It’s official, the Lamar Jackson era is set to begin in Baltimore

With Joe Flacco currently nursing a hip injury, the time has come for Lamar Jackson to take the reins and see if he can get the flock back on the right track.

As veteran QB Joe Flacco’s status for week 11 has finally been decided, Lamar Jackson will finally get his first NFL career start today versus the Cincinnati Bengals. Flacco went down in week 9 after landing awkwardly against the Steelers, causing an injury to his right hip. He did remain in the game and completed 23 of his 37 passing attempts for 206 yards in a 23-16 loss.

According to Jamison Hensley of ESPN, Flacco has not practiced this week, which doesn’t bode well for him playing, even with the Ravens coming off of a bye week. Late last evening ESPN’s Adam Schefter, a man who needs no introduction, reported that it was all but official that Lamar Jackson would get the start for the first time as a professional football player.

With the Ravens sitting at 4-5 and flaling after getting off to a hot start, they desperately need a jump start if they have any shot of making the playoffs, and if head coach John Harbaugh has any hopes of keeping his job.

When asked if he felt confident and ready to play, Jackson told the local Baltimore media:

"“I feel like I’d be very prepared,” Jackson said. “I’m trying to sponge everything in. Whatever happens, will happen.”"

The 2016 Heisman trophy winner and first round draft pick out of Louisville has often been criticized on his ability to stand in the pocket and make the tough throws needed to drive an offense down the field in the NFL.

Often labeled as a “run first QB”, Jackson has been questioned many times on whether or not he can make it in The League as a quarterback or if a change of position is needed.

During his NFL draft prep and process, he was criticized heavily by both Mel Kiper Jr and Todd McShay of ESPN for his inaccuracy throwing the ball. Many often suggested and some teams even contacted Jackson about a potential position change, but Lamar stayed firm and said that he would not be switching positions and was ready to take his chances as a QB in the NFL.

In a pretty impressive preseason with the Ravens, Jackson threw for 34 of 68 for 408 yards and 3 touchdowns and just 1 interception in limited action, in 5 games. He also rushed for 136 yards and 3 more touchdowns on the ground. It is just preseason football, but Jackson was hoping those numbers would put the naysayers to rest on his ability to throw the ball accurately.

So far for Baltimore in the regular season, Jackson has served more as a decoy than anything else. He often times will line up out wide at wide receiver to keep the defense on their toes. However, he has made several big plays for the Ravens through nine games. Jackson has rushed 28 times for 139 yards and a touchdown, while throwing for 87 more yards and another score.

Jackson is beyond capable of taking the starting job today and never looking back. We’ve seen it happen more times than we can count in the NFL, and actually we’ve seen Lamar Jackson do it once before in college.

If anyone knows the capability of Lamar Jackson, its the fans of Louisville Football. For 3 years we had the privilege of watching arguably the greatest college football player ever to put on a uniform. We saw Lamar beat teams both with his feet and with his arm. After all, he is the only player in NCAA history to throw for 3000+ yards and rush for 1000+ in consecutive seasons.

One thing that is not talked about enough with Lamar Jackson is his ability to make decisions with the football in his hands. In the progression from his Sophomore year to his Junior year at Louisville, you could really see Lamar reading defenses and making the plays necessary to keep drives alive. He has always been known as a guy with big play capability, but often times he would make just enough of a play to keep the drive going and more times than not that is what the offense needed.

Finally, a lot can be said by looking at the 2018 Louisville Football season, once Lamar Jackson left. We all know there were issues with coaching but some can be attributed to losing a player of Jackson’s caliber. A player who could protect your defense by keeping the opponents defense on the field longer.

A player that could cover up the holes in your offense, like running for his life because the offensive line broke down once again, all while turning that scramble into a 50 yard touchdown run out of no where. Lamar Jackson was, and is, a once in a lifetime player. He is special, and we as fans are excited to see him take the next step in getting his first career NFL start and the many more to come.

Buckle in folks, today marks the era of Lamar Jackson in Baltimore.