High Expectations Again For QB Jackson, Ravens

OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) — In 2 1/2 seasons arsenic a starter, Lamar Jackson has been an violative menace dissimilar immoderate successful the NFL.

He won an MVP and yet a playoff game, blending businesslike passing with a moving quality seldom seen successful a quarterback.

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About each that’s near for the Ravens is to instrumentality the adjacent measurement and marque it to the Super Bowl. In the AFC, that won’t beryllium easy.

“This squad is conscionable acceptable up perfectly to marque a run,” antiaircraft extremity Calais Campbell said. “Now, obviously, it’s hard to do, and each squad wants it. There are different teams retired determination that’ve got conscionable arsenic overmuch endowment and large players, arsenic well, truthful it’s going to beryllium a battle, but there’s nary excuse.”

The Ravens are 30-7 successful the regular play with Jackson arsenic the starter, truthful different playoff quality this play feels similar much of a bare minimum than a goal.

Whether Baltimore tin yet drawback Kansas City arsenic the people of the league remains to beryllium seen. The Ravens besides person to contend with the likes of Pittsburgh, which bushed retired Baltimore for the part past season, and Buffalo, which knocked Jackson and Co. retired of the playoffs.

The Ravens (11-5) are 1 of 8 AFC teams that won astatine slightest 10 games past season, truthful portion they consciousness tantalizingly adjacent to a title successful immoderate respects, they can’t spend to gaffe astatine all.

Baltimore ranked archetypal successful the NFL successful rushing past play and past successful passing, underscoring the information that with Jackson’s unsocial accomplishment set, the Ravens bash things a spot differently. He’s rushed for much than 1,000 yards successful each of the past 2 seasons, and adjacent successful a league that values pouch passing, it’s hard to reason with Jackson’s winning percentage.

When helium does throw, Jackson has completed 64% of his passes for his career, with 68 touchdowns and 18 interceptions. Still, there’s country for improvement.

“Michael Jordan could drive, and past helium learned a leap shot. So that’s however we’ve approached it,” quarterbacks manager James Urban said. “Michael Jordan didn’t halt driving the lane. He conscionable learned however to sprout amended and much consistently. So we’re conscionable learning however to, much consistently, propulsion the shot — and much accurately.”

The Ravens tried to situation Jackson with amended receiving talent, adding Sammy Watkins successful the offseason and drafting Rashod Bateman successful the archetypal round. Bateman has dealt with groin problems during the preseason, but if healthy, this could beryllium an improved receiving radical for Jackson to enactment with.

DOBBINS OUT

That top-ranked moving crippled took a deed erstwhile J.K. Dobbins went down successful the last preseason crippled with a season-ending genu injury. Gus Edwards returns aft moving for 723 yards past season.

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“I person afloat assurance successful the remainder of the moving backs that are present to prime up the load and to bash a large occupation for us,” manager John Harbaugh said.

STILL AN ISSUE

The Ravens had large COVID-19 problems past season. A crippled against Pittsburgh was pushed backmost from Thanksgiving into December. Jackson tested affirmative and missed that game, and helium besides missed the commencement of grooming campy this play due to the fact that of different affirmative test.

UP FRONT

The Ravens traded standout tackle Orlando Brown to the Chiefs, and they acquired violative linemen Kevin Zeitler and Alejandro Villanueva. Tackle Ronnie Stanley has been moving his mode backmost from an ankle injury.

MORE OF THE SAME?

The Ravens seldom look to person galore problems defensively, and past play was nary exception. They ranked sixth successful the NFL against the walk and eighth against the run. The defence surely wasn’t the superior culprit erstwhile the squad mislaid 17-3 astatine Buffalo successful the postseason.

Baltimore added seasoned linebacker Justin Houston astatine the extremity of July.

“He’s a large leader, helium sets the borderline successful the tally game, helium runs to the shot similar he’s a rookie,” antiaircraft coordinator Don Martindale said. “He’s doing everything that we inquire him to do.”

The Ravens did suffer linebacker L.J. Fort to a torn ACL.

PRIME TIME

Baltimore has 5 nighttime games connected its schedule, including the archetypal 2 of the season. The Ravens unfastened with a Monday nighttime crippled astatine Las Vegas, past big Kansas City connected a Sunday night. They person a Monday nighttime location crippled against Indianapolis successful Oct. 11, a Thursday nighttime crippled astatine Miami connected Nov. 11 and a Sunday nighttime location crippled against Cleveland connected Nov. 28.

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