![](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,<svg height="439" width="780" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" version="1.1"/>)
He’s done just about everything else for the Baltimore Ravens, but Lamar Jackson wants to play on defense, even if it’s just for “one game.” The quarterback asked the Ravens to “send me on the blitz” while watching Baltimore’s unit batter the Seattle Seahawks during a 37-3 win in Week 9.
Of course, a mic’d up Jackson was joking, but it’s understandable everyone wants in on what the Ravens are doing defensively this season. Coordinator Mike Macdonald’s creative scheming is earning plaudits from many, including a former Ravens play caller. Meanwhile, a mix of established veterans and unheralded younger players are dominating each week.
All of those things combined to help the Ravens feast on a usually dynamic Seattle offense.
Everybody Wants On ‘Best in Football’ Ravens Defense
One of Macdonald’s predecessors, Chuck Pagano, told The 33rd Team this season’s Ravens own “the best defense in football,” and it’s hard to argue. Pagano believes this defense will “take you right back, remind you of some of the great Ravens’ defenses of the past.”
That’s a growing sentiment after Macdonald’s group already surpassed a mark set by the legendary 2000 defense earlier this season. What’s setting today’s defense apart is a league-leading 35 sacks, with 13 players registering at least one QB takedown.
Many of those sacks are coming from sophisticated blitz packages designed by Macdonald. Some of the best pressures against the Seahawks were highlighted by NFL Network’s Brian Baldinger.
He praised 32-year-old Kyle Van Noy and Jadeveon Clowney, 30, for their level of play, but Baldinger also singled out Justin Madubuike. The fourth-year pro leads all defensive tackles with 7.5 sacks.
Madubuike isn’t the only young player thriving in Macdonald’s attack-first system. There’s also 24-year-old safety Geno Stone, who snatched an NFL-best sixth interception in Week 9.
Everybody’s getting in on the act for this Ravens’ defense. Nobody, including Jackson, wants to be left out.
Lamar Jackson’s Enjoying Leading a Dominant Team
Jackson can afford to joke when the Ravens are emerging as perhaps the strongest all-round team in the league. Balance is the watchword for these Ravens because No. 8 is directing a versatile offense that provides an effective complement to the marauding defense.
The symmetry in the Ravens’ offense was obvious during the Seahawks’ ill-fated visit to M&T Bank Stadium. Jackson didn’t throw a touchdown, but he didn’t need to thanks to running backs Gus Edwards and Keaton Mitchell bossing the game on the ground. They accounted for three rushing touchdowns as part of a 298-yard effort.
Will Jackson ever get to test his athletic skills on the blitz? It’s not a stretch for a dual-threat quarterback who some teams were strangely convinced would be better suited at wide receiver.
Don’t count on Jackson ever playing a snap on defense because why would the Ravens take the risk with the face of the franchise? They wouldn’t, but it’s fun to imagine what would happen if they did.
Macdonald would have no problem drawing up ways to send Jackson off the slot. Or maybe blitz him through the middle. Possibilities are endless in this creative scheme and with one of the game’s top athletes.
Maybe the Ravens let Jackson have a go in practice.
0 Comments