Busting the Myth That Lamar Jackson Struggles in Passing Situations

Busting the Myth That Lamar Jackson Struggles in Passing Situations

The seemingly never-ending debate about Lamar Jackson’s ability as a passer flared up again this week, sparked by an anonymous defensive coordinator’s assertion that if Jackson has to pass to win the game, “they ain’t winning the game.”

The take was rebuked by a number of analysts and others, as everyone seems to have a strong opinion on the subject. Refreshingly, Pro Football Focus’ Sam Monson weighed in on the topic with an analytical approach rather than an emotional one.

“As luck would have it, this can be measured and is not just something we have to take people’s word for,” Monson wrote.

He concluded that the notion that Jackson can’t function in pure passing situations is a myth.

“Jackson does not struggle in passing situations, despite the narrative, particularly if we focus on the player he has become and not the player we saw debut as a rookie in 2018,” Monson wrote.

Monson said the narrative originated when Jackson struggled against the Los Angeles Chargers in the playoffs during his rookie season, and it grew when Jackson couldn’t bring the Ravens back from an early double-digit deficit against the Tennessee Titans in the playoffs the following season.

However, those two games don’t represent Jackson’s overall performance in such situations.

Based on data of how quarterbacks performed in pure passing situations in the regular season and playoffs from 2018-2021, Monson wrote: “Patrick Mahomes is some kind of alien, but amongst regular, human quarterbacks, Jackson ranks well. He stacks up very comparably with Aaron Rodgers, one of the best passers in the league. His playoff performance in obvious passing situations has been a little worse than his regular season, but even that has been clawed back after an inauspicious start.”

Monson said there is a kernel of truth in saying that Jackson has struggled — specifically passing the football — when his team is trailing, but even that performance…