Why Lamar Jackson Thrives Despite Defying Basic QB Instructions?

Lamar Jackson may easily be one of the best rushing quarterbacks of our generation. But now, he’s also exploring what quarterbacks are not usually trained for – the passing game. Football may have started as a game where the quarterback would rush the ball, but the modern-day NFL has evolved into more of a passing game. Firmly in the race for MVP, will he succeed in breaking passing records as well?

An analysis done by the Baltimore Banner’s Jonas Shaffer, which was shared by the Raven’s official X handle, explained how Jackson is a dual threat. Most QBs find it hard to even master the passing game, but Jackson is on the path to dominate both play styles. While coaches advise quarterbacks to stay in the pocket before making their first throw, Jackson seems to thrive despite disregarding those instructions. QBs are asked to not scramble much as it wrecks plays, but Lamar is the one player who gets better when he scrambles.

Lamar Jackson’s special skill that opponents are scared of

Throwing the quarterback’s playbook out of the window, he continues to excel as a scrambler. While his coach would have him secured within the pocket, Jackson knows that he performs well as a rusher. Because his opponents know he’s such a good scrambler, they are scared of letting him escape from the pocket.

His crowning glory of this season came during the game against the Los Angeles Rams. He recorded 70 rushing yards on Sunday Night Football, and 68 of them came on scrambles, which was 22 yards more than that of Justin Fields of the Chicago Bears. But this was not even the highlight of his career. That came in 2021 when he recorded 10 scrambles, as compared to the last games’ 8. His scramble rate of 12.5% is the highest in the league as of now. But how does this fit in offensive coordinator, Todd Monken’s pass-centric playing style?

Jackson is making strides on passes as well

Lamar-vellous is just 194 yards away from breaking his career record of 3,127 passing yards. Shaffer also noted that on passes he made between 2.5 seconds and 4 seconds, he went 14 for 21, a 66.67% success rate, and also scored 3 touchdowns with one interception. Only Brock Purdy has surpassed that record.

Although the Ravens have clearly adopted a pass-first approach to their games, Monken’s schematics have also left space for Jackson’s rushing abilities to develop. The Ravens’ early-down pass rate of 58% is the 7th highest in the league. At the same time, Jackson’s pressure rate of 6.7% is only the 18th highest among 40 quarterbacks, with at least a hundred passes.

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With the Ravens taking on the AFC South leaders in the upcoming week, will he manage to surpass his passing yards record? Or will he continue to cement his position as the leading rushing quarterback of the league right now?

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