'Like a video game': How Lamar Jackson fuels Ravens' 'planned-unplanned' offense

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Watching Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson elude the pass rush can lead to a flurry of emotions, even for coach John Harbaugh.

In Sunday’s 38-6 win over the Detroit Lions, Jackson spun around and sidestepped his way to buying himself 9.24 seconds before finding Nelson Agholor for a 12-yard touchdown in the first quarter. That’s the third-longest time to throw a touchdown pass since 2016, according to NFL Next Gen Stats, and featured Jackson moving around a total of 25 yards.

“I’m like, ‘I can’t believe he got flushed out of the pocket. Why wasn’t the first route open? Or maybe the route wasn’t run the right way somewhere,’ and I’m mad,” Harbaugh said. “And then I’m thinking, ‘Well, Lamar is getting away. Find somebody. Somebody get open.’ And then the ball goes up, it’s a touchdown. I scream for joy — inside.”

Lamar Jackson’s time to throw of 9.24 seconds on his 12-yd TD to Nelson Agholor is the longest on a touchdown pass since Week 14, 2018, and the 3rd-longest in the NGS era (since 2016).#DETvsBAL | #RavensFlock pic.twitter.com/7rjx6NdiSd

— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) October 22, 2023

As the Ravens are celebrating, opposing defenses are left to wonder what they could have done differently. This is perhaps the most frustrating part about playing against Jackson: Defenses can shut down the original play, and Jackson still finds a way to get into the end zone.

On Sunday, Jackson underscored that pass pressure isn’t enough unless you’re getting him on the ground. He produced 246 yards passing when under duress, according to ESPN Stats & Information. This is the most by any quarterback in a game since 2009, when ESPN began tracking pressures.

“It’s part of the planned-unplanned offense,” Harbaugh said. “So, it’s planned to be unplanned sometimes, and then you hope your guys can make the most of it.”

The Ravens practice extending plays from spring practices through training camp. It happens often when the first couple of reads are covered and Jackson maneuvers to the side to find an open target.

This season, Jackson’s 298 yards passing outside the pocket rank only behind Josh Allen (314) and Patrick Mahomes (313). When outside the pocket, he’s thrown four touchdowns and no interceptions for an astounding 11.5 yards per attempt.

“I tell my kids all the time, it’s like a video game,” Ravens right tackle Morgan Moses said. “When things are wrong, he finds a way to make it right. Having a quarterback like that, a play is never dead. He always has something up his sleeve.”

Jackson has had an uneven start in his first season under new offensive coordinator Todd Monken. There’s been fast starts and big plays mixed with quiet second halves.

But on Sunday, Jackson was the most comfortable he’s been all season. There were times when it appeared he had reinvented the run-pass option.

Early in the game, it looked like Jackson was going to run with the ball after a fake handoff. Instead, he stopped short of the line and threw a dart to Odell Beckham Jr. for a first down.

Likewise, in the second half, Jackson drew the attention of the Lions when he made it seem like he was going to run to the right. He then tossed the ball to running back Gus Edwards, who caught the short pass behind the Detroit defenders and ran for an 80-yard play.

“I’ve been working real hard with him on that, myself, personally, with his running and then throwing late and seeing guys,” Harbaugh joked. “That’s just Lamar. That’s Lamar being Lamar. It’s just some of his innate talents. How he sees the game is pretty special.”

Asked if this new wrinkle was improvised or part of the game plan, Jackson playfully looked out of the side of his eye before giving a brief smile. “I’m going to say it was schemed up,” Jackson said.

Jackson continues to keep everyone guessing. He’s a threat to throw for 300 yards or run for 100 yards. But defenses always have to account for his legs, whether he’s running downfield or giving him extra time to make a throw.

It’s even more difficult for teams that don’t see him frequently. Jackson’s 16-1 record against the NFC (.941) is the best interconference mark by any quarterback since 1970. Baltimore faces another NFC team in the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.

“[There were] just certain plays that we hadn’t really seen,” Lions linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin said. “It’s just hard. It’s hard to execute against a team like that. [When] you have a player like that, it makes it really hard, and that’s what happens when you don’t execute. And [when you’re] not on top of all your P’s and Q’s, they put up 500 yards and that many points.”