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After a sensational start to the 2022 season, Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson was named AFC Player of the Month for the first time since his unanimous league MVP season in 2019. He earned that honor just once that year and will likely top that number this year if he keeps up his current record-setting pace both as a thrower and runner of the football and his team continues to win.
There’s only one @Lj_era8 ❕
AFC Offensive Player of the Month 🔥
Jackson is widely viewed as the front runner in the MVP race and currently leads the league in passing touchdowns (10), total touchdowns (12), passer rating (119), touchdown percentage as a passer (11.4), and yards per carry (9.3). He is also ranked fourth in rushing yards (273), second in QBR (78.4), and has recorded the longest touchdown pass (75 yards) and run (79 yards).
Lamar Jackson makes these passes look easy. 🎯 @Lj_era8 (via @NextGenStats)
The star signal-caller is already the greatest dual-threat quarterback the game has ever seen and will likely ever see and is the engine that the Ravens’ offense is built around flows. Thanks to his herculean efforts with his live throwing arm and electric legs, they are the highest scoring unit in the league through the first three weeks of the season with an average of 33 points per game.
Jackson has silenced all of his critics that questioned and doubted that he could ever develop into a complete NFL quarterback that could not only operate from but dominate as a passer from the pocket while still preserving and unleashing the dangerous threat he possesses and presents as a runner. He is “absolutely destroying” opposing defense when they’ve blitzed him with a near-perfect passer rating and ranks first in EPA per dropback against the blitz (.97) according to Warren Sharp of Fox Sports and Sharp Football Analysis.
Jackson Loves Being Under Center
One of the biggest wrinkles that the Roman and the Ravens implemented in this year’s offense that has allowed Jackson to thrive and take his game to another level is allowing him to operate under center more. It brings even more unpredictability to an offense that is already a headache to defend and nearly impossible to slow down or limit when it’s clicking on all cylinders or when Jackson is in a good rhythm with good to decent pass protection.
“I love it,” Jackson said during a press conference on September 28, 2022. “I feel like it’s very effective, because defenses don’t know whether you’re running the ball or dropping back to pass with the play action – stuff like that – so I feel like it’s helping us out a lot.”
Several Ravens Recieve High Praise From PFF
Jackson isn’t the only player on the team that is off to the start of the 2022 season according to Pro Football Focus. They have numerous players on the roster that rank among the elite and top 10 in the league at their respective positions.
Joining him as a standout in their high-flying aerial attack is 2021 First-Team All-Pro tight end Mark Andrews who ranks fifth in the league and first among players at his position in receptions with 22 on 31 targets through three games. He is tied for the second most touchdown catches in the NFL with three and his 245 receiving yards both lead the team and rank first among all tight ends as well. PFF believes that Andrews is one of the most complete players at his position in the entire league with a receiving grade of 87.8 which ranks first among tight ends and a run blocking grade of 72.4 which is still a top 10 mark for his position-pun intended.
Mark Andrews this season:
⚫️ 89.7 PFF grade 🥇
🟣 87.8 REC grade 🥇
⚫️ 72.4 RBLK grade (9th)
🟣 22 receptions 🥇
⚫️ 245 yards 🥇
🟣 3 TDs 🥇
⚫️ 15 first downs 🥇
🟣 2.75 yards per route run 🥇
TE1 – is it even up for debate?
While their defense has struggled with consistency to start the season in large part due to players coming back from and going down with season-ending injuries, multiple members of the unit have played well enough to garner individual recognition.
Prized free agent acquisition Marcus Williams has made his ball-hawking presence felt in every game thus far and leads the league in interceptions with three and the Ravens in total tackles with 27. Even though he’s had his ups and downs in terms of communication and tackling at times, first-round pick Kyle Hamilton is the top-ranked rookie safety and is two spots higher than Williams on the top overall list at the position.
The Ravens have two of PFF’s top 10 graded safeties through Week 3 😈
🟣 Kyle Hamilton – 77.7 (7th)
⚫️ Marcus Williams – 77.2 (9th)
Two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Marlon Humphrey appears to be back to his All-Pro form through three weeks with what way he has been lights out and lockdown in coverage. He earned a 90.7 coverage grade for his outstanding performance in the team’s Week 3 win over the New England Patriots and per their metrics, has the lowest passer rating allowed in single coverage this season among all players at his position.
The lowest passer rating allowed in single coverage this season 🔒
Third-year defensive tackle Justin Madubuike is off to a dominant start to the season as well and looks well on his way to a breakout campaign with an overall grade of 84.1 which is higher than Jackson’s. He has been a consistently disruptive force that has blown up plays and essentially taken permanent residency in opposing backfields with the way he has been relentlessly pressuring quarterbacks and throwing down ball carriers at and behind the line of scrimmage. According to Pro Football Reference, the 2020 third-round pick already has 1.5 sacks, three tackles for loss, three quarterback hits, and six pressures.
Highest graded Ravens through Week 2 this season:
🥇 Justin Madubuike – 90.2
🥈 Michael Pierce – 87.9
🥉 Mark Andrews – 84.1
4️⃣ Justin Houston – 77.7
5️⃣ Devin Duvernay – 74.0
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Ravens’ Lamar Jackson Recognized by NFL After Stellar September