He’s used to being at or near the top of most statistical categories, but two-time NFL MVP Lamar Jackson heads one list the Baltimore Ravens won’t want their franchise quarterback to stay on for long.
Some startling numbers from Warren Sharp of Sharp Football Analysis reveal Jackson sits not so proudly atop “the 10 WORST QBs inside the red zone last year.”
a wild list I would not have expected
1. Lamar Jackson (-0.53) 2. Jaxson Dart (-0.23) 3. Trevor Lawrence (-0.18) 4. Joe Burrow (-0.15) 5. Sam Darnold (-0.15) 6. Patrick Mahomes (-0.13) 7. Dak Prescott (-0.11) 8. Caleb Williams
The list is focused on “2025 reg season based on EPA/pass attempt.” Naturally, one reader soon pointed out how throwing the football is just one part of Jackson’s game inside the 20, he also poses a significant rushing threat.
Unfortunately, taking mobility into account did nothing to improve Jackson’s standing. Sharp showed run-centric numbers that had Jackson still leading the way in unwanted territory, albeit on a list “nearly identical just in a slightly different order.”
Both sets of dismal stats reveal what Jackson has to gain by successfully adapting to new offensive coordinator Declan Doyle’s system. They also outline unlikely structural issues among a group of skill players, fronted by Jackson, who should be lethal closer to the end zone.
Fortunately, Jackson’s career history suggests he can go from worst to first among red zone quarterbacks in a hurry.
Lamar Jackson Needs to Get Back to What’s Worked in the Red Zone
It wasn’t long ago, 2024 in fact, when Jackson was No. 1 in “red zone EPA/pass,” according to Sharp. That ranking occurred on the watch of Doyle’s predecessor Todd Monken, but Jackson also topped the charts five years earlier, when Greg Roman was calling the offense in Baltimore.
Jackson bossing defenses inside the 20 for two different play-callers suggests last year’s issues were more about personnel than scheme. So it makes sense the Ravens have gotten bigger and better at key spots this offseason.
Ravens Have Changed Key Personnel to Fix Red-Zone Offense
If there was a problem with Monken’s playbook, it might have been predictability. Namely, the over-reliance on bulldozing running back Derrick Henry to win at the goal-line.
Henry’s effectiveness in short-yardage situations decline somewhat, even in the two-back sets Monken favored. The same personnel groupings made it easier for defenses to key on Henry closer to pay dirt, so Doyle is set to make it harder for opponents to decipher run and pass because the former Chicago Bears OC is ditching a position the Ravens have valued for decades.
The Jackson and Henry double act ought to make the Ravens unstoppable near the goal-line, but they need a more powerful offensive line to clear the way for their skills. That’s why it’s a good thing general manager Eric DeCosta reunited with a durable 330-pounder in free agency, before selecting beefy guard Vega Ioane with the team’s first pick in the 2026 NFL draft.
A bulkier O-line is good news for Jackson in the running game, but he’ll also benefit from two 6-foot-plus rookie wide receivers who will provide big targets inside the red zone. The Ravens could even furnish Jackson with another tough-catch machine by replacing DeAndre Hopkins with an All-Pro who knows how to get open.
That addition would complete a necessary overhaul of Jackson’s supporting cast, with the new faces sure to boost the Ravens’ production in the most important area of the field.
Ravens QB Lamar Jackson Tops Unwanted NFL List