What’s Next for Lamar Jackson?

After suffering a loss to the Buffalo Bills in the divisional round of the playoffs where Lamar Jackson again struggled, questions have risen about how the Baltimore Ravens intend to move forward with him at the quarterback position.

Lamar Jackson, the league’s MVP just a year ago has led the Baltimore Ravens to a 30-7 record in games that he has started over the past three seasons. However, in the playoffs, he has notoriously struggled mightily once defenses key in on him. 

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Part of the reason for the struggles is the Ravens’ lack of talent at the receiver position. They were led by Marquise Brown (58 rec, 769 yards and 8 touchdowns) and Mark Andrews (58 rec, 701 yards and 7 touchdowns). That is not exactly a dynamic wide receiver duo, especially considering the fact that Mark Andrews is a tight end. During the season, the Ravens brought in former All-Pro receiver Dez Bryant, but it was clear that his best days were behind.

A big issue that the Ravens struggle in the playoffs is because teams gear up to stop their running game. They force Lamar Jackson to beat them with his arm, and not with his legs. Due to that, Jackson has not played well at all against postseason defenses. 

In the playoffs, he is completing just under 56% of his passes, despite playing better this year. He also has thrown just 3 touchdowns to 5 interceptions in four playoff games and his passer rating drops from 102.6 in the regular season, to 68.3 in the postseason. 

Due to his struggles, the Ravens have found themselves down early in games, and their offense is not built to come back from behind consistently, which forces Jackson into having to throw them back into the game. 

Jackson has improved a lot from when he first came into the NFL. He still needs to continue his development as a passer to take the Ravens where they would like to go. 

The Ravens need to look at the Arizona Cardinals and the Buffalo Bills for example in how they should help their young quarterback develop. They got their franchise quarterback, a true number one wide receiver, the Cardinals traded for DeAndre Hopkins from the Houston Texans while the Bills acquired Stefon Diggs from the Minnesota Vikings. 

The Ravens need to look to add a true number one receiver for Lamar Jackson. A player like Allen Robinson is going to be available this upcoming offseason. He is coming off back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons with the Chicago Bears and was able to produce those numbers despite the spotty quarterback play that the Bears have had the past few seasons. Pairing someone like Robinson with Lamar Jackson in Baltimore could do wonders for both Jackson and Robinson.

The Ravens must help Lamar Jackson develop as a thrower and get him some weapons. If not, they will have the same problems in the playoffs that they have had their past three postseason runs.