ExtremeRavens Posted August 12 Posted August 12 Seven seasons later, Lamar Jackson has officially made it. We’re talking, of course, about the annual quarterback tiers by The Athletic’s Mike Sando, which for the first time has Jackson ranked in Tier 1. In a poll of 50 anonymous NFL coaches and executives, the Ravens’ superstar received 46 top-tier votes, double his total from the previous year. That placed him fourth overall behind the Kansas City Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes (tied for No. 1), the Cincinnati Bengals’ Joe Burrow (T-1) and the Buffalo Bills’ Josh Allen (No. 3) and ahead of the Los Angeles Rams’ Matthew Stafford (No. 5) in Tier 1. The Washington Commanders’ Jayden Daniels leads Tier 2 at No. 6. Jackson, 28, was ranked in Tier 4 ahead of his breakout 2019 season, in which he led the Ravens to an NFL-best 14-2 record and earned his first league Most Valuable Player Award. He was then ranked in Tier 2 for five years in a row despite winning a second MVP Award in 2023. So, what changed? In 2024, with offensive coordinator Todd Monken calling the plays for the second straight year, Jackson nearly won a third MVP Award as he became the first quarterback in NFL history to pass for at least 4,000 yards and rush for at least 900 in the same season. He set career highs in passing yards (4,172), touchdown passes (41) and passer rating (119.6) while throwing a career-low four interceptions and leading the Ravens to a 12-5 record and the AFC North title. However, his team came up short in the postseason once again in a 27-25 divisional round loss to the Bills marred by three turnovers and a crucial drop by tight end Mark Andrews on the potential game-tying 2-point conversion. Jackson is now 3-5 in the playoffs in his career with just one trip to the AFC championship game. To some, his growth has been evident. “Lamar has really done a great job, and I do not think it has been him that has let them down [in the playoffs],” a defensive coordinator told The Athletic. “It has been other parts of their team. He has taken leaps and bounds in the last couple years.” In the rankings, a Tier 1 quarterback is defined as someone who “can carry his team each week. The team wins because of him. He expertly handles pure-passing situations. He has no real holes in his game.” In addition to Mahomes, Allen and Burrow, Aaron Rodgers, Justin Herbert, Tom Brady, Russell Wilson, Deshaun Watson, Drew Brees, Andrew Luck, Philip Rivers and Ben Roethlisberger have all been ranked in Tier 1 at some point during Jackson’s career as a starter dating to the end of the 2018 season. Although Jackson is 70-24 in his career, a three-time All-Pro selection and the best rushing threat in the history of the position, he’s previously been criticized for his passing ability under pressure and checkered injury history after missing time in 2022 and 2021 with ankle and knee ailments, respectively. READER POLL: Is it Super Bowl or bust for the Ravens this season? There are fewer doubters now, at least among The Athletic’s subset of voters. “There was doubt before because it was off-schedule, it was running, it’s not sustainable, they have a great defense, they have this, they have that,” another 2025 voter said. “The offense has put the ball in his hands more, to sling the ball around.” On Tuesday, Monken said that Jackson’s improvements this summer have been “subtle.” “I think with every year that we’re running the same offense, and we’re together, we communicate better, [and we] get to learn each other better,” Monken said. “But his command at the line of scrimmage — I think he’s doing a better job with our guys consistently, what he expects from them and being on the same page, so you can just see that part of it.” In July, Ravens coach John Harbaugh said that Jackson’s “window to improve is pretty big” considering the quarterback’s age and experience. He later called Jackson a “historically good passer” in an interview with ESPN. “He’s not one of these guys that says, ‘I’m there, I’ve arrived.’ He never looks at it that way,” Harbaugh said. “He always looks at what [he can] do to get better.” In ESPN’s survey of league executives, coaches and scouts earlier this summer, Jackson also ranked fourth among quarterbacks behind Mahomes, Allen and Burrow with some evaluators knocking Jackson’s skills as a pocket passer while others praised his statistics and winning percentage. The Associated Press also surveyed eight of its pro football writers before the season, and Jackson once again ranked fourth behind the same trio. With Jackson at the helm, the Ravens enter the 2025 season among the betting favorites to win the Super Bowl. Baltimore opens the season Sept. 7 on “Sunday Night Football” in a playoff rematch against the Bills in Orchard Park, New York. Have a news tip? Contact sports editor C.J. Doon at cdoon@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/CJDoon. View the full article Quote
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