The Baltimore Ravens have one of the most dynamic quarterbacks in the NFL in Lamar Jackson, but the fact that he can run as well as he can throw is not well understood.
Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt has yet to face Jackson, but knows how much of a threat a quarterback with that type of skillset is to a defense.
“Any time that a team has a quarterback in the run game plan and obviously in the pass game plan, it’s an extra person you have to defend in both aspects,” Watt said. “There is really no free person on the defense. Every single guy has to be accounted for and every guy has to do their job.
“If they make one guy miss or if one guy doesn’t do their job, it makes it that much more difficult on the rest of the defense.”
Jackson wasn’t as impactful on the ground in the Ravens’ 38-6 win over the Cleveland Browns in Week 1. The reigning NFL Most Valuable Player rushed seven times for 45 yards, but completed 20-of-25 for 275 yards and three touchdowns.
“He can do it all,” said Watt. “He can obviously do a lot of great things with his feet and his quickness and his speed and his ability to move around, but he’s also got the ability to stand in the pocket and throw the ball as well. Any time you have to defend both of those things with an equal level of excellence, it’s extremely difficult. It’s a great challenge for us.”
The Texans will have to watch tape from their 41-7 loss to the Ravens in Week 11 last year where Jackson completed 17 passes on 24 attempts for 222 yards and four touchdowns while rushing 10 times for 79 yards. However, they will also take a look at the tape from last week’s romp of the Browns to get a better picture of what Jackson is like in 2020.
“It’s paramount that we all do our job and that we all know our assignment and execute it well,” said Watt.
