Lamar Jackson Says Holding Onto Ball Too Long Sometimes A Necessity
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Lamar Jackson has taken a league-high 37 sacks so far this season and he's missed a game because of an illness.
One criticism is that Jackson is holding onto the ball too long.
Jackson said sometimes it's necessary to just take the sack.
“Yes, and like I said before when too many guys are surrounding you, you don’t want to just try to throw it away, [because] then it can be a strip-sack, now it’s a fumble, now we’ve got to deal with that," Jackson said. "So, sometimes you’ve got to take a sack for your own … You can cut your losses.”
On the season, Jackson has thrown for 2,865 yards with 16 touchdowns and 13 interceptions for an 86.8 rating. He's also been sacked a league-high 37 times and has not m his hot reads.
However, he is enduring the worst stretch of his young career.
Over the past four games, Jackson has completed 96 of 153 pass attempts (62.8%) for 922 yards with six touchdowns and eight interceptions (70.8 rating). He has also been sacked 16 times.
Jackson is confident that he can turn things around and make that final push for the postseason.
“I’ve got guys like Mark Andrews. I’ve got guys like Marquise Brown. I’ve got ‘Bate’ [Rashod Bateman]. I’ve got Sammy [Watkins]. I’ve got all these guys who are with me: Devonta Freeman, Latavius Murray. We’ve got all these great guys – Patrick Ricard – who are out there trying to win, as well. It’s not just me. So, that’s why I’ve got all the confidence – my teammates.”
Ravens coach John Harbaugh is not worried about the psyche of his quarterback.
Lamar continues to strive for greatness – that’s who Lamar is," Harbaugh said. "He’s a competitor. He’s a ballplayer. He’s one of the best quarterbacks in the league, in my opinion. Regardless of how he’s playing, whatever it may be, that guy is going to continue to work. He’s going to continue to come out here and practice, get right and be ready to play. So, I have no doubts in our quarterback.”
