Not Bad For A Running Back.

The phrase that has become synonymous with Lamar Jackson. Once believed by many, now a relic of the past said only by those who don't understand the greatness we’re witnessing. Lamar Jackson is special. Firmly placing himself as the second best quarterback, I argue that he also holds another title. The best football player in the National Football League. As a Ravens fan, I can tell you first hand that we’ve felt this excitement before. The hope and joy this team has provided us throughout the Lamar Jackson era has routinely been followed by playoff disappointment. Let me explore with you though why this team, and specifically Jackson, could finally buck that trend. 

Rewinding the clock to week 1 against the Chiefs we have the heartbreaking loss that felt all too familiar. Close but no cigar. That’s how it always goes for the Ravens against their big brother. The silver lining one could take from that game though (and yes, at this point silver linings don’t mean much of anything), is that I felt Lamar Jackson genuinely outplayed Patrick Mahomes for the first time in his career. Though they had similar passing statistics, with Lamar passing the ball well and slightly edging out Patrick in completions and zero interceptions, it was his legs and the way he used them that truly showcased his value. The Ravens offensive line has come along quite well all things considered, but during that game to say they played abysmal would be putting it kindly. Lamar was scrambling for his life. On the ground he finished with sixteen carries for 122 yards. He also used his legs countless times to escape pressure and find the open receiver. If teams swapped quarterbacks, even the legendary Mahomes would not have had the Ravens in position with multiple goal to go plays to win the game in the dying seconds. Though they lost, that game truly showcased that Lamar can be a one man show on offense and still have the Ravens in position to succeed against anyone.

They then dropped a classic stinker in week 2 and fell to 0-2. However, they’ve been a different team since. Plus if you look back on many great teams, an ugly loss at one point in the season is not out of the ordinary. For the Ravens it came early before all their new pieces began to click. Now at 5-2, they’re on a roll. In that stretch they’ve played 5 of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. Dak Prescott, Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, Jayden Daniels, and Baker Mayfield. The one thing all those guys have in common? They were outplayed by Lamar Jackson. For so often a critique of Lamar was his running. “He’ll get hurt”, “he won’t be able to drive his team late in games and score with that style”, “he relies too heavily on his legs”, “how will he lead them back from a multi-point deficit by running the ball”. All he’s done is prove all those who believed such, wrong. The beautiful thing about his play this year is that it truly feels like he’s found the perfect blend of running and passing. 

His shiftiness is his call mark. What is amazing though is that it’s only made him more composed in the pocket, and when he does take off to run he’s so elusive that it’s rare you see him take a hit that makes you scared. He does still have the occasional instance where he drops too far back after the snap, making it easy for the edge rushers to get around the tackles, but overall he’s become far less jumpy than any of his detractors would’ve ever believed. That’s the major distinction between a quarterback who runs and a quarterback who can run. If you watch the likes of other quarterbacks who are viewed as runners, often in key passing situations with pressure around them, their legs don’t help them escape pressure but actually draw them into it. What I mean by that is they get happy feet, and try to escape the pocket too quickly. Doing that can draw you into a blindspot rusher for a sack or take you into bad passing lanes where you have no opportunity to do anything. Lamar has learned that his quickness can not only allow him to escape the pocket, but in fact stay in it for as long as possible. When he does move around it’s not to run, but to find an open receiver. Running quarterbacks look to their first and second read, and then fall into their comfort zone of running the ball. Lamar looks at all his reads and keeps his eyes downfield until the millisecond before he crosses the line of scrimmage. 

Only a fool would still label him as a running quarterback. Want proof? He has thrown for 15 touchdown passes (tied for 2nd), 1,810 yards (5th), a quarterback rating of 74.3 (2nd), a completion percentage of 68.2 (7th) and a yards per attempt of 9.1 (2nd) with only 2 interceptions. Oh, and he’s also rushed for 455 yards. If he continues on this trend what does that project out to you might ask? Damn near 4,400 yards passing, 1,100 yards rushing, 36 passing touchdowns and only 5 interceptions. People act like his running is a detriment. When in reality it’s his superpower that makes him an even better passer.

The best part about the Ravens offense is that it finally feels like they’re finding their identity. When ahead they’ve figured out how to establish their running game and beat teams down. When behind Lamar has managed to use his perfect mold of passing and rushing to bring them back. Todd Monken has this whole unit humming, and they’re getting substantial contributions from every skill position player. On Monday they fell behind by 10 early and didn’t panic. Against the Bengals in early October they trailed the entire second half until it mattered most. Never did Lamar or this offense lose themselves like we’ve seen them do in the past. When they’re ahead Derrick Henry and what he brings to the table has surpassed the wildest dreams of even the biggest Henry believers. At 30 years old, turning 31 in January, it doesn’t even look like he’s lost a step. Watching a running back of that size break away from his defenders is jaw-dropping. I used to hate him on the Titans, but now I'm in love. The difference from this rushing attack to the ones in the past with Lamar is that they’ve never had a home run hitter. Other than Gus Edwards it was a constant revolving door of injured backs during Jacksons’ tenure. Edwards was a big back with no breakaway speed. Henry has that, and to boot he’s the toughest guy to bring down in the league. He may very well be the best pure running back in the NFL still at this stage of his career. The 81 yard rush he had that led to a touchdown giving the Ravens a 34-10 lead is exactly why they signed him. To close out games. The most promising moment though was after that brutal backwards pass by Lamar that led to a Bucs touchdown. In the past that is where the Ravens begin to unravel. But what happened? Behind Lamar and Henry they put together a perfect touchdown drive to re-establish their dominance and throw the Bucs overboard.

The point is this. The Ravens have shown us so far that they're different where and when it matters most. Even their defense which has broken at times, has come through clutch when called upon. They’ve improved week by week. The stats show a struggling unit. But in reality there were a few times where a large amount of points and yardage against them came in garbage time once the game was in hand. Their offense has found their path in a way they haven’t in the past. Better yet, it’s a sustainable one. Led by two stars with a supporting cast of under appreciated studs. Potentially two 1,000 yard rushers and a 4,000 yard passer? Sign me up. Patrick Mahomes may be the best quarterback in the NFL, but that’s because of a well deserved pedigree. The Quarterback who has PLAYED the best this year, is one Lamar Jackson. He’s also cemented himself as the best FOOTBALL player in the world, and finally the MVP odds showcase that. But wait, I thought people at his position don’t win MVP anymore? Well, not bad for a running back.