Analyst names Lamar Jackson the "Most Valuable Player of Week 6"
The Ravens defeated the Titans in London winning their matchup 24-16 last Sunday. Even though Lamar Jackson only passed for one touchdown in Week 6 (against one interception, mind you), he still put up solid numbers and kept Baltimore afloat all game long.
Jackson completed 21 of his 30 pass attempts against Tennessee. Those completions went for 223 yards on the day, and Lamar paired that with 62 rushing yards on just 13 carries. That rushing prowess helped Jackson join a very exclusive, one-man club.
The performance wasn't as incredible as other games in Lamar's resume, but Jackson did enough to catch the attention of Ben Solak of The Ringer, who named the Ravens quarterback the Most Valuable Player of the Week.
"It wasn’t an astonishing game in the stat sheet: 21-of-30 passes, 223 yards, a touchdown, a pick; 13 carries for 62 yards on the ground. But it certainly feels like Lamar yanked an unwilling Ravens offense up and down the field to a win over the Titans, who always play the Ravens tough. Few quarterbacks get to just stand in front of free rushers the way Jackson does. He’s the league’s greatest offensive safety net. Now if the Ravens could just fix their drops and their red zone offense (very easy things to do, of course), they could start putting up some real numbers on offense."
- Ben Solak, The Ringer
Solak, in fact, started his blurb by acknowledging that Jackson's outing "wasn't an astonishing game in the stat sheet," although he quickly flipped the narrative by adding "Lamar yanked an unwilling Ravens offense up and down the field to a win."
That, as aforementioned, was the plain truth. Of course, Justin Tucker had to kick and score his six field-goal attempts in London, and that alone would have been enough to beat the Titans on the scoreboard.
That being said, had it not been for Lamar and his chain-moving game it is probable that Tucker hadn't got as many chances.
Solak included a single play he referenced in his little writeup that showcases Lamar's magic on the field, no matter what opposing defenses throw at him.
As Solak himself put it, "few QBs get to stand in front of free rushers the way Jackson does." We agree with that!
Boiling it down to one simple statement, Jackson is "the league's greatest offensive safety net," which cannot be more accurate. Kudos to Solak for coming up with that thought.
In a Ravens team that has a much stronger defense than it has an offense through Week 6, had it not been for Jackson's prowess the franchise might be sitting at a 3-3 or even worse, a losing record these days.
Here's hoping that as Solak wrote, the Ravens "fix their drops and their red zone offense" so they can "start putting up some real numbers on offense."