Ravens QB Lamar Jackson's Downfield Passing Still a 'Limitation'

Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson has endured critique for his downfield passing, and numbers prove that it needs work.

Lamar Jackson is staying put with the Baltimore Ravens after all, enjoying a newly renovated receiver room that features Odell Beckham Jr., Nelson Agholor and Zay Flowers. But what happens when one of Lamar's fun new weapons run 20+ yards past the line of scrimmage?

Well, the veteran quarterback is not exactly great, and he's actually gotten worse.

"A review of his deep passes last season by The Baltimore Banner found that he went 15-for-45 (33.3%), excluding Hail Mary attempts and throwaways," the outlet wrote.

And it doesn't stop there. 

Lamar's limitations downfield became a dramatic issue when you consider how few of his deep balls were even catchable. In 2021, his rate of catchable passes beyond 20 yards was 61.2% (17th) and his on-target rate was 49% (23rd).

Then 2022 happened, and things weren't pretty.

"Among the 34 quarterbacks who attempted at least 25 deep passes in 2022, according to SIS, Jackson finished last in catchable rate (41%) and third to last in on-target rate (35.9%), by far the worst marks of his career as a full-time starter," the Baltimore Banner concluded.

If you're keeping score at home, that means Jackson was the worst quarterback in the NFL in accurately throwing the deep ball. Lamar actually ranked below Texans signal-caller Davis Mills.

While the Baltimore Banner did a deep dive and considers just 13 of Lamar's 30 misfires to be his fault - primarily due to opposing defenses or failed routes by receivers - that doesn't change how dismal the numbers are.

All quarterbacks deal with opposing defenses and failed routes by receivers.

If Lamar is going to get back into the MVP conversation, downfield passing to his newly renovated receiver room must be better.

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