Ravens QB Lamar Jackson continues to be the NFL’s ultimate narrative destroyer

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is one of the most electrifying and polarizing talents in the NFL. His ability to carve up defenses with both his arm and his legs are extremely unique, and he has not only led Baltimore to an impressive 35-8 record as a starting quarterback, he’s also broken countless milestones throughout his professional career so far.

Despite how successful he’s been at the NFL level, he still faces a horde of criticism each and every week about his ability to play quarterback. He’s shown strides in each of his four NFL seasons, improving on areas that were once weaknesses. He’s not perfect, but his play deserves much more respect than he gets from many.

Well before Jackson entered the league, there were already people who didn’t think that he could have any success as an NFL passer. There were countless conversations about his accuracy, his play style and other traits, as well as tendencies that many deemed a professional quarterback just couldn’t have. A Los Angeles Chargers scout asked him to play wide receiver. He also faced question after question from the media at the 2018 NFL Scouting Combine in regards to his willingness to switch to wide receiver. Jackson repeatedly said he was a quarterback.

Jackson was drafted into the perfect situation. The Ravens had him on their radar knowing that he could help their team win games at the quarterback position. The organization believed in the young signal caller, and Jackson has turned into a superstar right before their eyes, something that was Baltimore’s vision all along.

The quarterback accounted for 9,991 total yards over his first three seasons, throwing for 68 touchdowns through the air while rushing for 19 more. Through six games of 2021 he’s taken yet another massive leap, leading an injury-plagued Ravens team to a 5-1 record while showing major growth in many key areas.

Perhaps Jackson’s most impressive accomplishment is that he won the NFL’s second-ever unanimous MVP award in his second year, which also happened to be his first full season as a starter. He is a dynamic dual-threat player who can beat any defense in a multitude of ways. However, even with his statistics and accolades, people still have questions about him.

Mina Kimes of ESPN shared her thoughts on how frustrating it can be to have a conversation about Jackson, given the fact that the goal posts are always moved when it comes to the quarterback. When Jackson destroys one narrative, another one pops up.

Some of the negative narrative surrounding Jackson have been that he can’t throw, his play-style isn’t sustainable, he can’t come from behind, he can’t win if an opposing defense stops the run game, he can’t win in the playoffs, and more. He’s busted each one of those narratives, but others appear, like when Jeremy Fowler of ESPN said that he spoke to people throughout the NFL who thought that 2021 was the year that Jackson would get figured out. Just a few months later, Fowler said that his sources were “eating some crow”, much to the pleasure of co-worker and former Raven Domonique Foxworth.

Fowler’s NFL sources aren’t the only ones who have been wrong about Jackson. Countless media members have apologized about doubting the star quarterback, and many are beginning to realize what others have already known for a long time…that Jackson has a very long and successful career ahead of him as a signal caller.

Even though he’s one of the NFL’s brightest young stars, he isn’t without his flaws. He’s not a perfect player, because no one is. He has things he can improve on. However, it’s the blind skepticism and criticism that many have an issue with, as those types of arguments almost always ignore clear statistics that show just how impressive Jackson has been over his first three-plus years in the NFL.

Jackson has plenty of supporters around the league, none bigger than his close circle as well as the organization that he plays for. He does a great job of tuning out negativity and believing in himself, something that can be a hard thing to do. When one narrative pops up, he’s swiftly destroys it and moves on to the next one.