Lamar Jackson denies injuries; Ravens lead AFC North with relentless defense

Ravens Resurge: Lamar Jackson and the Challenge at the Top of the AFC North

The Baltimore Ravens have experienced a remarkable transformation in the current season, going from a 1-5 start to a tie for first place in the AFC North. Despite this success, quarterback Lamar Jackson has not shown the performance that led him to be considered MVP. After Sunday’s 23-10 victory over the New York Jets, Jackson stated that the knee and ankle injuries have not affected his game, although he is going through one of the least brilliant moments of his career.

“I feel like we need to execute a lot better,” Jackson commented, who completed 12 of 23 passes for 153 yards on Sunday. “We get into good field position, but we’re not scoring points. That has nothing to do with an injury.”
Lamar Jackson

Jackson has been limited to under 200 passing yards for three consecutive games for the first time in five years. In addition, he has gone two straight games without throwing a touchdown pass for the first time in six years. During this period, the two-time NFL Most Valuable Player missed a practice two weeks ago due to knee pain and was absent from another last week due to an ankle injury. Jackson acknowledged last week that he might continue to miss one practice a week for physical maintenance. One of the most significant changes in Jackson’s games has been the decrease in his runs. Jackson, who holds the record for most rushing yards by a quarterback, averages 29.6 rushing yards per game, the lowest figure of his career.

“I’m out there, so I feel like I should still be able to do what I do,” Jackson said, who ran 11 yards on seven attempts.
Lamar Jackson

Jackson, who before Sunday had the NFL’s highest career passer rating, with 102.8, has produced a rating of 62.8 in the last three games. In victories over the Vikings, Browns and Jets, Jackson has completed 57.1% of his passes (44 of 77) for 522 yards, with one touchdown and two interceptions. Ravens coach John Harbaugh expressed his “utmost confidence” in Jackson.

“He’s our guy, he’s our quarterback and Lamar is doing what he needs to do,” Harbaugh said. “He’s winning football games and it’s not always pretty. The pretty games will come. They’ll be there for Lamar Jackson, you can bet on that. But I’m proud of him right now. I’m very proud of him, the way he’s fighting to win football games.”
John Harbaugh

The Ravens (6-5) have won five consecutive games, going from last place in the AFC North to a tie at the top of the division with the Pittsburgh Steelers. However, it has been the defense, which has held the last six opponents under 20 points, that has propelled Baltimore. Left tackle Ronnie Stanley has spoken with Jackson about how his execution needs to improve on offense to achieve their Super Bowl aspirations.