The Ravens Long Ignored A First-Down Cheat Code For Lamar Jackson. Declan Doyle Is Changing That

There are few things that Lamar Jackson has done better through the first half of his Hall of Fame career than push the football downfield with first-down, play-action passes from under-center formations

It’s basically a cheat code. A means to create a big play when you want it.

And the biggest problem is, it doesn’t happen nearly enough. He hasn’t been under center much to begin with (he and Jalen Hurts have done it the least in the NFL since they became starting quarterbacks), and the Ravens have run the ball a ton and haven’t cashed in on throwing on early downs nearly enough given the caliber of their quarterback.

And that should change in a massive way for the two-time MVP this season. Right away. That’s part of why this front office and head coach Jesse Minter were attracted to 30-year-old rookie offensive coordinator Declan Doyle in the first place. Taking these kinds of shots is precisely the kind of thing his coaching mentors – Broncos head coach Sean Payton (who explained it at length on “The Daily Flock”) and Bears head coach Ben Johnson – believe in wholeheartedly. Heck, you could see the tendency shine through some even in the preseason with veteran back-up Snoop Huntley and undrafted rookie Joe Fagnano under center.

Expect this to be noticeable no matter what type of personnel the Ravens lean into Week 1 – we have a strong suspicion it will be a lot of 11 personnel. Jackson and top receiver Zay Flowers kept throwing the word “explosive” around all offseason to describe what Doyle was cooking up, and the under center play action shots on first down will soar. Guaranteed.

"He's very natural at it," Doyle noted of Jackson back in the early days of training camp. "He's a quick mover. You would never notice that he hasn't been under there that much. He has the ability to do all three – he can be under, he can be in the pistol, he can be in the gun. There's a lot of versatility in his game. You want to mix all those things and make the defense have to deal with him."

Ignored Too Long

Jackson is just 27th in under-center, play-action passes on first down in the NFL since 2018, with 143 (that’s a long sample, so 27th is quite low considering how many top QBs phased in and out of the league since then). Drew Brees, who was Payton’s (and Doyle’s) prized pupil in New Orleans, attempted 148 such passes in that span, and he’s been retired for five years and played just 38 games in that period.

Yeah, buckle up.

Payton has worked with Bo Nix the last two years, who was considered something of a project coming out of college despite where he was drafted, and he’s always uncorked 81 of these throws in two years. And last year in Chicago, where Doyle worked under Johnson, Caleb Williams attempted 100 such passes despite having spent basically his entire college and pro career prior to 2025 in exclusively shotgun and pistol offenses.

Only Mattew Stafford (Rams) attempted more, and if you want to here more gospel on this, well, we had McVay on “The Daily Flock” as well breaking this down and why Jackson could be so impactful under center. (Jackson led the NFL in Expected Points Added per dropback under center last season).

So if you are scoring at home kids:

Games Under Center, PA 1st Down

Jackson 113 Games 143 attempts

Brees 38 Games 148 attempts

Williams 17 Games 100 attempts

Nix 34 Games 81 attempts

You can see where this is going through the coaching family tree. This is a core principle. Oh, and Ravens quarterbacks ranked sixth in the NFL in UCPA first-down attempts, with 17 in three preseason games.

(Almost) Nobody Does It Better

So, um as to how this has worked out for the Ravens when they have embraced it, it’s something I’ve been tracking for years as you could see the smart play callers in the NFL gravitate to it. For Jackson, like many of the other quarterbacks on this list who aren’t the biggest and most strapping, and who started to run less as they got injured, the more under-center, play-action passing on first down, the better.

UCPA 1st Down Leaders Since 2018 (min. 30 G)

Rtg. Yds/Att TD-INT

Drake Maye (30 G) 134.7 9.3 10-1

Brees (38 G) 129.8 9.8 12-1

Jackson (113 G) 129.1 10.2 11-1

Philip Rivers (50 G) 125.5 11.7 6-1

Tua Tagovailoa (76 G) 122.2 10.1 9-1

Russell Wilson (108 G) 120.9 10.0 21-3

And you’re telling me this isn’t going to be the path into his 30s for Jackson?

Guys with mobility and the ability to win on the second play, who are closer to 6-feet than 6-6, made it their happy place. And Lamar’s legs remain more special than theirs ever were, allowing to buy more time and do more unscripted, still, out of these looks. Tagovailoa doesn’t want to throw the ball five yards down the field and he couldn’t help averaging over 10 yards per attempt in these situations (122 attempts).

You don’t have a deep threat you trust on the roster besides Flowers? This allows time for double moves and forces those DBs not only not to bite down at all on a run but then to cover longer. It’s hell on linebackers, as longtime NFL head coach Todd Haley detailed on “The Daily Flock” and that will help Baltimore’s rookie tight ends, who are quite green.

"More than anything, it's the play-action element," Doyle said early in camp. "Being able to turn your back to the defense and simulate the run for a longer period time allows things down the field. The longer you're in that fake, the longer it looks like run, and all the plays that come off that scheme.

"As opposed to you being in the pistol or the gun, when the mesh happens much faster and the defense sees what's happening quicker. You're just buying time, more than anything."

It’s also something that could absolutely help Baltimore solve its dismal redzone and goal-to-go offense from a year ago – we did a full study here – as all 11 of Jackson’s TDs out of this look are within the opponents 11-yard line and it’s something Wilson leaned into more and more as he aged. If Jackson stays healthy and this offensive line isn’t a disaster, Jackson should match his career output this season, if not exceed it.

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