The 4 most hated active players by Steelers Nation
- We will remember Baker Mayfield and his days on the Browns
- Lamar Jackson has caused many problems against the Steelers
- A certain Browns quarterback tops the list
By Scott Long
3. Lamar Jackson
Lamar Jackson is another player who is strongly disliked by most of Steelers Nation, as he is the quarterback for the team's biggest rival, the Baltimore Ravens. Jackson is one of the most dynamic dual-threat quarterbacks in the NFL and has been a nightmare for opposing coaches to game-plan against ever since he took over as the starting quarterback.
However, the one team that he has had a very difficult time against is the Pittsburgh Steelers. No team has done a better job at consistently containing him than the Steelers. The Steelers' pass rush has done a tremendous job at hitting Jackson on every play, as they instruct their edge rushers to make sure they hit him and let the rest of the defense worry about the running back on option plays.
This has been an extremely successful game plan, as they have prevented him from breaking off too many massive runs, they know that the ball in his hands in the open field is more dangerous than anyone else's so they'd rather let someone else beat them.
Add to this the fact that the Steelers have forced him to turn the ball over more consistently than he has against any other team, and it's easy to see why Steelers fans dislike him. They have seen the worst play from him that most fanbases have, and while they can acknowledge his greatness, also see that there are ways to beat him.
Finally, like Mayfield, Jackson seems to be devoid of blame when the Ravens don't go far as people always cite the lack of weapons he's had since entering the league. And while it is true that he hasn't had the best weapons in the league, dismissing what he's had as nothing is just wrong. Mark Andrews is one of the top tight ends in the league, he's had multiple wide receivers who were selected in the first round, and in his MVP year had a dynamic healthy backfield with Mark Ingram and J.K. Dobbins.
While his weapons haven't been the best, he has had some very talented players around him during his career. As the highest-paid players on their team, quarterbacks get the lion's share of credit when a team succeeds, and the lion's share of the blame when things go awry, and for whatever reason, Jackson is one of the select few quarterbacks who seems to not receive the brunt of the blame when things go wrong.