The brief respite of a 5-game winning streak against some of the NFL’s worst teams to climb above .500 no longer has any shine for the Baltimore Ravens.
Consecutive losses to AFC North rivals will do that.
With the Ravens now starting down a nightmare stretch of 4 games to end the regular season but with their playoff fate still very much in their own hand, the focus has turned to 2-time NFL MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson. Not in a good way, either.
The Athletic’s Jeff Howe called Jackson the “worst version” of himself as the face of the franchise suffers through what’s starting to look like the worst season of his career, including a 3-game stretch without a passing or rushing touchdown for the first time in his career.
“Usually, it’s a few things going wrong at once, among which could be Jackson playing through a more serious injury than anyone realizes,” Howe wrote on Tuesday, December 9. “The 28-year-old missed three games this season with a hamstring injury, but he has also missed recent practices due to ankle and toe ailments … from a preseason Super Bowl favorite to a team that’s currently outside the playoff picture, the Ravens have been one of the NFL’s most disappointing teams in 2025. But just like the case with Jackson, injuries can only excuse so much.”
Main Problem With Jackson: He’s Not Running
We heard a lot in the last few years about how Jackson’s passing skills had developed to the point where he was considered elite in that category whereas, in the past, his running skills were top-lining every scouting report on him.
The 2025 season has shown that’s just not true. Without the ability to run the ball, Jackson can’t win games as a purely pocket passer.
With just 307 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns through 10 games, Jackson is almost certainly headed for the worst year of his career running the ball and it’s impacted every other aspect of his game.
When the Ravens are in obvious passing situations — think anytime it’s 3rd-and-long — Jackson’s EPA Per Dropback ranks 27th out of 28 eligible NFL quarterbacks. That puts him only ahead of just Tennessee Titans rookie quarterback and 2025 No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward.
“I think of these ‘gotta have it’ moments through the air as scheme stats just as much as QB stats,” Cover 1’s Adam Pensel wrote on his official X account on Monday, December 8. “But it’s blowing my mind to see Lamar Jackson where he is on this chart.”
Also of Note: Jackson Getting Basically Zero Help
Because Jackson has a $260 million contract, he gets most of the criticism. That’s to be expected, but he’s far from the only one who has been playing poorly.
Tight end Isaiah Likely has been a repeat offender, fumbling the ball as he crossed the goal line for a touchdown in a Week 13 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals and dropping a touchdown pass (or did he?) against the Steelers in Week 14.
There’s also 6-foot-8, 370-pound right offensive guard Daniel Faalele, who Jackson had a brief sideline exchange with in the loss to the Steelers. Faalele was later roasted in epic fashion for how terrible he’s played all year long.
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