Ravens QB Lamar Jackson is the latest obstacle for the Dolphins’ surging defense
The Dolphins’ defense has withstood many tests this season as the unit has surged in the second half of the season.
But as Miami attempts to remain in contention for the AFC’s No. 1 seed when it faces the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, the matchup against quarterback Lamar Jackson could prove to be the defense’s toughest obstacle of the year.
“Lamar is one of one in his own regard,” coach Mike McDaniel said.
Jackson, the current front-runner for the league’s Most Valuable Player award, has set career-high numbers this season in passing yards (3,357) and completion percentage (66.3 percent). His overall numbers aren’t as gaudy as when he was unanimously voted MVP in 2019, but players and coaches have praised his growth as a passer — and he remains dangerous as a runner, leading all quarterbacks with 786 rushing yards.
Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio acknowledged that the team has had experience facing mobile quarterbacks this season.
“Then there’s Lamar Jackson,” he added. “He’s unlike anybody else. The only other player that’s been like him in the last 50 years is Michael Vick.”
The Dolphins have had varying levels of success in three matchups against the Pompano Beach native and Boynton Beach alumnus.
In the 2019 regular-season opener, Jackson threw for 324 yards and five touchdowns in a 59-10 Ravens blowout win. Two years later, Miami befuddled him with an assortment of blitzes in a 22-10 upset victory for the Dolphins, as Jackson was sacked four times and threw an interception. And in last year’s thrilling 42-38 comeback win for the Dolphins, Jackson again had one of the best games of his career, accounting for 437 yards and four touchdowns.
So much has changed though, even from the last meeting between the teams. Fangio has overseen an overhaul of the Dolphins’ defensive scheme, which is playing greater rates of zone coverage and blitz less frequently than in previous years. Miami is tied for fourth in yards per play allowed (4.8) and set a franchise record for sacks in the team’s win against the Dallas Cowboys. The Dolphins have recorded 52 sacks, which only trails the Ravens (54) for most in the NFL.
Jackson has changed, too, thriving in a new scheme that is giving him more ownership of the offense and allowing him to pass more.
“The offense has changed a little bit from last year,” Fangio said. “They’ve had change in the coordinator. They kept the same running game basically and they’re throwing the ball a little differently now. They’ve got the best group of receivers that they’ve had there in a long time.”
One thing hasn’t changed: Jackson remains the engine of the Ravens’ offense, which ranks fourth in points per game (27.8) and rushing yards per game (159.7).
Jackson has fared much better this season against zone coverages and when defenses don’t blitz, as opposed to when defenses are in man coverage or blitz.
“The pure definition of a great quarterback is there’s no one way to play him,” Fangio said. “Because if there was, everybody would do it. So you just have to mix up what you’re doing. Along the way, they have a hell of a run game. Both from the players’ ability — O-line, tight ends, runners — and the scheme of it with Lamar at the helm makes it a difficult task. There’s a lot to prepare for, a lot to defend in this offense.”
McDaniel jokingly said that he offered his services to be the scout team quarterback and imitate Jackson this week. That role has been given to third-string quarterback Skylar Thompson, who is the most mobile of the Dolphins’ quarterbacks. But it’s tough to model the unparalleled shiftiness of Jackson, from how he avoids defenders in the pocket to his elusiveness in the open field.
The Dolphins, as they have done with dual-threat quarterbacks this season, could opt to use a spy in the middle of the field to shadow Jackson’s movements. Players such as inside linebacker Duke Riley and safety Jevon Holland, the latter of whom could play on Sunday after missing the past four games with an injury to his knees, may get that responsibility.
Holland wouldn’t say who might spy Jackson, but players and defensive coaches have said it will take a collective effort to slow down a player who might have the most unique skill set in the league.
“Now I think he takes care of his body a lot more, eating right, working out the way he should,” said safety DeShon Elliott, who was drafted by the Ravens in 2018, the same class as Jackson. “He’s always been a natural leader, but I think he’s taken on the role of a leader. He’s an MVP player. He’s fantastic. Back in the day, we would say, ‘Lamarvelous.‘ He’s great, and all you can do is try to contain him. There’s no stopping Lamar Jackon, but you can try to contain him as much as you can.”
This story was originally published December 28, 2023 at 5:29 PM.
