Baltimore Ravens: How much is Lamar Jackson responsible for success?

How much does the Baltimore Ravens’ success rely on Lamar Jackson?

In the 2018 NFL Draft, the Baltimore Ravens made a surprising move in selecting Lamar Jackson out of Louisville, assumedly with the plan for the scrambler to be Joe Flacco’s successor. There was some speculation regarding the 21-year-old at the time, as he was not your typical NFL quarterback, standing at 6-2, 210 pounds and relying on his speed and athleticism over his throwing ability.

However, when he got the call as a rookie to be the starter after veteran Joe Flacco went down due to injury, Jackson won six of his seven starts, completing a modest 99 passes on 170 attempts (58.2 percent) for 1,201 yards, six touchdowns and three interceptions. In this span, Jackson also registered 147 rushing attempts for 695 yards and five scores but recorded 12 fumbles in just seven games (per Pro Football Reference).

His regular-season success came to an abrupt halt in the playoffs after a brutal loss to the Los Angeles Chargers where he recorded an interception and three fumbles. Though the final score was only 23-17, the Ravens had lost the game by halftime.

Jackson and the Ravens didn’t let this playoff loss carry too much weight on their shoulders, as the young quarterback and head coach John Harbaugh came together to create a new look on the offense that utilized Jackson’s speed and athleticism to create one of the most dominant run-games in NFL history.

In 2019, Baltimore ran away with the AFC North and earned the top record in the conference (14-2) with a league-high of 204.8 rushing yards averaged per game and 5.6 yards averaged per attempt on the year, per Pro Football Reference.

Jackson won NFL MVP with a 13-2 starting record on the year, completing 265 passes on 401 attempts (66.1 percent) for 3,127 yards, 36 touchdowns and six interceptions. More importantly, Jackson also broke Michael Vick’s single-season record for the most rushing yards by a quarterback with 1,206 and seven scores.

Even after such a dominant season, the Ravens still went home empty-handed in yet another demoralizing loss, this time to the Tennessee Titans. In defeat, Jackson recorded two picks and a fumble as Tennessee shut down the run game. Baltimore looks to get over the hump in 2020 but they’ll need to prove that they can beat teams without the run game if they want to win it all.

Aside from their playoff woes, the Ravens have risen to be one of the best teams in the NFL, but how much of their success should be credited to quarterback Lamar Jackson? While you can’t give someone credit for all of the work, you can give Jackson roughly 90 percent of the credit for the team’s success. Simply, without him, the Baltimore Ravens are just an average team.

Lamar Jackson is what makes the Baltimore Ravens engine turn.

The scrambling quarterback, who was once recognized as a running back by som NFL analysts, has given an entirely different look to the quarterback position. Harbaugh and his staff have done a phenomenal job at building this offense around their superstar. There is not a single quarterback in the NFL that can do what Jackson can with this team.

Baltimore so much versatility in their backfield that it’s almost unfair. Running backs Mark Ingram and rookie J.K. Dobbins are nightmares for defensive coordinators in themselves. But when you add Jackson to the mix with the ability to keep the ball himself on option plays, you’ll find your own ankles being broken when you’re watching from afar.

If the Ravens didn’t have Jackson as their quarterback, this offense would have never existed. They would have remained as the stale offense that was run with Flacco and they would be beaten senseless by their opponents more often than not.

Having Jackson provides unrivaled versatility and deception that is almost unstoppable. If/when the Baltimore Ravens can get over the hump in the playoffs and get the monkey off their back, there will be nothing to stop them from contending with the Kansas City Chiefs for the Super Bowl every year that Jackson can play.

Without him, there is no run game. Without their run-game, there is no success. Therefore, without Lamar Jackson, the Ravens aren’t the successful NFL franchise they’ve become with the young quarterback helming the offense.