunday afternoon, and the hand will require surgery. That means Baltimore will be without its offensive centerpiece for at least four games. With Tyler Huntley already out for the season because of turf toe, the Ravens are suddenly piecing together a plan under center with very little margin for error.
In Week 8, rookie Joe Fagnano was the next man up for Baltimore, and he’s also expected to start Thursday night against the Jacksonville Jaguars. That’s a rough place to be for a team already buried at the bottom of the AFC North.
Pittsburgh, meanwhile, has spent the week in a far better position. The Steelers are 6-2 and hold a two-game edge over Baltimore, with the Ravens also sitting at 0-2 in AFC North games. While Pittsburgh is on its Week 9 bye, Baltimore is trying to stop a slide that has now reached three straight losses.
The numbers don’t exactly suggest a quick fix is waiting in the wings. Baltimore ranks 15th in total offense at 338.6 yards per game, 21st in passing offense at 205.1, and 19th in scoring at 22.4 points per game. Without Jackson, the offense has leaned on Huntley, but the results haven’t been enough to change the direction of the season.
Huntley has thrown for 727 yards and four touchdowns, and his 57.6 QBR shows the struggle Baltimore has faced in trying to keep the offense afloat. There’s been some stability in his familiarity with the system, but not enough production to pull the Ravens out of the hole they’re in.
The ground game has kept Baltimore from completely falling apart. Derrick Henry has helped the offense stay afloat, and the Ravens rank sixth in rushing yards per game at 133.5 while tying for fifth in rushing touchdowns with 10. Still, that alone hasn’t been enough to cover for the issues at quarterback.
Baltimore’s front office had to act, and on Wednesday Adam Schefter reported that the team is finalizing a trade for Jacoby Brissett. The veteran brings experience and a reputation for extending plays, and his style should fit Baltimore’s scheme without forcing major changes.
Tom Pelissero also reported that Baltimore signed Kedon Slovis to the 53-man roster from the Packers’ practice squad Tuesday morning, giving the team another option as it prepares for Thursday night.
Even with those moves, the timing is brutal for Baltimore. The Ravens are already two games behind Pittsburgh and still winless in the division, and any emergency quarterback addition will have almost no time to settle in before the next game. That leaves the Steelers with a chance to turn a slim lead into something much more comfortable before the Ravens can get back on stable ground.
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Steelers Quarterback Depth Just Entered The Trade Deadline Conversation
The Steelers quarterback room is suddenly part of the trade deadline chatter, even if the situation still feels more theoretical than urgent. Pittsburgh is carrying four quarterbacks on its 53-man roster, with veteran Mason Rudolph among them, and that kind of depth naturally gets attention when the deadline starts creeping closer and teams around the league begin bracing for injuries.
ESPNs Jeremy Fowler floated Rudolph as a possible trade candidate in that context, though the broader read is that Pittsburgh is not expected to be active in that way. For now, it reads more like a league-wide what-if than a real sign the Steelers are preparing to deal from a position of strength, with any movement depending on how the quarterback market shifts elsewhere. [Read more 🡒]
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Pierre has settled in quickly in Minnesota and the coverage numbers have backed up the eye test, with a strong showing that has him sitting 12th among NFL cornerbacks. For the Steelers, the frustration is less about one bad decision than the combination of performance and cost, since Pierres contract was the kind of deal Pittsburgh could have kept in play. Instead, the front office is left watching a player it knew well thrive elsewhere while the question of whether he should have stayed in black and gold lingers a little longer each week. [Read more 🡒]
Steelers Win Over Browns Just Sparked A New Rivalry Flashpoint
A routine extra-point sequence turned into one of the sharper postgame talking points from Pittsburgh's Week 8 win over Cleveland, when guard Mason McCormick drew an unnecessary roughness penalty after a hit on Browns defensive end Jared Verse. The play added another layer to a rivalry that rarely needs much help finding emotion, and it quickly drew attention well beyond the field as former Browns safety T.J. Ward weighed in on the hit.
McCormick said afterward that he did not know it was Verse on the other end of the collision and was simply following coaching instructions, while Verse made clear he was upset about the incident. Verse also said he had already discussed the situation with his Browns teammates, leaving the episode as one more flashpoint in a matchup that seems to keep finding new edges every time these teams meet. [Read more 🡒]