Fairly assessing the Lamar Jackson problem for Baltimore Ravens

Baltimore Ravens can’t sugar coat Lamar Jackson’s performance:

The Baltimore Ravens have a problem, and that problem is that Lamar Jackson just isn’t getting the job done. Two interceptions and a fumble in the red zone doesn’t look great in the box score. The fact that the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers was his first game over 200 passing yards since the second week of the season is also a bad look.

Jackson has three games this year with a passer rating over 100. The rest of the results: 65.8, 92.5, 71.9, 73.1. Last season Jackson was an efficient dual threat quarterback who avoided bad plays. This year he was awful against the two contenders on the schedule and his run game comes and goes. Just look at the numbers from last season.

Last year Jackson had nine games with a passer rating over 100 and he had just a couple really rough games. Last year Jackson was good for 300 total yards with his passing and running combined. It was just a given that Jackson would have 60 rushing yards. That was basically the starting point, with a few low rushing yard games being outliers. It was about 220 in the air, and 60-150 on the ground.

This year Jackson is averaging 58.7 yards per game on the ground. That number by the way is being propped up by his 108 yards rushing against the Philadelphia Eagles and 83 yards rushing that didn’t put even a half a dent in the Kansas City Chiefs. Whether or not the NFL has figured him out is not the point. The point is that in just about every measurable way he has regressed. That on top of dud performances against the best teams on the schedule makes a problem.

The key right now is to avoid overreaction. This isn’t the time to start talking about drafting another quarterback. It isn’t the time to wonder if he can ever get the job done. That line of thinking in the middle of a season helps nothing and is being fostered by the awful way everybody in Baltimore felt when they woke up Monday morning.