In the 1980s and early 1990s, the Detroit Pistons had what they called the "Jordan Rules" to stop Michael Jordan of the Bulls from beating them.

They played physically with Jordan every chance they got, bumping him, muscling him off the ball whenever possible and beating him up when he attempted to perform one of his high-flying drives to the basket.

Early in his career, the Jordan Rules were effective. Jordan would get his points, but the Pistons, a good team in their own right, more than held their own against the Bulls. In fact, Jordan's record as a member of the Bulls against Detroit was 33-31 in the regular season and 10-12 in the postseason.

The Pistons eliminated the Bulls from the playoffs in three consecutive seasons – until they didn't – and Jordan and the Bulls finally beat the Pistons in the Eastern Conference finals in 1991.

We bring this up this week because thus far in Lamar Jackson's young career, the Steelers have had the two-time MVP's number. Jackson is now 1-4 in five career starts against the Steelers in his career. He's thrown just five touchdown passes and eight interceptions in those games, posting a passer rating of 66.7. He's also fumbled 7 times, losing 3, while being sacked 22 times.

Considering Jackson is 66-19 against the rest of the league with 153 touchdown passes and 40 interceptions with a passer rating of 104.1 against every other team in the league, it's a significant difference.

The Steelers don't take that for granted. They understand how dangerous Jackson is as a player. And because of that, they take the approach to defending Jackson to make sure they're physical with him when they can be within the rules of the game.

But they also understand that past success doesn't mean that it will happen every time. They have to be mindful of Jackson's ability to change games.

"Lamar is the most electric guy in the league right now," said Steelers defensive tackle Cam Heyward. "His shiftiness, the play extension, he's second to none in that regard. You've got an arm that's a canon. Each week, you just see a highlight from him. I don't think anyone compares."

The key might be the Steelers' ability to pressure Jackson with their four-man pass rush.

Jackson has been the best quarterback in the league when blitzed this season, completing 68.5 percent of his passes in those situations compared to 67.8 percent when he hasn't.

But when he's pressured, his completion percentage drops to 49.6 percent, compared to 76 percent when he is not pressured.

So, if he beats blitzes but struggles against pressure, you'd better be able to do so with four players. That is something the Steelers are certainly capable of doing.

A big part of that comes from T.J. Watt. Watt has 17 sacks in 15 career games against the Ravens. That is tied for the most by any current NFL player against a single opponent. The player with which Watt is tied for the most sacks against a single opponent? Himself against the Browns, against whom he also has 17 sacks in his career (He has 14 against the Bengals).

Watt also has 8.5 sacks in his career against Jackson, the most any player has sacked Jackson in his career. That has come in five games. The next-closest player is Cleveland's Myles Garrett, who has sacked Jackson 5.5 times – in 11 games.

So, if you pressure Jackson, keep him in the pocket and don't let him make big plays – which he is more apt to do when he escapes that pressure – you have a chance.

"We did a really good job in terms of eliminating a lot of really big plays," Steelers defensive coordinator Teryl Austin said of the first meeting with Baltimore this season. "Did a good job in terms of tackling. You have to be able to tackle against this group. One of the things they're really good at is yards after catch, yards after contact, and so I thought we did a really good job of that and that eliminated big plays. Made them have to drive the field, and so we felt pretty comfortable that if it was long drives, that those usually work in the defense's favor."

Will it work again against Jackson? That's what we'll find out Saturday.

Both teams will make adjustments. And the team that adjusts the best could be the one that walks away a winner.

• One of the reasons the Steelers might have so much success against the Ravens of late is that they control tight end Mark Andrews.

Last week in a win over the Giants, Andrews caught his 48th career touchdown pass, the most in Ravens history. That came in his 101st career game, meaning he averages about one touchdown every two games during his career.

In 10 career games against the Steelers, Andrews has yet to score a touchdown. That included a two-catch, 22-yard effort on three targets in the Steelers' 18-16 win earlier this season at Acrisure Stadium.

By comparison, in 13 career games each against the Bengals and Browns, Andrews has caught eight and 10 touchdown passes. The only team other than the Steelers who have faced Andrews at least five times and not allowed him to score are the Chiefs. Not surprisingly, the Ravens are 1-4 in those games against Kansas City.

In that game earlier this season, the Steelers had safety Minkah Fitzpatrick match up on Andrews a lot of the time, taking Jackson's favorite target out of the equation.

Andrews has eight touchdown catches this season, all of which have come in the red zone. He's clearly the player to which Jackson looks to the most when the Ravens are inside the 20-yard line.

