Browns slow down Lamar Jackson enough to win, but defending him will only get more difficult

The Cleveland Browns were able to frustrate and slow down Lamar Jackson enough to defeat the Baltimore Ravens, but it wasn't easy and it's not difficult to see just how good he is, despite some flaws. Jackson has to continue his development as a passer and in terms of some his reads to reach his incredible potential, which is both awe inspiring as a fan of the game and terrifying for opponents. Particularly in the game against the Browns, it felt like the weapons around Jackson were also holding him back at times.

There's no question that much of this is a product of youth as the Ravens are starting a pair of rookie receivers and a couple second year tight ends along with Jackson being in his second year. There are some miscommunications and Jackson missed a few passes he shouldn't miss, but there are also some drops by teammates and the sum total of all those issues are where the Ravens are right now, which is an explosive offense that can get into some ruts.

Even with some struggles passing the ball, Jackson's legs force specialized pass rushes and can put significant stress on players chasing him as well as defensive back trying to cover receivers for extended periods of time. On one touchdown pass, Jackson's threat rolling to the right had two pass rushers trying to corral him, a linebacker and safety with their eyes on Jackson while his tight end Mark Andrews was wide open in the back of the end zone for an easy score.

The Browns won't see the Ravens again until week 16 in a game that could decide the division and by then, the offense may be unrecognizable in three months from where it is now. The running game will still be difficult to deal with, but if they make strides in the passing game, defenses are going to have effectively pick their battles, because they can't shut down everything.

The big potential stumbling block between now and then is the risk of injury to Jackson. He does a great job protecting himself in situations where he's able, but when pass rushers come from unexpected angles or he's running on the interior, he gets caught and subjected to some bigger hits.

Thus far, the Ravens have struck a far better balance when it comes to running Jackson. Last year, in the final seven regular season games when Jackson took over as the team's quarterback, he the ball 119 times, which works out to 17 carries per contest. This year, a month into the season, Jackson is averaging nine carries per game.

The Ravens young passing game has to continue developing and likely continue adding pieces, but they are on the right track and Jackson is really impressive, even if he's an unfinished product. As dangerous and problematic as Jackson was against the Browns, he can get a lot better the rest of this season and the coming years.

Now, about that defense...