With less than two minutes remaining, Lamar Jackson got to work.
The electrifying quarterback quickly generated two new sets of downs, one with his arm and another via a 19-yard gallop. With time to spare, the Baltimore Ravens had driven down into enemy territory. A few short runs followed to chip away at the yardage before Justin Tucker stepped onto the field for a potential walk-off field goal. The Ravens knocked off the AFC North rival Cincinnati Bengals as the game clock expired.
While Tucker raised his arms in the style of Russell Crowe’s character in Gladiator, Jackson walked into the embrace of Baltimore quarterbacks coach James Urban. Baltimore’s entire coaching staff understood who truly carried the team to a come-from-behind victory that Thursday night and wanted to let Jackson know, too.
“There’s nobody like Lamar,” head coach John Harbaugh later recounted. “There are great quarterbacks, and you can’t take away anything from some of the great quarterbacks in this league, and he is in that group. I’ll take him over everybody. He does it his way, and he just wants to win. That’s what he wants to do. He wants to win. That’s what he cares about, and that’s why the guys respect him so much.”
Still, though the latest example of Jackson’s football heroics pushed his team to victory, the final outcome didn’t have to pivot on the final drive. The Ravens had numerous opportunities to put the game away earlier in the proceedings, but the superstar signal-caller’s supporting cast didn’t provide enough of a helping hand.
The performance, however impressive, underscores a major problem for Baltimore. While plenty of teams go only as far as the quarterback takes them, the Ravens have placed a disproportionate and unstainable burden on Jackson’s shoulders. The 2019 MVP has led the team in both passing and rushing for four weeks running, something he has never previously done and a concerning trend. Someone, anyone, needs to step up and provide Jackson with some assistance.
The responsibility to remedy the situation ultimately falls on Baltimore’s brain trust. Harbaugh and general manager Eric DeCosta need to find ways to improve Jackson’s supporting players if the Ravens hope to make a Super Bowl run this season.
Fortunately for the club, a few such opportunities do exist.
Receiving corps
On paper, the Ravens have a credible degree of firepower in the receiving corps to help Jackson. Rashod Bateman has shown genuine flashes of the field-tilting ability that made him a first-round selection, Devin Duvernay has come into his own as a vertical threat, and Mark Andrews remains a rock down the seams and in the red zone.
But the group’s upside comes with risk as well. Bateman missed an entire week of practice while nursing a foot injury, leaving too much on the plate of the aforementioned Duvernay and Andrews. With just one absence, the Ravens offense sputtered out when Jackson didn’t make an incredible individual play.
If Baltimore wants to make a meaningful addition to the receiving crops during the season, two options stand out. The most notable, veteran Odell Beckham Jr., would provide the passing game with a dynamic presence capable of stretching the field. Beckham remains less than nine months removed from the torn ACL he suffered in Super Bowl LVI but expects to receive full clearance at some point in November. Between now and then, the Ravens could make a push for his services.
A more immediate and potentially longer-term solution could arrive via trade. Following the dismissal of head coach Matt Rhule earlier this week, the Carolina Panthers have signaled to the rest of the league that a roster firesale should soon commence. D.J. Moore, an up-and-coming 25-year-old wideout and former member of the Maryland Terrapins, could become available for the right price.
Offensive line
In a certain sense, the Ravens have already made the biggest in-season addition possible along the offensive line. All-Pro left tackle Ronnie Stanley returned after missing essentially all of last season and most of 2020 with ankle injuries. Stanley looked impressive in his 2022 debut, allowing zero pressures of any kind, according to Pro Football Focus.
At the same time, Stanley still has progress to make before completing his recovery. He appeared on just 22 snaps on Thursday and might not play a full game for some time. The situation shares more than a passing resemblance with that of fellow All-Pro David Bakhtiari who has worked in a rotation at left tackle for the Green Bay Packers since returning from his own injury. Until Stanley proves capable of locking down the blindside on a full-time basis, the effectiveness of the entire offensive line seems shaky.
The Ravens have less appetizing options to reinforce the unit at this stage of the process, but a few names could make sense. Eric Fisher, the longtime Chiefs left tackle who spent last season with the Indianapolis Colts, remains unsigned and could step in should Stanley suffer a setback. He could also supply competition to Morgan Moses who has already yielded three sacks and eight total pressures, according to Pro Football Focus.
Jason B. Hirschhorn is an award-winning sports journalist and Pro Football Writers of America member. He has bylines at NFL.com, SB Nation, Sports Illustrated, and other outlets.