Baltimore Ravens vs. Buffalo Bills: 3 early thoughts

2. Lamar Jackson needs to keep getting things going as a total play-maker:

The Buffalo Bills have a middle of the pack run defense giving up 119.5 yards per game. The Ravens average 191.9 yards per contest on the ground. The way that the Baltimore Ravens could get the Bills in trouble is fairly obvious. The Ravens need a big day from their running backs, but they need Jackson to have the kind of day running the football that he just had against the Tennessee Titans.

Jackson has run for at least 80 yards in five of the last six games. The one game in that span he didn’t run for a lot was against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Coincidentally, the Ravens have won their last six games and the offense has for the most part taken off. Jackson has to keep on doing what is becoming one of the central pieces of the offense. He needs to will things into existence by making the kinds of plays that only he can make.

With Jackson, it’s never about the number of passing yards. The important figure is the overall number. For example, it doesn’t matter that he only passed for 179 yards against the Titans. He put up over 350 total yards.

Jackson needs to continue doing whatever it takes to get the win. He’ll take what the defense gives him. If the Ravens have 400 total yards or more they should have a good shot at winning this game. Jackson just needs to have another game where he does it all.

If the Bills vow to take away his impact on the ground he could end up with 275 passing yards. The key is Jackson has to take what the defense is giving him and not be reserved as a runner. If the Bills take away Marquise Brown he has to be willing to get other receivers involved. He needs to go out there and play loose. Good things happen when he naturally feels a game out.