"I think they have weapons obviously. (It) starts with the quarterback, but Mark Andrews has been his favorite target since he's been in the league and he's really starting to come into his own," Austin said. "I know he was banged up earlier in the season but he's rounding into form and always been a really, really tough player to guard. I know in my six years here he's gotten our full attention. He'll continue to get it, but he is getting better every week."

Austin isn't wrong. After not catching a touchdown pass in Baltimore's first four games, Andrews has eight in the past nine games.

• It really shouldn't be too big a surprise the Steelers have struggled to generate a lot of passing yards the past two games without George Pickens on the field because of a hamstring injury, even though they have split those two games.

Take any No. 1 receiver out of any offense in the league and it's going to be a struggle, particularly when looking at the circumstances involved. Pickens was a surprise scratch two weeks ago against Cleveland after suffering the injury late in the week, while last week's opponent, the Eagles, boast the league's top passing defense.

But Pickens, who has already been declared out for Saturday's game in Baltimore, also is the league's best big-play threat.

Despite missing the past two games, Pickens continues to lead the NFL with 12 receptions of 30 or more yards. He also leads the NFL with 14 receptions on passes that traveled 20 or more yards in the air, gaining 474 of his team-best 850 yards on those catches.

It's not that the other players on the roster can't catch deep passes – they have nine such plays for 276 yards on deep passes this season – but Pickens is a matchup issue, and opponents defend the Steelers differently when he's not on the field.

"Yeah, in certain aspects," said Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. "Same thing if you're playing with a new center or the third tackle coming in. They change the rush plan. Those are games within the game all over the place. Certainly, it probably changes their calls schematically."

• All that being said about Pickens, Calvin Austin III has put together a solid season in what is essentially his second year in the NFL.

Austin missed his rookie season because of an injury suffered during training camp and had just 17 receptions for 180 yards and one touchdown in 2023 when the Steelers struggled as a whole in the passing game.

He did, however, rush for 57 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries while also averaging a very solid 8.6 yards per punt return.

This season, he's made a jump across the board in all of his numbers, catching 28 passes for 452 yards and four touchdowns, a very healthy 16.1 yards per catch average. Last week against the Eagles, Austin caught a career-best five passes on five targets for 65 yards with Pickens sidelined.

He's also averaging 11.3 yards per punt return with a touchdown, as well, tying him with Najee Harris and Justin Fields for the second-most touchdowns on the team behind tight end Pat Freiermuth.

At 5-foot-9 and 162 pounds, Austin was viewed by many as a specialty player who needed to be schemed up to get the ball. But if you watched his college tape at Memphis, it was apparent that was not the case. He's proving that in the NFL. Yes, he works in the slot. But he's also perfectly capable of winning outside the numbers, as well.

"He's been spectacular. I mean, ever since he came to San Diego, I got to spend time with him and go to dinner and hang out and throw and work out together," said Wilson. "I just was just incredibly excited about him and who he is as a player, as a person, as a competitor. He has the grit, the guts to be able to play hard and be a smaller guy, that's not easy to do, to be honest with you. He reminds me a lot of Tyler Lockett in terms of his ability to understand and process on the move and see things, and he just has an appetite for learning.

"I think that anytime you have an appetite for learning and processing and growing, I think you've got a great chance. And he definitely has that. Obviously, his speed and his ability in out of his cuts is spectacular. He can do it all. He's been one of the biggest highlights, I think, not just of the Pittsburgh Steelers, but in the National Football League, in terms of a guy that's up and coming and has a great chance to be really special."

Austin was among the Steelers' pass catchers who went to California to work with Russell Wilson in the offseason soon after the quarterback signed with the team. And it's paying dividends.

• There aren't a lot of secrets when it comes to a game between Mike Tomlin and Baltimore's John Harbaugh.

Saturday's meeting between the Steelers and Ravens will mark the 37th meeting between the two teams in which Tomlin and Harbaugh are on the sidelines.

Tomlin is 21-15 in those meetings, having won eight of the past nine.

• Dale Lolley is co-host of "SNR Drive" on Steelers Nation Radio. Subscribe to the podcast here: Apple Podcast | iHeart Podcast Pittonline@iheartmedia.com

It's the second-most games in NFL history in which two head coaches have faced each other behind Curly Lambeau and George Halas.

Of course, in the first several years of that matchup, both Lambeau and Halas also played in those games. Both essentially founded their respective teams when they were with the Packers and Bears.

But when two coaches face off that much, it's difficult for one or the other to surprise the other. It's almost like playing chess against the same person over a period of several days. You begin to learn a lot about the other's thought process.

That's what makes the Steelers' current streak against the Ravens so interesting. Though Jackson has started just five games for the Ravens against the Steelers, it's not as if he's never been available.

And Jackson just might be the most dynamic player in the NFL.

Despite that, Tomlin has still had the upper hand in this matchup.