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Lamar Jackson is the most unique quarterback in the NFL today. He can rip through defenses with his arm or his legs as defensive coordinators watch in horror.
Against the Chiefs on Sunday Night Football, Jackson put on a show in front of the entire NFL against what many see as the best team in the league. Jackson also set a new record en route to an upset victory.
Lamar Jackson's historic night
Against the Chiefs, Jackson had his fifth career game with 200 passing yards and 100 rushing yards. No other player in the history of the NFL has more than three total games with that stat line. Jackson is also the only quarterback in the Super Bowl era with 100 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns in multiple games.
Put simply, the NFL has never seen a quarterback as adept at rushing the ball as Lamar Jackson. What's impressive about the statline isn't the 200 passing yards. It is the 100 rushing yards while passing the ball. This drives defenses crazy because if they blanket the secondary, Jackson can scramble for large chunks of yards.
If they blitz Jackson, load the box, and use a quarterback spy, he can just throw it over the top. With Jackson, defenses basically have to choose whether they want to give up yardage quickly through the air or slowly on the ground. The gameplan that somewhat works best is to load the box to stop the run and make Jackson throw a lot.
However, the game plan's efficacy is eroding as Jackson gets better at reading defenses and finding the open guy post-snap. Eventually, Jackson may truly be unstoppable in the same vein as Peyton Manning or Tom Brady, but in a completely different way. He isn't in that league yet, but he's trending in the right direction.
At only 24 years old, Jackson could play another ten years depending on health. While scrambling quarterbacks tend to have a shorter lifespan in the NFL, they can still play well into their 30s.
In 2031, one may very well be looking back at this season as the time Jackson took a step up in the NFL. Of course, there are no guarantees in this league.
Jackson, though, needs to stay focused this season. His next step will be to carry the Ravens through a deep playoff run. Anything short of an AFC Championship appearance would be a disappointment.
If the Ravens don't make any noise in the playoffs, the win over the Chiefs may be looked back on as a fluke. It will be up to Jackson to show he has indeed taken the next step up the NFL ladder.
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