Lamar Jackson finished with 16 carries in the Ravens’ season opener last Thursday, and that was not necessarily a bad thing. His production in their 27-20 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs — a game-high 122 rushing yards and seven first downs — was rare for a quarterback.
Of course, so was his volume. Since Jackson arrived in Baltimore six years ago, only two quarterbacks have rushed more than 16 times in a game (excluding kneel-downs), according to TruMedia: Jackson (three times) and Justin Fields (twice). On Wednesday, two days after Jackson said he “took a day off” at practice to recover from reported soreness, the NFL’s reigning Most Valuable Player was asked whether 16-carry games would be sustainable this season.
“I don’t know,” Jackson said. “I’m not trying to find out. But we’ve got Derrick Henry, we’ve got Justice Hill, those guys. But I’m going to do whatever it takes to win, and in that type of game, sometimes you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do.”
Jackson can be forgiven for his competitiveness — to a point. Offensive coordinator Todd Monken can be forgiven, too, for his game plan — sort of. But on a busy night at Arrowhead Stadium, it was clear Jackson and the Ravens invited risk, sometimes needlessly. And if a rebuilt offensive line keeps a slimmed-down Jackson on the run often this season, either as a scrambler or on designed runs, those bold ambitions could lead to brutal blows.
Jackson’s Week 1 rushing performance started innocuously enough. On a third-and-1 read-option play on the Ravens’ opening drive, Jackson took a quarterback keeper 11 yards before heading out of bounds.
Then the danger levels started to tick up. On a designed run later in the drive, Jackson gained 8 yards before falling over Justin Reid as the Chiefs safety dived headfirst at his lower body. In the second quarter, Kansas City linebacker Drue Tranquill drove Jackson into the ground on a quarterback draw. One play later, on a third-and-long scramble, Jackson lowered his shoulder against cornerback Jaylen Watson near the sideline as he finished a run well short of the first-down marker.
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“I’m playing football,” Jackson said. “I’m just playing football. Nothing really going through my head at that time. It was ... I didn’t want to get hit. I’m going on the sideline. ... I think I’ve [gotten] hit like that before — going on the sideline [when] I’m about to step out and somebody hits me. So it was like, ‘I’d rather hit you before you hit me.’ That’s all that was.”
Jackson rarely sought out the path of least resistance against Kansas City. On his nine scrambles, he largely avoided contact just four times, either by running out of bounds or by falling out of harm’s way.
Jackson, for better or worse, tried to make the most of his opportunities. He turned down a potential short sideline scramble late in the second quarter to cut back against defensive lineman Mike Danna, who wrapped him up as Tranquill came over for another hit. In the third quarter, rather than giving himself up after scrambling for a first down, Jackson tried to juke past Bryan Cook in the open field; the rookie safety hit him solidly around the thighs and brought him down.
Designed runs also led Jackson to choppy waters. Late in the second quarter, linebacker Leo Chenal twisted Jackson down to the ground after another read-option keeper, always a risk amid a thicket of bodies. In the fourth quarter, on another option play, Jackson took maybe his biggest hit all game, with Chamarri Conner nearly blindsiding him as the cornerback lowered his helmet into Jackson’s right (throwing) shoulder — only to be tossed to the ground as Jackson fell forward for a 9-yard gain.
“I’m comfortable with a physical football team across the board,” coach John Harbaugh said Wednesday. “Whatever it takes in a given situation to try to find a way to make a play and win the game. Every single one of our guys competing at the highest level to do whatever they can to play their best football, put our best foot forward and try to win a play, win a series, win a game — that’s what we’re all here for.”
Jackson, who entered this season at what’s believed to be his lowest playing weight in years, looked especially elusive on several runs last Thursday. But, as the Ravens prepare for Sunday’s home opener against the Las Vegas Raiders, Jackson and his coaching staff will need to figure out whether there can be too much of a good thing.
On a 13-yard option keeper midway through the fourth quarter, Jackson dusted Reid with a spin move, then found himself wrapped up by Watson as defensive lineman Chris Jones, all 310 pounds of him, helped push Jackson to the ground. It was not an especially violent takedown, but Jackson has had seasons ended by lesser hits.
“I felt great; I’m not going to lie to you,” Jackson said. “I believe someone was like, ‘I don’t like his weight. He lost weight, and I don’t know how he’ll look out there, and those guys are huge,’ and I’m like, ‘At the end of the day, I’m a grown man, too, just like those guys.’ So, I feel pretty good. I came out the game pretty good. We’re going to keep it going.”
Earlier, a reporter had started to ask Harbaugh about finding a “fine line” in Jackson’s usage as a runner. “We don’t live in that world of fine lines,” Harbaugh interjected. “We live in the world of competing — going out there and doing the best you can. There’s no lines being drawn. The only lines that we have are the lines on the field.”
