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Nov 16, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) runs for a gain during the first quarter against the Cleveland Browns at Huntington Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Scott Galvin-Imagn Images Scott Galvin-Imagn Images

Ravens Surviving Without Lamar Jackson's Weekly Heroics

Originally posted on Baltimore Ravens on SI
By Henry Brown | Last updated Nov 18, 2025 5:00 PM ET

Lamar Jackson's gutted out three consecutive wins since returning to his role in the Baltimore Ravens' starting lineup, and his presence alone as a downfield playmaker and threat as a scrambler and designed runner has been enough to keep opposing defenses honest in completing the long crawl back to .500.

His most recent win, a 23-16 victory at the expense of the Cleveland Browns, was instrumental in finally tying the team's record up at 5-5. The team's capable of scoring the ball on occasion, something they struggled mightily with in his absence, and the defense has managed to string together a few clutch series in stretching the Ravens' win streak to four games out of the bye week.

As welcome as Jackson's presence back under center's been, he hasn't looked like his absolute best self since missing a month of action in tending to a hamstring injury. That's not to say he looks hobbled, as he's still moving about as well as he was in the three and a half games he played before going down, but the quarterback play has left a tad to be desired.

Fighting the Uphill Battle

To be clear, he hasn't been dealt with the most promising of hands. His offensive line, first and foremost, has made his job exceedingly more difficult than usual, and that was a problem that contributed to the Ravens' early demise to start the fall. They just can't stop giving up sacks, and after staying pat at the trade deadline, nothing's expected to drastically change.

The underwhelming assortment of blockers have had finer outings than they did this past weekend, when they consistently allowed star defensive end Myles Garrett to bulldoze into Jackson's quickly-collapsing pockets to account for four of the Browns' five sacks.

Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

His receivers haven't cut him much slack, either, routinely muffing routine passes that always seem to end up in the mitts of more sure-handed defenders. However, his struggles against pressure and a recent slip from his nearly-unsustainable accuracy levels after a slew of games against top defenses have seen Jackson accrue a few underwhelming quarterback evaluations in a row.

Dropping Grades Resulting in Heightening Hope?

Just a week after handing Jackson a C grade for his outing against the Minnesota Vikings, Bleacher Report hit him even harder with a D after going 14-25 for 193 yards and two picks on his record. Interestingly, they don't necessarily see this as a bad thing for the surging Ravens going forward.

"The Baltimore Ravens won their fourth-straight contest, and they didn't need Lamar Jackson to be an all-world quarterback in order to so," Brent Sobleski wrote. "During Sunday's meeting with the Browns, the two-time league MVP struggled to get going. Pressure from Cleveland's defensive front led to five sacks and an interception from a tipped pass at the line of scrimmage. (Jackson's second pick ricocheted off his running back's hands.)

"Instead, Baltimore relied on Derrick Henry, who ran for 103 yards. Also, the Ravens defense continued to show its improvement by allowing only 187 yards. This type of performance inspires confidence, because Jackson isn't going to play poorly every week. He'll return to form."

Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

As much as he was dearly missed during the Cooper Rush and Tyler Huntley starts, his looking human against stingier defensive units can actually be spun into a positive. He can't keep carrying the entire team with their inconsistent defense, spotty health luck and porous offensive line, so the Ravens can use this most recent ugly win as a roadmap to doing "just enough" to gut out future wins. So-so Jackson outings shouldn't be anticipated or preferred by any means, but this is some of the first evidence that these Ravens have that they can win without him putting the squad on his back.

This article first appeared on Baltimore Ravens on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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