Ravens need to start giving Lamar Jackson more protection
If the Ravens want Lamar Jackson to survive the regular season, they need to stop demanding so much from him in the run game.
Any chance the Ravens have of capturing a Super Bowl title requires Lamar Jackson being healthy and at his best when the playoffs begin. That’s why the team’s current offensive philosophy should be so troubling for Baltimore fans.
Heading into Week 4, Jackson is averaging the most carries of his relatively brief NFL career. His average of seven rushing yards per carry is a big key for the Ravens’ offensive success, but the reality that he’s averaging 12 carries per game exposes the electric quarterback to far too many hits.
The Ravens’ use of Jackson in the run game is even more concerning when you consider the reality of the NFL’s 17-game regular season in 2021. It puts Jackson on pace to break his own record for rushing attempts and yards by a quarterback. The idea was for Baltimore to make Jackson more of a passer as his career progressed. The opposite is true through the first three games of this season.
Ravens need to provide more support for Lamar Jackson
The good news for Ravens fans is that there’s still time for John Harbaugh and his offensive coaching staff to change course. There will inevitably be games when Baltimore is able to grab an early lead and avoid overexposing Jackson. Those one-sided victories should push Jackson’s carry per game average down to a more manageable position.
In fairness to the coaching staff, the franchise’s horrible injury luck at the running back position has certainly been a factor in Jackson’s overuse. J.K. Dobbins was supposed to be a prominent cog in this offense before he suffered a season-ending ACL injury. The team’s running back depth chart was further decimated by losing backups Gus Edwards and Justice Hill. Some stabilization at the tailback position should also help reduce the pounding Jackson’s required to take on a weekly basis.
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Jackson’s rushing total isn’t at a crisis point yet, but it could quickly get there with one ugly hit from an opposing defender. The Ravens need to work to turn the math more in their favor if they want to keep Jackson healthy for when the games really count. If they keep getting him hit this often he won’t have a chance to lead his team to a Super Bowl title.