Baltimore Ravens' Lamar Jackson Was PFF's Highest Graded QB?
Sometimes the final box score can be a little deceiving.
At glance, Lamar Jackson completing 22 of 38 passes for 238 yards with an interception and a lost fumble is nothing to write home about. But if you dig deeper into his performance in the Baltimore Ravens' 17-10 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers (3-2) on Sunday at Acrisure Stadium, much of the offense's struggles wasn't Jackson's fault.
Pro Football Focus gave Jackson a grade of 94.6, his best of the season and it led all quarterbacks in Week 5. While Jackson may have been at his best, his supporting cast was at its worst.
PFF credited the Ravens (3-2) receivers with seven drops, which is the third most by its metrics since 2017. Among those drops was a deep pass to Zay Flowers and one to Nelson Agholor that he likely would have scored a touchdown on.
Of Lamar Jackson's 16 passes that were incomplete, seven were drops.
USA Today
Getting Jackson more help in the passing game was a focal point throughout the off-season. Baltimore did its part by hiring Todd Monken to be the new offense coordinator and investing in the receiver position by signing Odell Beckham Jr. and drafting Flowers with the No. 22 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
But even with all of those moves, the passing game has taken some time to come together. Sunday was evidence that even with the investment made to give Jackson the weapons he needs, there's still a ways to go before the unit reaches its full potential.
If Jackson's supporting cast can step up, performances like the one he had against Pittsburgh won't go to waste again. But if these struggles persist and Jackson continues to be let down, it'll lead to more disappointing performances from the offense.
Baltimore will have a chance to get back on track on Sunday when they face the Tennessee Titans (2-3) at 9:30 a.m. ET at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.
