Getty Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens.
Winning two MVP awards seems to still not be enough to detract criticism of Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson. Retired Pro Bowler Mark Schlereth, in particular, is done hearing from those who defend the Ravens’ QB, especially those who say Jackson has a lack of elite targets to throw to.
The former Denver Broncos and Washington Commanders guard spoke about Jackson on his podcast, “The Stinkin Truth Podcast with Mark Schlereth,” and railed on the QB.
“How many first-round wide receivers do you need to draft?” he said. “Well, they’re not drafting the right one. Well, you’re not developing them.”
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Jackson was drafted by the Ravens in the first round of 2018 and since then they have drafted three first-round receivers.
“I do not want to hear from all of you out there that are telling me that ‘Lamar Jackson, well, they don’t get him weapons,” he said.
Jackson is a two-time MVP winner, three-time Pro Bowler and has been named an first-team All-Pro First QB twice in his career.
1st-Round WRs Have Mixed Results With Lamar Jackson
Jackson’s career high in passing yards occurred in 2023 for 3,678 passing yards and has only cracked the 3,000 passing yard mark twice. Part of this is due to his superb ability to use his legs but also the Ravens’ emphasis on the run-game.
Schlereth focused on the first-round WRs brought in by the Ravens during Jackson’s tenure and there have been three so far. Marquise “Hollywood” Brown in 2019, Rashod Bateman in 2021, and Zay Flowers in 2023.
Brown was the first WR brought in, and his results were mixed with Jackson as he only hit the 1,000-yard mark once. His numbers increased every season before he was traded to the Arizona Cardinals and since then his high was only 709 receiving yards.
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Bateman is still a member of the Ravens, but to this point in his career he has not lived up to his first-round pedigree, mostly due to injuries and his inability to stay on the field.
Bateman, 24, is still young and will have many to prove wrong this year if he can put it all together. Flowers, on the other hand, is still only a rookie, and therefore hard to assess, but he had a successful first season.
He had 77 catches for 858 receiving yards (which both led the team) and 5 receiving touchdowns. In the AFC Championship game against the Kansas City Chiefs, he had 5 catches for 115 receiving yards and a touchdown as well.
Lamar Jackson’s Playoff Record Will Need Improvement
One of the most pointed to statistics from Lamar critics is his playoff performances and record. Schlereth said, “Don’t tell me about the pain, show me the baby. Produce in the playoffs.”
Jackson has started six playoff games and is 2-4 in those appearances, include two first-game losses. In those six games, he has a completion percentage of 57.4%, thrown for 1,324 passing yards, 6 touchdowns, 6 interceptions and has run for 524 yards and 3 touchdowns.
He has failed to throw for touchdowns in two of those four games and was bounced out as the No. 1 seed in 2019 by the Tennesse Titans in their first game.
Heading into the 2023 playoffs, much was made about his playoff abilities and coming out of the gate against the Houston Texans he put much to rest as his contributed four total touchdowns. However, their playoff run ended against the Chiefs at home in a tight 17-10 loss.
It was Jackson’s first appearance in the AFC championship and hopefully not his last. The Ravens have a deep offense and defense again this season, and if Jackson cannot command the offense back to the AFC championship or even the Super Bowl, the critics will just get louder.