Put Some RESPECT on Lamar Jackson’s Name

Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, Josh Allen and Josh Rosen were all selected before Lamar Jackson in the 2018 NFL Draft. Despite being drafted in the first round, Jackson also had to wait for his turn behind Ravens’ quarterback Joe Flacco. When Flacco became injured last season, it was Jackson’s time to shine.

Jackson remained the starter for the rest of the season and led the Ravens into the playoffs. His rushing ability shined while his passing ability still left more to be desired. He remained the starter and played in his first playoff game against the Chargers. It went as bad as it possibly could in the first three quarters. In the fourth quarter he only had 25 passing yards, but was able to pull Baltimore within a touchdown after throwing two touchdown passes.

After ending the Patriots’ quest for perfection last night, it’s time to acknowledge Jackson as a quarterback and one that can beat any team. Many very good quarterbacks have tried to dethrone the Patriots in primetime and many have failed.

The Patriots had no way of stopping Jackson and the Ravens who dropped 37 points on a defense that was giving up just EIGHT points per game. Jackson ran for two scores while also throwing for one against a defense that gave up FOUR touchdowns total through the first half of the season. The game ended with the beautiful Baltimore crowd showering Lamar Jackson with M-V-P chants.

Looking back at the draft, it seems even more mind-boggling that Jackson fell that far in the draft. He has completely outplayed all four of the quarterbacks taken ahead of him and has become one of the best young quarterbacks in the league. The knock against Jackson has always been that he is a far superior runner than he is a passer.

Bill Polian even suggested that he change positions. If you actually analyze the numbers compared with other quarterbacks taken before him, that seems incomprehensible. Compared with Josh Allen’s time at Wyoming who had a 56.2 completion percentage, Jackson finished his Louisville career with a 57.0 completion rate. All the knocks against Jackson are not justified when you take a look at all of those quarterbacks selected in 2018. Baltimore made a very smart decision trading back into the first round to grab Jackson.

It seems very likely the Ravens will meet the Patriots one more time in the playoffs.