Watching Lamar Jackson move, you might assume the Baltimore Ravens quarterback really enjoys running the football.
And you'd be wrong.
"I hate running," Jackson told reporters this week. "Only if I have to, but my job is to get the ball to the receivers, the tight ends, running backs. If I have to run, I'll do it, but I'd rather just sit back and pass it. I like throwing touchdowns instead of running them."
It might be hard to believe considering Jackson averaged 17 rushes per game as a starter during his 2018 rookie season, which he finished with 695 yards on the ground -- more than half his yardage total through the air. But the former first-round draft pick came into 2019 with expectations of a reduced role for his legs, and so far, that's held up. As ESPN reported, Jackson is now averaging just nine carries per game.
That's still more rushes than most QBs pull off during a single game, let alone a three-week stretch, but Jackson's athleticism -- and preseason hints from coach John Harbaugh that the Ravens might run him more -- actually suggest No. 8 is holding back when it comes to breaking out of the pocket. It's not as if his teammates are unaware of his ability to move.
"He's wild, man," running back Mark Ingram said, per ESPN. "He's amazing. I don't think there is anything like him in the league, as far as just extending plays and being able to juke defenders. He's special. He can extend plays and buy time for us to get open, receivers to get open, or him take off and run at the last resort and juke people, spin around people, make people fall."
So far this season, Jackson's produced 172 yards and one touchdown on the ground. He's been even more dangerous, however, throwing the ball. During Baltimore's 2-1 start, the second-year signal-caller has thrown 863 yards, seven touchdowns and zero interceptions for a passer rating of 113.9 -- good for fifth-best in the NFL.
