Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens put up 41 points in Week 5 against the Cincinnati Bengals in an overtime victory, one of the most exciting games of the season. The Ravens’ offense finished with the highest EPA per play of any offense in Week 5, and Jackson showed why he’s a two-time MVP — plus one of the most under-appreciated passers in the NFL.
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We all know how dangerous Jackson is as a runner, but he continues to show that he can operate a successful offense from the pocket. His PFF overall grade from a clean pocket is 90.0, the second highest in the NFL through five weeks, proving that he can win from anywhere.
Jackson got in a rhythm early against Cincinnati, and he was clearly in control. He completed six of his first nine attempts.
In the above play, the Bengals show a man-coverage look, in which a defender sometimes plays in the “hole” in the middle of the intermediate part of the field. But with the middle linebacker blitzing, Jackson has a window to hit the first crossing route on this drive concept. He simply plants his back foot and drives the throw into a closing window, hitting Zay Flowers in stride for a big gain.
This next play is a very cool concept from offensive coordinator Todd Monken and a unique way to get a favorable look for the offense.
The Ravens come out in 13 personnel (one running back, three tight ends), so to match that, the Bengals bring out heavier defensive personnel and play single-high coverage, giving themselves an extra defender in the box to stop the run. The Ravens then run what is essentially four verticals against a simple Cover-3 defense.
One of the weaknesses of that coverage is the seam, because it puts the deep defenders in conflict when deciding which vertical route to take. It becomes a pretty simple read for Jackson to look off the safety — who leans toward the two-wide receiver side — and hit the seam on the other side. He throws another perfect pass and hits his tight end in stride.
Jackson has never gotten enough credit for his mental ability as a passer, and he puts it on full display on this next play.
The Ravens start in an empty set, then motion the three wide receivers into a bunched look. Jackson notices the Bengals have four defenders lined up over three receivers — an indicator that one of them is blitzing. Because of that, he changes things up and brings the running back in to pick up the potential blitz. The Bengals send an extra rusher, who is picked up well by the running back. Jackson knew that with the Bengals playing man coverage behind them, one of the three crossing routes would be open. He then throws a great pass from his own end zone to give his offense some breathing room on a drive that eventually ended in a touchdown.
By now, we’ve all seen this play, and there’s not much to break down.
This is simply an incredible athlete doing something incredible. After Jackson drops the snap, it becomes backyard football. Jackson did what he does best and left the defense completely defeated.
Lamar Jackson has been playing great football recently, and he’s the main reason for the Ravens winning three straight games after starting 0-2. He’ll need to keep that quality of play up against the surprising 4-1 Washington Commanders in Week 6.
