Published 16:45 IST, January 11th 2020
Lamar Jackson's blitzkriegs forces opponents to think innovatively; can he be stopped?
Lamar Jackson ended the regular season with a 14-2 record, breaking multiple records alongside it. Few NFL teams have succeeded in stopping the MVP frontrunner.
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The Baltimore Ravens ended the regular season with a 14-2 record. Courtesy of their exploits, one question made its way into the minds of National Football League (NFL) teams across the board. Is there a way to stop Lamar Jackson? The answer to that question is one that NFL teams have failed to find just yet.
Lamar Jackson dominates the NFL
The Lamar Jackson stats section makes for an amazing read this season. In the regular season, Lamar Jackson led the league with 36 touchdown passes and finished with 1,206 yards. This was 662 yards more than any other quarterback in the NFL. Before the start of the season, there was a common consensus that the Baltimore Ravens had assembled a formidable team. However, few expected the Baltimore Ravens to race to a 14-2 record by the end of the regular season. Even fewer fans expected Lamar Jackson to set the NFL alight, breaking multiple records and terrorizing NFL defences along the way.
Also Read | New York Jets Vs Baltimore Ravens Highlights: Lamar Jackson Steals The Show In 42-21 Win
Asked Mark Andrews today about Lamar Jackson’s desire to win. Here’s his (great) answer: pic.twitter.com/8R2Rhh5v38
— Ryan Mink (@ryanmink) January 8, 2020
NFL teams' approach to stifling Lamar Jackson
Faced with a dilemma of combating a quarterback who was well on his way to reinventing the way the NFL sees traditional quarterbacks, NFL defences resorted to a number of gameplans in order to thwart the MVP frontrunner. The San Francisco 49ers were, perhaps, the closest ones to stifling the Baltimore Ravens star. During their regular-season matchup in Baltimore, the 49ers employed two linebackers over the top, which then forced Lamar Jackson back inside. Once inside, the other linebacker would then make the tackle, in order to keep Jackson at bay. This strategy worked until the Baltimore Ravens decided to switch play to the other flank and make the 49ers’ strategy null and void.
The Kansas City Chiefs then tried their hand at stifling Jackson with a more innovative approach. The Chiefs plugged the interior gaps with a three-man line. While the effort was one worth applauding, the Chiefs failed to take into account the fact that Lamar Jackson had the ability to outrun defensive backs.
When the Tennessee Titans visit Baltimore this weekend, the Titans will have taken some cues from both these games. The Titans could look to restrict Lamar Jackson’s vertical running by forcing him to go inward. This play could take Jackson’s fleet-footedness out of the picture. However, the likes of Harold Landry, Kamalei Correa, Derick Roberson and Reggie Gilbert are relatively inexperienced to make that strategy successful. The Titans have the top-ranked red-zone offense. If they were to somehow keep the Ravens from being the better team inside the 20, the Titans could very well cause an upset at the M&T Bank Stadium this weekend.
16:45 IST, January 11th 2020