ExtremeRavens Posted October 17 Posted October 17 By any number of metrics, Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is playing perhaps the best football of his career. Through the first six games, he has thrown for 1,529 yards with 10 touchdowns and just two interceptions while rushing for 403 yards and two more scores on 64 carries, numbers that are well ahead of what he produced through the first six games of last season when he went on to be named the NFL Most Valuable Player for a second time. Other numbers are eye-opening, too, with Jackson ranking third in expected points added per pass and eighth among all players in rushing yards. Consequently and unsurprisingly, Baltimore’s offense ranks first in defense-adjusted value over average (DVOA). Asked on Thursday in Owings Mills if this is the best he is playing in what is now his seventh year in the league, Jackson demurred, but didn’t exactly deny it. “I just feel like everything is slowing down even more just from the years I’ve been in the league and seeing all types of defenses, seeing all types of blitzes,” he said. “Everything is just second nature right now. I’m just trying to be a better player myself each and every year, so I’ll just say everything is slowing down. That’s what’s helping it.” As the game slows down for one of the sport’s fastest and most electrifying players — a scary proposition for defenses by any measure — talk of another MVP Award is naturally heating up. In Baltimore’s four straight wins after two straight losses to open the season, Jackson is fourth in completion rate (70.3%), second in yards per drop-back (9.1) and has thrown eight touchdown passes to just one interception while rushing for 236 yards. In wins over the Cincinnati Bengals and Washington Commanders over the past two weeks, he threw for more than 300 yards in each, racked up 766 total yards and threw five touchdown passes with one interception and one fumble lost. When Ravens coach John Harbaugh was asked if this is the best he has seen from the 27-year-old Jackson to date, he was more forthright. “The honest answer is probably yes, just because he’s the most far along as he’s been, just as a player and development-wise,” he said. “He’s always seeking to improve. He’s very much a perfectionist. He wants every play to be perfect. He chases perfection in his football.” Through the first six games, Lamar Jackson has thrown for 1,529 yards with 10 touchdowns and just two interceptions while rushing for 403 yards and two more scores. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) One-third of the way into the season, the Ravens also seem to have found the perfect mix, at least on offense — something that’s been needed given the defense’s continued struggles. Baltimore is tops in the league in yards per game (453.7), yards per play (6.9), red zone scoring (75%) and third-down conversion rate (51.47%), third in yards per pass (8.6) and fourth in points per game (29.5). With 1,232 rushing yards — which is 229 more than the second-best team — and an average of 5.9 yards per carry, the Ravens also have the NFL’s best ground attack with running back Derrick Henry leading the way. His 704 rushing yards and eight touchdowns are the most in the league, and last Sunday against the Commanders he had his fourth game of the year with more than 30 rushing yards over expected, per Next Gen Stats, also the most in the NFL. By comparison, only San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey had more such games all of last season with five. Henry’s success, of course, has made life that much easier for Jackson, who has thrived in play-action passing, among other areas. Against the Commanders, he completed 9 of 10 passes for 155 yards on play action. His presnap identification has also stood out in particular and significant ways. “It was like a cheat code, it was really like his ability to identify the coverages,” former Washington tight end Logan Paulsen said on the “Take Command” podcast earlier this week. “I don’t know if anybody thought — I know I didn’t think it — that he had that kind of ability at the line of scrimmage very similar to Tom Brady and Peyton Manning to just get you into the right look consistently. That’s super impressive. “A lot of the big plays in this game came from his communication and mastery of that offense. … Those plays were back-breaking.” And it’s helped make the Ravens’ offense as potent as it is dynamic. So has the emergence of other playmakers. Zay Flowers in his second year has quickly become a No. 1 wide receiver with two straight 100-yard games, which included a career-high 132 in the first half alone last week. His 401 receiving yards rank 11th in the league and has him on pace for more than 1,100 in the season. Meanwhile, fellow receiver Rashod Bateman leads the NFL with a separation rate of 72.73% against press coverage and has started to find his rhythm with Jackson. Tight ends Mark Andrews and the ascendant Isaiah Likely have been trustworthy targets and adept blockers. Not only is Jackson making those around him better, but now in the second year of offensive coordinator Todd Monken’s scheme he has reached a new level of comfort as well. “[I’m] a lot [more] comfortable,” he said. “The same terminology, just hearing it a year and being involved in it a year and just talking with him about things that I see on the field, what I don’t see, and just hearing his take on plays. It’s a team effort — it’s not just me doing it myself — it’s everybody involved, and everyone is talking about their plans, and what they’re seeing out there on the field or in the film room.” Only seven players in NFL history have won three MVP Awards, including Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Aaron Rodgers. But Jackson knows it’s also only October. Another high-octane opponent awaits this week against the Buccaneers in Tampa. The are still 10 more games to navigate, including many against AFC North rivals as well as a Christmas showdown against the Texans in Houston. He’s heard the hype and the MVP talk before, none of which means a whole lot to him unless he’s hoisting a Super Bowl trophy at the end of the season. “I know how it feels to be 0-2,” said Jackson, who has a 2-4 record in the postseason. “I really don’t care about the hype — not just being 0-2 — I just know how the NFL works. It’s ‘Any Given Sunday.’ So, I’m not going to dwell on an MVP trophy or anything like that — I never have. Even when I won it, I never dwelled on it. It was just about me trying to win each and every game I’m in, and same thing now. “I’m still trying to win these games to get to February and win in February.” Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1. View the full article Quote
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