Ravens' Lamar Jackson Tops League in Key Stats

From any conceivable angle, Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson's 2024 season was special.

Jackson, 28, had by far the best statistical season of his career, and that's saying a lot considering he won two MVP awards beforehand. He threw for a career-high 4,172 yards and 41 touchdowns with only four interceptions, and his 119.6 passer rating was one of the best in NFL history.

Jackson was once widely criticized for his passing ability, but now he's one of the best in the league. In fact, he is the very best in a few key areas.

According to Pro Football Focus, Jackson was the best quarterback in the league last season against both Cover 3 and Cover 6.

"The NFL’s highest-graded overall passer from last campaign finally makes his way onto the list due to his play against three-deep coverage shells," PFF's Bradley Locker wrote. "Jackson’s 91.0 PFF passing grade eked outJustin Herbert‘s 90.7 figure, in part because of his 12 big-time throws (second most) to only three turnover-worthy plays. Jackson’s 115.8 passer rating against Cover 3 looks was also tops."

"Jackson tormented basically every opposing coverage, but he did his heavy lifting against softer zones. The two-time MVP notched a near-perfect 154.8 passer rating against Cover 6, tossing three big-time throws with zero turnover-worthy plays."

Both Cover 3 and Cover 6 are soft zone schemes with three defensive backs playing deep, so Jackson clearly excels against that specific archetype.

Perhaps even more impressively, Jackson was by far the best quarterback in the red zone last season. The Ravens scored on a league-best 74.2 percent of their red-zone opportunities, and Jackson was largely responsible for that success.

"Jackson was unstoppable to defend on any blade of grass, and that extended to inside the opponent’s 20-yard line," Locker wrote. "The Baltimore dynamo earned the highest PFF passing grade against red-zone looks by almost a full five points ahead of Justin Herbert (85.1) in second place. It’s not shocking to learn that Jackson wasn’t tagged with a turnover-worthy play against red-zone looks, either."

Following up such an outstanding season won't be easy, but Jackson has shown time and time again that he defies expectations. If he continues to dominate in these key areas, he and the Ravens should be in very good shape.