Opinion: To restore Ravens' edge, Lamar Jackson must again prove himself capable of evolving

As they fell 20-19 to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, the Baltimore Ravens experienced the continuation of several undesirable trends that, unless remedied, could jeopardize their prospects for a top playoff seed and deep postseason run.

The loss at Heinz Field dropped Baltimore's record to 8-4 on the season and 3-2 since their Week 8 bye.

Just one week after moving into position for the top AFC seed and a bye in the opening round of the playoffs, Baltimore slid down to third in the conference after the defeat.

Offensive struggles contributed greatly into the loss to the Steelers, as well as this up-and-down stretch as a whole. And a struggling Lamar Jackson is the greatest factor in those offensive woes.

In the second half of the season, Jackson and the Ravens offense have found themselves in a slump. Once boasting one of the most potent attacks in the league, Baltimore has averaged just 19.75 points per outing in Jackson’s last four starts.

After displaying growth as a passer during the opening stretch of the season, Jackson has seen his effectiveness wane in this post-bye stretch.

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A week after throwing a career-worst four interceptions in a 16-10 win over the Cleveland Browns, Jackson threw another pick and was sacked a career-high seven times against Pittsburgh. Meanwhile, Baltimore’s offense failed to top the 20-point mark for the fourth straight game and the fifth time in six outings.

Jackson’s struggles in the last month can be traced largely to the effects that a strategic shift opponents have adapted as the year has progressed.

In previous years, and to start this season, opponents aimed to take away Jackson’s ever-present threat as a rusher, and essentially dared him to beat them with his arm. This season, Jackson has proven himself capable of doing just that, directing four pass-heavy fourth-quarter comebacks.

But as of late, defensive coordinators have had to find another strategy to slow Jackson. That approach has involved preventing the 2019 NFL MVP from getting comfortable in the pocket in hopes of forcing him into mistakes.

On Sunday, the Steelers continued this trend with perhaps more authority than any of Baltimore’s previous opponents this season. Pittsburgh’s defense blitzed Jackson throughout the night, recording a total of 26 quarterback pressures, according to Pro Football Focus, while also hitting him 10 times.

Jackson wilted.

Usually, a good way to beat pressure is to go with quick-hit passes. Jackson did some of this, targeting tight end Mark Andrews early and often for a team-high seven times in the first half. He also dumped the ball off to running backs another six times while targeting receivers just five times.

But that doesn’t mean Jackson’s wide receivers weren’t open.

The Steelers often gave Jackson Cover 2 looks, but those safeties then would shift into man coverage. Because the safeties played deep, there were indeed passing windows Jackson could have taken advantage of had he pulled the trigger quickly. But whether confused by the alignments or distracted by the oncoming rush, Jackson often held the ball, double-clutched or tried in vain to elude defenders and took avoidable sacks. (Jackson probably shouldn’t have been sacked more than three times Sunday.)

Rushing to beat the blitz also meant Jackson frequently operated with poor fundamentals, which hindered his accuracy.

The lack of an effective downfield passing attack caused the Ravens to squander a healthy yardage and time-of-possession advantage.Despite Baltimore playing keep-away from the Steelers, the offense settling for field goals meant Pittsburgh remained within reach all game when the Steelers really should have been trailing by double digits.

The Ravens could have helped Jackson some by featuring a heavier dose of the run and play-action. They also could have gone with a more up-tempo attack. Not until the final 1:48 did Baltimore shift to such an approach. On that possession, Jackson completed six of seven passes while directing an eight-play, 60-yard hurry-up drive on which he better utilized his wide receivers, capping it with a touchdown pass to Sammy Watkins 12 seconds left. An incompletion that bounced off Andrews’ fingertips spoiled the two-point conversion attempt that would have given Baltimore the victory.

The Steelers followed the blueprint that is becoming popular with Baltimore opponents. And as the Ravens continue to struggle to counter these tactics, the remaining foes on their schedule likely will use similar strategies to contain one of the most dangerous players in the league.

With their offensive line struggling with consistency and with injuries having ravaged their group of running backs, the Ravens are too dependent on Jackson and his otherworldly heroics. But at this point in the season, quality reinforcements – particularly at running back – are hard to come by.

So, Jackson once again will have to assume the leading role in protecting himself and better igniting the offense. He must execute with greater decisiveness and accuracy. He has displayed an ability to do this in spurts, but consistency is the key, as he knows.

“I’m very confident,” Jackson said after the game. “You saw on the last drive we were rolling. We hit passes, guys running routes and doing what they do, catching the ball and getting (yards after the catch). We just do that consistently, and we’ll be fine.

“We’ve just got to do it early and keep it going – finish the whole game like that, not just doing one half and slowing down,” he added.

For much of his impressive young career, Jackson had been the one to put pressure on defenses.Now, they’re finding that by turning the tables, they can have success. For Baltimore to get its offense back on track, Jackson must again prove himself capable of adapting and getting a step ahead.

Follow USA TODAY Sports' Mike Jones on Twitter @ByMikeJones.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What's wrong with Lamar Jackson, struggling Ravens' offense?