Lamar Jackson is doing issues that he has by no means completed.
His 74.3% completion price is eight proportion factors larger than his career-best mark in a season. His 16 yards per try are almost 3 1/2 greater than the very best price of any 12 months of his profession because the full-time starter. He’s main a Ravens offense that’s tops within the NFL in pink zone effectivity at 80% with 12 touchdowns scored in 15 journeys.
“He’s able to do so many other things that other quarterbacks can’t do,” tight finish Mark Andrews mentioned. “That’s a beautiful thing. Lamar Jackson’s second to none.”
Technically, he’s — solely Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen has the next completion proportion at 74.8.
But for all of Jackson’s passing fancy, the additions of extensive receivers Odell Beckham Jr., Zay Flowers, Nelson Agholor, a brand new offensive coordinator in Todd Monken and $170 million spent on the offense — most within the NFL — the Ravens haven’t fairly changed into the explosive, high-octane offense that some might need anticipated.
Jackson’s 794 passing yards by way of the primary 4 video games are the fourth-fewest within the NFL, forward of solely the Tennessee Titans’ Ryan Tannehill, New York Giants’ Daniel Jones and New Orleans Saints’ Derek Carr and fewer than the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Kenny Pickett, Chicago Bears’ Justin Fields, Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Baker Mayfield and New England Patriots’ Mac Jones, amongst others. His 4 landing passes are as many because the much-maligned New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson and just one greater than Indianapolis Colts rookie Anthony Richardson. His common meant air yards (6.9) per move is among the lowest within the league; he’s tried simply 9 passes of 20 yards or extra and his 198.5 yards passing per recreation ranks twenty second general.
Meanwhile, the Ravens rank thirteenth in whole yards per recreation with 335, simply forward of the 1-3 Denver Broncos and behind the equally woeful Arizona Cardinals. They have the seventh-fewest passing yards within the league and are twelfth in whole factors.
Where’s the explosiveness?
“It’s probably a function of the offense and where we want to go with it and what the defense is giving us, so both of those two things,” coach John Harbaugh mentioned when requested in regards to the Ravens’ lack of lengthy passes and large performs. “We wish to throw the ball downfield. We’ve had some success doing it. It’s actually an enormous a part of what we wish to do.
“But we also want to get the ball out quick, which we didn’t have as many of those [against the Browns] — quick passes, RPOs [run-pass options]. Those are things that keep a defense honest when they want to pack in on your run game, too.”
In different phrases, whereas the Ravens’ offense is vastly completely different now in contrast with that of earlier offensive coordinator Greg Roman — significantly with the variety of three- and four-receiver units and a quicker tempo — there are additionally many similarities. Baltimore is fourth within the NFL in dashing yards, is sixth in yards per carry and its eight dashing touchdowns rank fourth behind the San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles and Miami Dolphins. Jackson, in the meantime, already has 220 yards dashing, or greater than a 3rd of the crew’s 605.
Still, the Ravens have taken some pictures.
In Week 1 in opposition to the Houston Texans, Jackson hit Flowers on a pair of deep throws of 20 yards and Beckham with one other that went for 29 yards. The following recreation in opposition to the Cincinnati Bengals there was the 52-yard bomb to Flowers together with just a few different makes an attempt that fell incomplete. In a Week 3 loss to the Colts, Jackson tried simply six passes of greater than 10 yards however hit on a few them to tight ends Isaiah Likely and Andrews. Sunday in opposition to the Browns, there was the 43-yard bomb to a streaking Flowers after Jackson scrambled to purchase time.
“If we can beat people downfield with double moves, straight-up deep routes, play-action shots — those are massive, massive plays, and it showed up in the [Cleveland] game — even extended plays as you saw when Lamar scrambled out to the right [and] hit Zay coming across the field,” Harbaugh mentioned. “That’s part of your deep passing game.”
When the Ravens have gone deep, they’ve been pretty efficient, and Jackson has been environment friendly, passing deep and in any other case.
He has a 104.2 passer score and has been probably the most correct quarterback on throws 10 or extra yards downfield, in line with Pro Football Focus. His unpredictability has additionally made the Ravens one of many extra harmful offenses within the league — Jackson is simply the fourth quarterback over the previous 10 years to have at the very least 4 dashing and 4 passing touchdowns within the first 4 weeks of a season. And his accuracy solely provides to it, together with his second-quarter landing move to Andrews over three Browns defenders having solely a 17% completion chance, per Next Gen Stats.
“That’s as good a throw that you’re ever going to see,” Harbaugh mentioned. “His completion percentage speaks for itself. It speaks to all the guys — receivers, offensive line, everybody — but we’ve always believed in his ability to throw the ball.”
Jackson hasn’t been with out his hiccups, in fact.
Notably, he has already fumbled six occasions. Those price the Ravens in opposition to the Colts and most definitely will once more in the event that they proceed to be an issue.
But as standard, as goes Jackson, so go the Ravens.
“I have to say it’s all part of it, and I think we’ll just see as it goes game to game,” Harbaugh mentioned of his quarterback taking larger throws downfield. “Every week is different. It really is not a function of any grand plan other than we want to be able to do all those things well.”
So far, so good.
Week 5
Ravens at Steelers
Sunday, 1 p.m.
TV: Chs. 13, 9
Radio: 97.9 FM, 101.5 FM, 1090 AM
Line: Ravens by 4
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Source: www.bostonherald.com