No. 7 – QB Lamar Jackson
“It’s hard to overstate just how impressive Lamar Jackson was in 2019, even when you include the disappointment of his team’s playoff loss against Tennessee. He transformed his game this season, moving from arguably the league’s most inaccurate passer to one well capable of excelling while throwing the football, a fact backed up by him leading the league in passing touchdowns. Jackson’s passer rating when kept clean was 118.5 and it was an impressive 97.7 when pressured, as teams struggled to contain the playmaking ability he so obviously possesses. As a ball-carrier, Jackson averaged a monstrous 3.7 yards before contact per carry, making 42 players miss on his way to breaking the all-time single-season rushing record for quarterbacks.”
It’s worth noting that while Jackson is the highest-rated Ravens player on this list, he’s the third-best quarterback according to PFF. Both Seattle Seahawks Russell Wilson and Kansas City Chiefs Patrick Mahomes rank higher than Jackson in spite of him having a higher passer rating and being a more dynamic player on the ground.
PFF notes the little help around Wilson as the defining factor that has him the highest-rated quarterback from 2019. But that could just as easily be said about Jackson, who had a pretty lackluster group of wide receivers, looking to his top tight end most often last season. In spite of Baltimore’s offense scoring the most points in the NFL, Jackson was forced to carry the team on his back at times, keeping drives alive with his legs when everything else failed.
But being the third-best quarterback in the league is pretty impressive, regardless of who was in front of him. His performance in 2019 should have Ravens fans excited about the future of the franchise with Jackson at the helm.
Jackson / Stanley / Yanda / Peters / Andrews
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