Should Baltimore choose Jackson or Flacco to lead a Ravens playoff run?
By Joel Deering
Lamar Jackson
Since taking over for QB Joe Flacco back in Week 11, Lamar Jackson has earned himself a record of 3-0. Before Jackson took over, the Ravens were 4-5, looking like they could soon be out of the playoff picture. Jackson now has the Ravens at 7-5 and is preparing for a Ravens playoff run. He has them sitting just a half game back from the Steelers in the AFC North.
In Jackson’s three wins, he’s been electrifying to say the least. He’s totaled 265 rushing yards and two TDs in his three starts, looking somewhat like a Michael Vick clone. In his first ever NFL start, Jackson made NFL history by rushing for 119 yards. He has yet to rush for less than 70 yards in a game.
While Lamar Jackson has led the Ravens to three straight wins, making history along the way, Jackson hasn’t been without his flaws.
In his three starts, Jackson has completed 60.5% of his passes for 453 yards, one TD and three INTs. While Jackson has been an exciting dual-threat QB, one of his dual-threats hasn’t really been a threat at all. His passer rating has been 67.7 over his three NFL starts.
You can make a case that Jackson’s not quite polished passing skills haven’t hindered the team. While it’s true he has a record of 3-0, we have to look at who those wins came against.
Jackson has earned victories over the Cincinnati Bengals, Oakland Raiders and Atlanta Falcons. What do all three of those teams have in common? All three teams have defense’s who rank in the bottom five in points allowed. Cincinnati ranks dead last, allowing an average of 30.9 points per game. Oakland ranks second to last, giving up 30.6 points per game. Atlanta is the best of the three teams, allowing an average of 27.8 points per game.
Having a 3-0 record as a starter is impressive, but his three wins have all come against terrible defensive teams who aren’t in the playoff hunt. With that knowledge, would you choose Jackson or Flacco?
We know Jackson will at least be getting one more start against the Chiefs tomorrow. This is yet another game against a bad defensive team. The Chiefs’ defense gives up an average of 27.2 points per game. Jackson will have another chance to make his case against another bad defense, but this time he’ll have to out-duel MVP candidate Patrick Mahomes.
My question is, what happens when Jackson goes up against a superior defense? If Jackson remains the starter, what happens when he has to play the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 16? They rank sixth in points allowed, giving up just 20.8 per game.
If the Ravens do make the playoffs, what happens if he goes up against the defense’s of the Texans (19.6 points per game allowed) or Chargers again? Jackson has had a great start to his NFL career, but I’m not sure he’s the right QB to lead a Ravens playoff run.
His rushing ability makes him special, but how far can he take the Ravens if he throws one TD to three INTs in the playoffs?