Before the bye week, Lamar Jackson was considered an MVP frontrunner by many around the league. Since then, he has missed a game due to illness, and upon his return, he has simply not been the same.
In the two games Jackson has played since, the former MVP has thrown five interceptions. Although one or two of these may not necessarily be his fault, on a good few of these he has tried to force the ball into places that simply make no sense whatsoever.
Everyone knows Jackson can produce moments of magic, like his touchdown pass to Mark Andrews against the Cleveland Browns in Week 12. He ran around, made defenders look foolish, and with the flick of his wrist found his favorite target open in the end zone.
However, this isn’t sustainable — you can’t keep relying on moments of brilliance to win football games. What Jackson was doing well at the start of the season was that he took what was given to him, whether it was a running lane that opened up or a check down.
For some reason, Jackson seems to have gone back to his rookie season. When his first read isn’t available, and he forces the throw, or he just takes off and runs.
Ravens QB Lamar Jackson just needs to calm down
During the first few weeks of the season, it was obvious that Jackson had spent the offseason working on his throwing mechanics. He was very composed in the pocket going through his reads and was actively trying to remain in the pocket and make a play, even if that was to check it down.
There is a chance he is just getting back to full health and doing what he knows and just trying to get through the games.
There’s no doubt that Lamar Jackson will be fine in the long run, but he needs to get back to the basics and put emphasis on moving the chains rather than trying to score a touchdown on every play.