When Lamar Jackson entered the league, pundits questioned whether his hybrid style would make him injury prone.
Jackson's ability to dodge big hits on the run proved that wrong, and this season is further proof. Jackson is running less and hurting more.
Running at the lowest rate of his NFL career, Jackson has taken as many sacks (23) through seven games this season as he did all of last year. When a reporter informed him of that statistic Thursday, Jackson recoiled in surprise.
"I'm gonna have to talk to my offensive line about that," Jackson said with a grin.
"I mean, it's part of football. You know, sometimes guys will get you, sometimes they won't. Like I said, I'm going to talk to my guys about that. They probably ain't going to like that though. You guys [are] telling me it's 23 sacks, they're probably not going to like that."
Jackson has missed Wednesday practices the past two weeks and said it "probably" will be his new normal this season as he manages his body. Last week, it was knee soreness coming out of the game in Minnesota. This week, he was listed with an ankle issue.
He returned to full practice the following day both times and seems to again be on track to play Sunday, this time against the New York Jets.
"It's just part of football, I guess. But I'm good," Jackson said.
"It's my first time, you know, dealing with something like this, like while I'm playing. So, I mean, we got great trainers and stuff like that. Our staff is good. So, like I said, I'm good."
There's no doubt that Jackson is taking more, and perhaps bigger, hits this season. He took a particularly big shot on a sack from Vikings outside linebacker Dallas Turner, which drew a 15-yard penalty and $17,000 fine because Turner dropped all his body weight on Jackson's 205-pound frame.
"He got me right there. I wasn't expecting that at all," Jackson said. "I'm glad we got that call, though. He dropped all his weight on me."
Jackson bulked up during the 2022 offseason to better prepare himself physically for the punishment of the NFL. He shed weight before last season, felt great, and averaged a league-high 6.6 yards per carry. Jackson kept the same weight this season but has taken more punishment.
The Ravens' offensive line takes a lot of pride in protecting Jackson, and it had a tough task last Sunday in Cleveland against the NFL's top pass rusher, Myles Garrett, and an attacking Browns defense that racked up five sacks.
"Always, there's going to be improvement that you can come out of a game with," center Tyler Linderbaum said. "Last game, [the Browns have a] really good defensive front, really good defense. At times, teams are going to get theirs, and you just have to try to limit as much as possible. As a unit, you're striving to limit as much sacks as you can, but it's a part of the game. There's a lot that goes into sacks, but it is not a determining factor in the outcome of a game."
Part of the reason for the uptick in sacks is that Jackson is averaging a career-low 5.6 rushing attempts per game. While Jackson is adept at avoiding big hits when he scrambles, he acknowledged he's taking more punishment as a pocket passer, where he can only protect himself so much.
"I don't think I got hit like nobody hit me when I was running, but probably in the pocket. If I'm not expecting it, probably," Jackson said. "But I believe any quarterback who gets hit in the pocket, it's going to be a hard hit."
Jackson Is Confident in His Running Ability 'When My Number Is Called'
While Jackson's rushing attempts and rushing yards per game (32.3) are way down, he's confident that he can still leave opponents in the dust when he wants.
Jackson scoffed at a reporter's notion that he's getting caught from behind more.
"I don't recall getting caught in the league at all, though," Jackson said.
The Ravens have phased out many of the designed quarterback runs that were a hallmark of Greg Roman's offense, and they haven't leaned as much on read-option plays this season.
Derrick Henry has the seventh-most rushing attempts (166) in the league, and Keaton Mitchell (21 carries) and Justice Hill (18) have as many combined carries as Jackson (39). Jackson said he doesn't think there's a missing element.
"We've got great running backs. You know, we got Derrick Henry, that's what we got him for," Jackson said. "We got a guy like Derrick Henry who came over here [and] ran for like 1,500 yards, 1,800, whatever it was. Justice Hill, Keaton Mitchell, Rasheen Ali – we have all these great running backs. So, when my number is called, we'll see."
Offensive Coordinator Todd Monken said Jackson's injuries have not affected his game plans.
Monken and Players Address Red Zone Struggles
After leading the league in red-zone touchdown percentage last season, the Ravens rank 28th in that category this year.
They've scored touchdowns 47.2% of the time and it has been a pain point in back-to-back games in Minnesota and Cleveland.
Monken said Thursday that improving the red-zone offense is a big focus in practice this year, just like it was a year ago.
"There's a number of things we can do better. Like everything that we do on offense, it starts with me – 'How do we scheme it better, call it better, execute better?' It's all of that. There's not one thing in particular, just like there wasn't one thing last year that was in particular why we were so successful. It was the combination of everything collectively," Monken said.
"I'm not making excuses. We have to be a lot better in the red zone, but what matters most – just like any week – is that we're elite this week in the red zone."
Henry said the Ravens have to execute the run game better, and Linderbaum also pointed to Baltimore's struggles running in short-yardage situations as part of the issue.
"I think the No. 1 thing to be successful in the red zone, you have to be able to run the football effectively, which I don't think we have been able to," Linderbaum said. "So, that starts with us – the O-line – and blocking better and putting guys in a better position to score. We certainly have the talent to do so."
Breakout Game Coming Soon? It's Likely
Tight end Isaiah Likely had the fourth-most receiving yards (477) and several of the offense's signature plays last season.
This year, he's had more than two catches and 20 receiving yards in a game just once.
After missing most of training camp and the first three games of the season due to a broken bone in his foot that required surgery, the fourth-year tight end has yet to have a breakout performance in his first seven games.
"We got other tight ends, other guys eating, you know, but he's been coming along as the season [has] been going on," Jackson said. "He was out the first few weeks, but his time is coming."
