Can Defense Slow Down Jackson This Time?
If the pattern holds, the Miami Dolphins defense is due to shut down Lamar Jackson in Baltimore on Sunday.
This will be the fourth time the Miami defense has gone up against the explosive quarterback since he arrived as a first-round pick of the Ravens in 2019, and it's been bad, good and bad in the first three meetings.
And last year's performance by Jackson ended up being overshadowed by Tua Tagovailoa bringing the Dolphins back from a 35-14 deficit by passing for a career-high 469 yards and tying a franchise record with six touchdown passes, but it was brilliant nonetheless.
In short, the Dolphins had no answers for Jackson.
In addition to scoring on a 79-yard run that gave Baltimore that 21-point lead heading into the fourth quarter, Jackson was 21-of-29 passing for 318 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions.
His passer rating that day of 142.6 actually was higher than Tua's (124.1), even though it was Tua and the Dolphins who had the final word.
JACKSON REMAINS ULTIMATE DUAL THREAT
While Baltimore is among the most balanced teams in the NFL, Jackson probably is the biggest reason the Ravens will enter the game Sunday with the league's best record at 12-3.
Jackson is eighth in the NFL in passer at 97.2, while leading all quarterbacks in rushing yards with 786. And while his average of 54.2 rushing yards per game is his lowest since his rookie season, he remains the ultimate dual threat because of his strong arm and his amazing speed.
Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio was asked about defending Jackson on Thursday after it was offered to him that he's faced his fair share of mobile quarterbacks during his long coaching career.
“Yeah, fair share mobile quarterbacks? Yes. Then there’s Lamar Jackson," Fangio said. "He’s unlike anybody else. The only other player that’s been like him in the last 50 years is Michael Vick. He’s a tremendous player. Kudos to Ozzie (Newsome) and Eric (DeCosta) for picking him. Thirty-one other teams that passed him by are kicking themselves. He’s really improved over the years. Dynamic with the ball. Good passer. He makes their offense go.”
This will be Fangio's second time going against Jackson, the first coming in 2021 when he was head coach of the Denver Broncos. Jackson passed for 316 yards and a touchdown and rushed seven times for 28 yards in Baltimore's 23-7 victory that day.
THE DOLPHINS AGAINST JACKSON
The first time Miami faced Jackson was in the 2019 season opener and his performance in a 59-10 victory against the rebuilding (or tanking) Dolphins sent him on his way to winning NFL MVP honors.
Jackson was 17-for-20 for 324 yards with five touchdowns and no picks with a perfect passer rating of 158.3.
The Dolphins had much better success against Jackson when the Ravens came to Hard Rock Stadium for a Thursday night game in November 2021.
The Dolphins smothered Jackson, sacked him four times and held him to 236 passing yards and 39 rushing yards on their way to a 22-10 victory highlighted by Xavien Howard's fumble return for a touchdown.
That game snapped Baltimore's 51-game streak, the second-longest in NFL history, of scoring at least 14 points.
That victory came after Baltimore had won the previous three meetings by a combined score of 137-16.
Now it's the Dolphins who have a streak in this series, but they'll make their lives a lot easier in trying to extend it if they can control Jackson better than they did last season.
