Lamar Jackson’s incredible start to 2019 by the numbers

Lamar Jackson put together a legendary performance in week one against the Miami Dolphins. The plays were unreal, but digging into the numbers is even better.

Lamar Jackson has been called “Action Jackson”, “Lamarvelous”, and…(double-takes)…”Smiley Face” in the past, but in Week one he sure looked like “LamARM” Jackson to me. (Apologies)

Two things became a little more clear as the final seconds ticked away in Sunday’s season opener for the Baltimore Ravens and Lamar Jackson:

1 )John Harbaugh looks like an NFL Draft god.

2 )Lamar Jackson REALLY IS an NFL-level talent at QUARTERBACK (devilish smirk).

Against the Miami Dolphins, Jackson kicked off week one with a bang, throwing five touchdowns (four in the first half) to four different players, including two to rookie Hollywood Brown, and a total of 324 yards.

All summer the conversation surrounding Jackson has been could he handle the rigors of the NFL if running the football was all he did.

There was some merit to the conversations, as the Ravens ran the football at a high rate as the rookie QB tried to figure things out on the go. And it wasn’t if they didn’t have success. After taking over for Flacco, Jackson quickly led his team to a 6-1 record to finish the season, which included winning their division and helped the Ravens head back to the playoffs.

With a full offseason under new offensive coordinator Greg Roman, the Ravens offense was expected to be different but I don’t think anyone expected Jackson to sling the ball like an NFL superstar.

This is how it went.

First came the sniper to Marquise “Hollywood” Brown, Jackson’s new number one receiver.

https://twitter.com/espn/status/1170751373463494658

Then came the bomb to Marquise Brown just a few plays later.

Next up, another dime. This time to Willie Snead for 33 yards.

Lamar doing Lamar things.

https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1170761250839523328

Now, I’m not going to sit here and list the names of those that doubted him in the past. With all due respect, love it or hate it, those talking heads were just doing their jobs…talking.

However, what I CAN do is compile and analyze some stats from Baltimore’s obliteration of the Miami Dolphins that would make those same folks rethink their click bait-like hot takes about our boy Lamar before they spew them out like they’re gospel scriptures.

Let’s start with some numbers.

59-10.

Most of the universe is well aware of the staggering statistics Jackson put up while here at Louisville. Dropping 45+ points per game was quite the norm for a Lamar-led offense in his college days.

What everyone is also hip to is the fact that he did most of that leg work (pun intended) on the ground. So when you’re watching NFL football in Los Angeles or somewhere in Dubai and you see that Ravens/Dolphins score across the bottom ticker, you’re going to jump to a conclusion:

Either Lamar ran for 400 yards or Mark Ingram III ran for 200 and Lamar ran for 200. Which brings me to another number.

SIX.

Lamar finished the game with six yards rushing. SIX??? So Ingram must’ve had 400 yards rushing, right?

Wrong.

Jackson finished the game as the first NFL QB to throw for 5 or more TD passes in a season opener since Peyton Manning did it in 2013.

22

During his 324 yards, five-touchdown performance against the Miami Dolphins, Lamar Jackson did what he does best. Break records.

During his time at Louisville, Jackson set 26 all-time University record as well as countless other ACC and national records on his way to a Heisman Trophy in 2016.

In his first year of the NFL, Jackson broke more.

Now in his second season, Jackson isn’t stopping.

https://twitter.com/Ravens/status/1171141318367678465

Over the 100 year history of the NFL there have been very few perfect passer ratings (158.3) in a game. Especially for young quarterbacks.

According to Kelly Dickey, Jackson became just the 7th NFL quarterback since 1950 to finish the game with a 158.3 rating with more than 300 yards and five touchdowns as well as the youngest in NFL history.

Unreal. Or as Lamar said it, “not bad for a running back.”

THREE.

The number of incompletions from his 324 yard passing day was a far cry from what critics hinted at what his biggest weakness was, inconsistency. 17-20 is about an accurate throwing game that one can put together. With zero interceptions.

Remember that this was a quarterback that threw for a merely 58 percent on passes just last season.

Not that the critics were entirely wrong when unloading preseason predictions, but maybe it’s just that those with their attention primarily focused his process (Ravens and Louisville fans) have already seen stages of Jackson’s growth as a passer.

I remember in his Heisman season when he threw one dart through traffic over the middle for a TD vs North Carolina State. I thought to myself “yeah, that’s a elite throw.” (I’m no quarterback expert).

There was another time when he squeezed a perfectly-timed throw into a vastly closing window with time running down on the road versus Virginia for a touchdown. (another next-level toss)

So case in point, we have seen flashes. And with the great ones, you always see flashes before you hear the thunder.

This is not a dink and dunk quarterback that many said had no real downfield vision. This guy was throwing ropes Sunday. The timing was there, the patience was there, the confidence was there.

One of his passing touchdowns went for 83 yards, and it wasn’t because of yards after catch heroics. It was a dime. He stepped up and caught his receiver as he cut on the route.

Beautiful.

The point here is that this young man grew up wanting to play the position he loved. It has taken a string of believers in him to create these opportunities.

But he never wavered from his goals and he never let his believers down. Is it the neck? Who knows?

If Lamar’s throwing showcase on Sunday was any indication as to how the Ravens May approach utilizing his ever-evolving skill set, then the thunder we saw vs Miami may be just the tip of the hurricane.

Rumble young man, rumble.