While mistakes are often camouflaged after wins, after losses they stick out like the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree in Manhattan this time of year. Baltimore’s success rides on the shoulders of its quarterback, so the question I should be asking you is this: Do you trust Lamar Jackson? The Ravens are 8-4 this season. Those eight wins are thanks to Jackson’s incredible talent, athleticism, and gutsy moves. He has performed remarkably this season, all doing so with a banged-up roster. The Ravens’ All-Pro left tackle, their best corner, and their three best running backs are all out. This is all noted. They have four losses, and in at least three of those games Jackson cost them the win. It’s a double-edged sword with him and I’m not going to try to figure it out because there is no easy answer. This team moves up and down by way of the Jackson train. As a team, a win against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday would have given them a two-game cushion over the Cincinnati Bengals for the AFC North lead. Now, they’re one game ahead of the Bengals, and just two ahead of the Steelers and Cleveland Browns.
So now what?
Simply put, Jackson’s issue has been interceptions. While he didn’t throw an interception at the end of the game Sunday, the team was put in a position to make the decision to go for two points and the win. An incomplete pass resulted in a loss. My issue wasn’t the play call, the pass, or even Jackson, it was that the Ravens should never had been in that position to begin with. Jackson’s interception on the game’s opening drive, with the Ravens in field-goal range, probably cost them three points and the game.
This season Jackson has thrown 13 interceptions. He threw 18 in his first three seasons combined. His seasons and interceptions have gone like this: 3, 6, 9, 13. The numbers obviously go up every year. This isn’t a good trend.
Remember a few weeks back when cameras caught Ravens coach John Harbaugh telling Jackson, “I believe in you.”
Harbaugh said the decision was a no-brainer when they went for it on 4th down, but what fans and the league took away from this sequence was a head coach asking his quarterback if he wanted to go for it. Their trust was on full display. (We all know Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers had Arnold fists watching that moment. Remember earlier this year when the Packers kicked on 4th down in the NFC Championship game? I’m pretty sure nobody asked Rodgers about that call.)
Is the trust going to still be there now? Lately the issues seem to be Jackson’s decision-making and his reaction to the blitz. You can clearly see every week that teams go blitz heavy, and maybe the Ravens are just asking too much of him.
The plan can’t be to scramble, to buy time and I don’t think that is what offensive coordinator Greg Roman designs. If so, then why isn’t the play better?
From my perspective, if the Ravens can work on picking up the blitz and Jackson can stop throwing interceptions, this team could go far in the playoffs. At times, when we watch Jackson juke three players and gain 40 yards alone, announcers like to call him Superman. The name is perfect because he saved this organization, but if Superman can learn sometimes that Clark Kent is just fine, he can also win you games.
Now the challenge for Baltimore will be this: Who is going to ask Jackson to take off that cape?
