Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has been a nightmare for defenses this season. If he’s not burning them with his legs, he’s lighting them up with his arm. His dual-threat ability has made him the front-runner for MVP and in the lead among Pro Bowl voting. As if all of Jackson’s highlights aren’t enough to impress even the most ardent of deniers, he’s once again done something no NFL player has done before.
Jackson is the first player to have 3,000-plus passing yards and 1,500-plus rushing yards in his first two seasons. And to think . . . Jackson only started seven games last year and we’re only in Week 12 of his second season.
Lamar Jackson (@Lj_era8) is the first player in NFL history to have 3,000+ passing yards and 1,500+ rushing yards in his first 2 seasons.@Ravens | #MNF
— NFL Research (@NFLResearch) November 26, 2019
The Ravens have allowed Jackson to thrive by building an entire offense around him and the results have been evident since he made his very first start as a rookie. Baltimore was running all over opponents last year and this year they paired it up with a potent passing game now that he’s had an entire summer to work on his throwing mechanics. He’s not the traditional NFL quarterback but he’s getting the job done and more every week. If the defenders that he’s humiliated week after week aren’t proof enough, now the fact that he’s got a place in the NFL record books can.
And Jackson still isn’t done. He could very well set another NFL record by topping Michael Vick’s record of 1,039 rushing yards in a single season, as well as becoming the first quarterback to have 3,000-plus passing yards and 1,00-plus rushing yards in the same season.
Jackson has been every bit the player that the Ravens were hoping for when they traded back into the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft to select him. He’s been making every defense he’s played look foolish and now that he’s earned himself a place in NFL history, he’s making his doubters look foolish as well.
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