Getty Lamar Jackson signals for a timeout in Washington.
Lamar Jackson has been in the league for a handful of seasons now with the Baltimore Ravens, which means the time has come to begin judging how the quarterback stacks up against his peers.
Most see Jackson as one of the top quarterbacks playing the game today, but most people also aren’t Fox Sports analyst Colin Cowherd. Recently, Cowherd was putting together his rankings in terms of the quarterback position in the NFL. Jackson wasn’t within Cowherd’s first tier, but he placed a bit further down the list on the second tier.
Anyone missing?
Obviously, lists like this are all subjective, but it shows just where Jackson is in the court of public opinion at this point in time. Cowherd takes a ton of grief for his opinions from time to time, and this will be another case where folks who like the Ravens and appreciate Jackson hammer him.
Clearly, Jackson has some work to do in order to elevate in the eyes of Cowherd.
What Lamar Jackson Must Do to Elevate His Game
Jackson has some notable holes in his resume in terms of some of the quarterbacks ahead of him on the list. Jackson has won only one playoff game in his career to this point in time, and hasn’t led a deep playoff run of any sorts. In both of his playoff losses, Jackson has looked pedestrian and has yet to take over a playoff game like he does plenty of regular season games. As a whole, Jackson is an uninspiring 1-3 in the playoffs and has never won an AFC Championship game nor a Super Bowl.
As frustrating as it might be, Jackson is going to have to find a way to do some bigger winning in order to move up in the mind of some in the media. This is true no matter the fact that he’s been an MVP and is already one of the most exciting players to watch in the game at the position.
Lamar Jackson Stats
This past season, Jackson had more struggles than successes at times statistically, but even in spite of that, he managed to have a solid season this year. Jackson himself had only 2,757 passing yards, 26 touchdowns, 1,005 rushing yards and 7 touchdowns. Those numbers might be lower than what thy were in his NFL MVP season, but it’s long been clear that the stats are only half of what Jackson brings to the table. He is still the unquestioned heart and soul of the entire team, which is why the Ravens have to lock him up on a new deal and build around him better.
Since being drafted out of Louisville, Jackson has begun to rewrite the book in the league in terms of what a quarterback is and can be with his ability to run and extend the play.. The fact that he was a shoo-in as an All-Pro is a testament to how good Jackson was in 2019. The fact he won MVP last season was also simply a testament to that as well. There’s no question he can still challenge for those awards moving forward.
Jackson has his work cut out for him in the AFC with the specter of Patrick Mahomes looming for the next decade or so, and he will have to get to work if he wants to impress some in the media like Cowherd moving forward with his career.
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