OWINGS MILLS — Teams have been aggressively attacking Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, and he has made them pay.
Jackson has 608 passing yards against the blitz this season, which ranks fourth in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus.
On Monday night, he will face a Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense that blitzes the third-most in the NFL. Ravens coach John Harbaugh is confident that Jackson will be ready.
“We’re always chasing perfection,” Harbaugh said. “It’s not like we haven’t had a few wrinkles with that – you’ve seen it in games. We do our best. The guys, starting with Lamar because he orchestrates it, are doing a great job with that.”
While Tampa Bay likes to blitz, the Buccaneers have struggled against the pass. Tampa Bay has the NFL’s 28th-ranked pass defense, allowing 252.3 yards per game.
Linebacker Lavonte David, defensive lineman Logan Hall and nose tackle Vita Vea, who is questionable, have been effective in getting to the quarterback and have three sacks apiece. Cornerback Zyon McCollum has two interceptions.
Jackson is 22-1 against NFC opponents, the best mark by a quarterback against an opposing conference in NFL history. He has also been successful against the Buccaneers, going 2-0 against them.
The Ravens, who have won four straight, lead the NFL with 453.7 yards per game and 205.3 yards rushing. They are also the best red-zone team, scoring on 51.5 percent of their opportunities.
Some pundits say Baltimore has the best-run offense in the NFL. Jackson is not buying into the hype.
“People are going to say whatever they want to say,” Jackson said. “We were just 0-2, and [they were saying] we were the worst offense in the league. Just being 4-2 right now, people are still going to say whatever they want to say, because there can be a game [and] we could come out with a win, but an ugly offensive game, and they’ll say, ‘It’s the worst offense.’ Each and every week, there’s going to be something, we just have to focus on being the best offense that the Ravens have ever had.”
