Beating their nemesis the Kansas City Chiefs on the road in Week 4 won’t require Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens to outpace Patrick Mahomes for once. Instead, Jackson will need to overcome a career-long problem against Chiefs‘ defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.
The play-caller who has four Super Bowl rings to his credit, “has given Jackson myriad problems,” according to Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic. Those problems include two-time NFL MVP Jackson posting a lowly “58 percent completion percentage against the Chiefs is his third-lowest against teams he’s faced more than once.
Setting things right won’t be easy for Jackson on the road. The Ravens haven’t won at the home of the Chiefs since 2012, before Jackson’s time, but No. 8 has often found himself baffled by Spagnuolo’s sophisticated mix of elaborately disguised coverage and pressure from unexpected angles.
Dealing with the latter issue proved beyond Jackson and his offensive line against the Detroit Lions in Week 3. Not being able to decipher the code up front left Baltimore’s best player exposed, and Spagnuolo is sure to have taken note.
Steve Spagnuolo Has Had Lamar Jackson’s Number
Jackson is 0-3 at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, and 1-4 overall against Spagnuolo. The record show Spags has had the number of perhaps the most dynamic dual-threat playmaker of football’s modern era.
An underlying problem has been protecting the football. Jackson’s committed “seven turnovers with a quarterback rating (80.7) that’s less gaudy than his usual numbers” in games against the Chiefs, per Ravens.com Staff Writer Clifton Brown.
Those mistakes can be attributed to Spagnuolo’s units showing Jackson an ever-changing picture on the back end. As Baltimore’s QB1 put it, “they play Cover 0, Cover 6 sometimes, quarters defense, and invert Cover 2. They do it all, but we just have to execute, stay positive and ahead of the sticks, get first downs and put points on the board.”
The mix of coverages has routinely frozen Jackson in the pocket. His habit for holding onto the ball has been exploited by a patient KC defense with excellent lane discipline, something highlighted by For The Win’s Christian D’Andrea during the AFC Championship Game two seasons ago.
A negative play like this underlines a growing concern about the Ravens‘ offense and Jackson’s decision making.
Ravens Need Key Change on Offense
Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken needs to see Jackson make quicker choices against dense coverage and amidst a collapsing pocket. Swiftly choosing between running or throwing the ball was something Jackson didn’t do against the Lions.
The 28-year-old was blamed “directly with 4 sacks, 1 hit and 2 hurries,” according to Check the Mic co-host Sam Monson, who cited stats from Pro Football Focus.
Lions did a great job of causing him to hold the football and then pouncing when he tried to make plays.
He still made some, but this was impressive defense.
Jackson’s O-line is having to hold up in protection for too long, but the Ravens still need better blocking in front of the franchise’s prized asset. Getting superior line will play will depend a lot on positive news about the availability of All-Pro left tackle Ronnie Stanley.
Even if Stanley’s fully healthy, Jackson will be helped more by a balanced gameplan from offensive coordinator Todd Monken. The man with the headset shirked a league-leading running game when these two teams met with the conference title up for grabs, but putting the game in Jackson’s hands for too long is an unnecessary risk this time.
Monken needs to call Derrick Henry’s number often, despite the powerhouse running back’s recent issues with fumbles. Letting Henry work the Chiefs over early can keep the game close and prevent Jackson being left to the mercy of Spagnuolo’s devilish blitz schemes.
Lamar Jackson, Ravens Have a Steve Spagnuolo Problem