Ravens Safety Compares Lamar Jackson to LeBron James

Kyle Hamilton came to Lamar Jackson’s defense despite the quarterback’s underwhelming performance in the Baltimore Ravens’ devastating loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Thanksgiving night. 

Jackson finished with 17 completions of 32 passes for 246 yards, with no touchdowns and one interception. He accounted for a total of three turnovers as he also lost two fumbles. It's the first time he has failed to throw a touchdown in three consecutive games since taking up the QB mantle.

The Ravens' QB said in his postgame availability that he doesn't miss throws in practice, but struggled to complete basic passes. Hamilton was asked how surprising it was to see an elite quarterback fail on routine opportunities.

"Yeah, I mean it's one of those days, you know, that you have and defense had a lot of those days early in the year and, you know, we aren't pointing the finger at anybody,” Hamilton said. “Not pointing the finger at Lamar, not pointing the finger at whoever it may be. We're all one family, you know. We got to roll with the punches and get through the lows and the highs at the same time."

The Ravens' Safety went on to draw parallels between the two-time NFL MVP and the NBA superstar, LeBron James. 

"So, um not surprised at all. Not really think of it as like a surprise that he's throwing the ball wherever he may have been throwing it today,” he said. “Like, you know, he's on point on time in practice and you know, it just doesn't go that way sometimes in the game, but you know, he's a competitor and he's one of the best, two-time MVP for a reason. So, even LeBron has an off night."

Kyle Hamilton on Lamar Jackson’s Mentality 

The Ravens’ QB has consistently said he expects more of himself and hasn’t been able to reach that standard. Hamilton was asked how Jackson has been carrying himself during this challenging stretch. 

"Yeah, I mean, he's the same Lamar. I think that's a good thing." Hamilton said. 

“There's the narrative I think could switch very easily just because he's a high-profile player and like I said, two-time MVP, so people are quick to criticize and jump to conclusions, but I mean, you have a tough two-three game stretch, and you don't really get any leeway there if you're Lamar Jackson. He doesn't care about any of that. He's just trying to do what's best for this team so we can win football games.”

Hamilton added that he sees Jackson throw on a daily basis, and he knows the QB will get it right soon. The safety is not worried about Jackson’s performance at all. He admitted that they have a lot of stuff to fix, but also pointed out that they have made a lot of progress.