'It's Automatic!' Lamar Jackson and Baltimore Ravens Lead NFL In Red Zone Offense
Part of the early season success for the Ravens this year can be attributed to the red zone offense. Baltimore has been nearly unstoppable inside the opposing 20-yard line through the first month of the season. The Ravens have scored touchdowns on 12 of 15 red zone trips, for a league-high 80 percent success rate.
And a lot of THAT success can be attributed to quarterback Lamar Jackson and his unpredictability near the end zone.
USA Today Sports
"You never know what you’re going to get," Ravens rookie wideout Zay Flowers said. "He can run it, [or] he can throw it. He can do whatever you need him to do to get in the end zone. So, when we’re down there, it’s kind of like automatic.”
On Sunday in Cleveland, Jackson hit a high note with his unpredictability, running and throwing for multiple touchdowns in one game for the first time ever. He ran for two touchdowns of 10 and two yards and hit tight end Mark Andrews on touchdown passes of seven and 18 yards.
"He's able to do so many other things that other quarterbacks can’t do," Andrews said. "That’s a beautiful thing. Lamar Jackson’s second to none.”
But the Ravens haven't always been great inside the red zone, and it's improved drastically under new offensive coordinator Todd Monken. Over the past three seasons, Baltimore ranked 19th in red zone offense, scoring touchdowns just under 57 percent of the time.
"You’d have to go back to a few years ago; we were getting into the red zone and not scoring,” Jackson said. "I believe a lot of that came with [lack of] focus, and as we get into the red zone – or the black zone, as Coach [Monken] calls it – we have to focus harder just because we got all the way down here, [so] we have to finish the drive instead of having ‘Tuck’ come on the field and kick field goals like usual.”
Jackson and the Ravens accomplished what they did in the red zone on Sunday against the Browns while short-handed, too. Baltimore was without wideouts Odell Beckham Jr. and Rashod Bateman. Also sidelined was starting left tackle Ronnie Stanley. Starting left tackle Morgan Moses missed the entire second half with a shoulder injury.
"He was running the show out there,” Harbaugh said of Jackson. "He was the point guard; he was the general. He was making the calls, making the changes, [and] handling the shot clock. I just thought he played a fantastic football game.”
