Lamar Jackson headed for an extremely run-heavy year
As the Baltimore Ravens gear up for the start of the season, it appears that Lamar Jackson will have the ball in his hands all the time.
Last year, the football world got a chance to watch Jackson lead the Ravens to a playoff berth by going 6-1 in the seven games that the started. However, in those seven games, Jackson only threw for five touchdowns and only had one game where he threw for over 200 yards.
For a normal quarterback, those stats would be alarming. But with Jackson, he was able to rush for five touchdowns and steadily lead the Ravens to the playoffs.
With opposing teams defenses having to stay alert with Jackson’s threat of running, the Ravens were able to lean heavily on a run-based offense anchored by Jackson. While it worked very well for the Ravens last year, many wondered if Baltimore would be able to keep it up this year with Jackson being the starting quarterback from the start of the year. With defenses hitting harder than ever, the Ravens had to consider if they were willing to leave Lamar’s body vulnerable to the vicious hits that he could take when running the ball.
Ultimately, Baltimore head coach John Harbaugh put the rumors to rest when he announced that Jackson will most likely break Cam Newton’s personal record for most quarterback carries in a season.
Ravens coach John Harbaugh said "take the over" for Lamar Jackson to break 139 QB carries this season, Cam Newton's personal record.
— Josh Norris (@JoshNorris) July 29, 2019
Lamar Jackson is currently the QB15 in July drafts https://t.co/VLRtJh0suh
This pretty much shows that the Ravens believe that their offense will operate at the highest level if the ball is constantly in the hands of Jackson. It also shows confidence in the fact that they believe that Jackson’s body will be able to endure the brutal hits that he will receive in every game.
In an interview, Jackson noted that during the offseason he tried to bulk up some more in order to “put some more meat on my bones.” If Jackson can stay healthy, not only could he be headed for an excellent season, but the Ravens will have one of the most intriguing and dangerous offenses in the league. As the season gets closer and closer, keep an eye on Jackson and the Ravens new-look offense.