The Steelers' T.J. Watt sacks Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson in the second quarter Sunday Oct. 8, 2023 at Acrisure Stadium.

That Mike Tomlin has taken to referring to the Baltimore Ravens quarterback with the honorific - Mr. Jackson, the Pittsburgh Steelers coach calls him - is a show of respect for a two-time MVP who appears to be on his way to winning the award for a third time.

It certainly has caught the attention of the Baltimore Ravens quarterback - Lamar, if you will - as the AFC North rivals prepare to play for first place at 1 p.m. Sunday at Acrisure Stadium.

"I appreciate that, coming from a coach (with) all the success he's had," Jackson told Baltimore reporters. "But when we're on that field, it's a different ballgame. That's with any opponent, though, not just the Steelers. My mindset is totally different when I'm out there, regardless; I'm trying to win. But I appreciate it, though. I appreciate it."

Speaking of success, Jackson has been absolutely dominant through his first 10 games this season for the Ravens (7-3). He's completed a career-best 69.1% of his passes for 2,669 yards, with 24 touchdowns against two interceptions. He has a pair of 300-yard passing performances and three games with four or more touchdowns. And he's rushed for at least 33 yards in all but one game, a 41-10 blowout of the Denver Broncos.

Jackson is coming off back-to-back spectacular games. He completed 84.2% of his passes and threw three touchdowns against the Broncos on Nov. 3, then posted a perfect passer rating of 158.3 by completing 75.8% of his passes with four touchdowns in a 35-34 win over the Cincinnati Bengals last Thursday to win AFC offensive player of the week honors.

Against the Steelers, though, it's been a different ballgame.

Jackson has a 2-4 career record in six starts against the Steelers, throwing more interceptions (seven) than touchdowns (four) with a 50.1% completion percentage and 68.8 passer rating. Only the Cleveland Browns have more sacks on Jackson (27) than the Steelers' 20, and they have played twice as many games against him. Only the Dallas Cowboys have forced more fumbles (eight) than the Steelers' seven.

But the Steelers aren't exactly beating their chests about their success against Jackson, considering he's missed at least one meeting with them in each of his first six NFL seasons (and both in 2022) because of illness, injuries or being inactive for the season finale. That explains in part why the Steelers have won seven of the last eight meetings.

"Ummm ... success?" Steelers defensive captain Cameron Heyward said. "I mean, sometimes the ball is falling your way a couple times. It's not like he's not dicing us up. He's a heck of a talent that you try to bottle up but you never can. Sometimes, it's come down to just having the ball last and being able to get off the field."

When the Steelers escaped with a 17-10 Week 5 win over the Ravens last season, Jackson completed 22 of 38 passes for 236 yards and an interception and rushed for 45 yards on six carries. With 20 seconds left, T.J. Watt sacked Jackson for a 6-yard loss on fourth-and-7 at the Baltimore 28 to seal the victory.

For the Steelers, the secret to beating the Ravens is to limit Jackson's dominance.

"It's playing team defense," said Steelers defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi, who had a forced fumble against the Ravens last year. "It's hard just putting it on one guy. Playing together and be cohesive is really important. We've done a good job of that over the last years when we played against him. He's a guy who we all know how dynamic he is, so it's one of those things where the team aspect of it is really important."

Surrounding Jackson with skill has made the Ravens the most potent offense in the NFL. With the addition of Derrick Henry, who leads all rushers with 1,120 yards and 12 touchdowns, they rank first with 1,826 rushing yards and 39 touchdowns and are second in passing with 2,670 yards (two fewer than the Bengals).

"I think we've always known how dangerous he is," Steelers defensive coordinator Teryl Austin said of Jackson. "He can beat you running. He can beat you throwing. They've really done a good job of surrounding him with really good people. Obviously, the big running back makes a huge difference because of his home run ability. There's a reason why they're No. 1 in quite a few categories, in terms of offensive production. So it's going to be a really good test in terms of how we hold up versus this."

Tomlin called Jackson "a challenge in all circumstances." His progress as a passer is evident in how he spreads the wealth, as 10 different Ravens receivers have scored touchdowns, seven with multiple.

"I see continual evolution in him, and I've seen that since they drafted him," Tomlin said. "There's always a component of his game that's moving forward. And I just think it speaks to not only his talent, but his approach to business, in their approach to business. He's got a unique skill set. He and they always appear to be evolving in terms of maximizing their skill set and I just have a lot of respect for it."

So much respect that he's willing to use the honorific with Mr. Jackson.