Aaron Rodgers Enjoys Clean Win in Ravens Quarterback Matchup

That's what the scouting report likely suggested, at least, and that's exactly what he got in skating to a productive afternoon of offense. The Steelers won, 27-22, and that was largely due to Rodgers' ability to play his role with maximum comfort.

Rodgers' Baltimore Beatdown

He had plenty of time to dissect Baltimore's flawed defense from the safety of his clean pocket, with the Ravens' relative lack of frightening rushers showing up at an inconvenient junction. That gave Rodgers plenty of time to sharpen his downfield connection with physical wide receiver DK Metcalf, who the quarterback fed multiple deep flings to after a month of zero bombs to speak of.

And he wasn't married to staying put behind his offensive line, either; he personally scored one of Pittsburgh's later touchdowns with his legs, throwing in his old signature Discount Double Check celebration to commemorate the retro athleticism on display.

Jackson's Continued Fall

Jackson, on the other hand, had a tougher time shaking off the physical drawbacks that have plagued him all fall. He looked better than he had in weeks with a few impressive runs, including a rushing touchdown to match Rodgers, but the Pittsburgh defense still knew that he'd rather play the role of the passing quarterback from the comfort of his own line.

Unfortunately, he doesn't have the luxury of a safe pocket, which shouldn't be news to any Ravens fan. He reportedly boiled over midway through this one, getting into a heated altercation with right guard Daniel Faalele after numerous botched plays continued cutting into Jackson's time to throw.

He ultimately had a chance to win the game at the game clock's expiration before yet another sack characteristically tripped him up to drop to a 6-7 record. The walls are closing in around the Ravens, and though Rodgers was dealt a better hand than Jackson was in Week 14, Jackson's still looking well short of his usual standards, and it showed in a big spot.