What To Expect From Ravens QB Lamar Jackson With His Arm And Legs Against The Colts

The two-time MVP is playing his first game with a new offensive coordinator and a brand new offense that's vastly different from any he's been in before

Dec 14, 2025; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) throws a pass against the Cincinnati Bengals in the first half at Paycor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

After months of intrigue and speculation and hype about what two-time MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson could look like in a “brand-new offense,” as he’s called it, Sunday we start to find out.

Declan Doyle, 30, will be calling plays for the first time, and when it becomes a big deal where a coach is going to station himself on game day (Doyle will call plays from the press box), you know this is truly start-up operation. Jackson has said all the right things all offseason long, raving about the opportunities for “explosive” plays and expressing confidence that the novice offensive coordinator will scheme things up to get pass catchers open and put them in matchups they can exploit.

"I believe we have a lot in store,” Jackson said this week. “New season, it feels like a new breath of fresh air. I feel like my guys (are) just ready to get out there and just start flying."

Jackson, of course, is always confident and outwardly supportive of teammates and coaches no matter what. He has not, to this point, committed his future to this organization beyond 2026, with a contract that effectively allows him to call his shots as a free agent after this season unless the Ravens can convince him otherwise. And time may have already run out on that prospect with Jackson serving as his own agent and having little motivation to wear multiple hats (or a hat and a helmet) at this point.

Doyle is trying to bask in the mystery that comes with having never done this before and trying to make defensive coordinators guess and wonder as long as possible. But there are obvious clues from Doyle’s coaching mentors about some of what is coming and the preseason revealed clear schematic and formations changes.

Here’s what we expect for Lamar Jackson in his debut with Doyle against the Colts:

Under Center 60% - 70% Of Snaps

No quarterback has been in shotgun/pistol more than Jackson since he became a starter, but Doyle’s mentor, Sean Payton is heavy under center and the Bears, where Doyle was last year under head coach Ben Johnson, were heavy under center. They got Caleb Williams under there a ton as a raw second-year player, and Jackson should do damage with his legs and arm here.

Jackson led the NFL in Expected Points Added under center last year and Todd Monken was already starting to swing the pendulum more this way. It suits running back Derrick Henry, entering an age 32 season where most careers go to expire, and the Ravens backup QBs looked great operating under center with boots and miss-direction throws and first-down play action in the preseason.

He Will Run

Jackson is 9-1 in 10 games against Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo and averages about 10 carries for 66 yards in those games. He has run nine times or more in six of the last seven meetings and Anarumo’s defense in Indianapolis last year had a 31.6% success rate against QB runs, 31st in the NFL (more on that here).

The Colts are rotating through a bunch of linebackers because they don’t have many dudes they are married to there. Anarumo did a very nice job against Henry in his last two meetings with him, but does he have dudes who can contain the QB? Jackson has heard all the noise about him getting older and losing a strep and how little he ran last year. Bet he tears one off for 40 yards here (done it once in the last five years)

Slot Success

Jackson has torched Anarumo defenses throwing to tight ends: 70/97 (72%), 9 TD-0 INT, 127.9 rating. And Anarumo’s defense – again, they have an LB problem – allowed the second most passing yards to TEs last season and was 29th in yards/attempt and allowed the fifth-most big plays to TEs.

But in the Ravens' case, with big slot receiver Ja’Kobi Lane kinda like a Joker slot TE and rookie TEs Josh Cuevas and Matthew Hibner really more like big slot receivers than true TEs, getting caught up in whether it was really 11 personnel or 12 personnel can get tricky. I believe Doyle and Jackson  will be attacking this defense with long slot targets a bunch when he does throw.

Jackson is in his career throwing to the slot against Anarumo: 73-for-107, 9.5 air yards per attempt, 9 TDs – 1 INT, 116.5 rating.

Prediction

We expect Jackson to rack up 350-375 total yards, and quite a bit of it on the ground. Which of these youngsters shows capable of winning in the redzone will be vital with Baltimore struggling so much there a year ago. All these new pieces and a potentially bad interior offensive line has me thinking we get an interception. This could be a bit of a shootout, and Jackson is likely the difference in this game.

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