When Lamar Jackson was asked this summer about media speculation that this would be the year that defenses figure him out, the Ravens quarterback said he “strongly” doubted that would be the case.
The first six weeks of the 2021 season haven’t done much to shake that doubt. Jackson didn’t put up the same eye-popping numbers in Week Six that he had in Week Five, but the Ravens thumped the Chargers anyway for their 35th win with Jackson under center. That set a record for quarterbacks under 25, which goes along with Jackson’s spot in the top seven in passing and rushing yards as signs that no one has cracked the code yet.
On Monday, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said he doesn’t “think once somebody does something -- some X and O idea -- all of a sudden that’s the answer” and that it is less about “figuring somebody out” than how well teams and players execute.
“If you’re looking for your headline here, I think the people who make those statements are kind of whistling in the graveyard just a little bit,” Harbaugh said, via the team’s website. “It doesn’t have any meaning. Anybody who knows Xs and Os are rolling their eyes when they hear something like that.”
The Ravens have made the playoffs in all three of Jackson’s seasons with the team, but have yet to advance to a conference title game or Super Bowl. Checking off those boxes would leave little to pick apart about Jackson’s game at this point in his career.
