The Baltimore Ravens may have secured a win against the New York Jets by 23-10, but the performance of their star quarterback, Lamar Jackson, left more questions than answers. He finished with only 56.5% completion (13 of 23) for 150 passing yards and zero touchdowns. This isn’t the dominant quarterback fans are used to seeing. As a result, head coach John Harbaugh stepped up to address the issue after the victory on Sunday, November 23.

“He’s our guy, he’s our quarterback and Lamar’s doing what he needs to do,” John Harbaugh said. “He is winning football games and it’s not always pretty. The pretty games will be there. They’ll be there for Lamar Jackson, you can bet on that. But I’m proud of him right now. I’m really proud of him, the way he’s fighting to win football games.”

Harbaugh’s “not always pretty games” and “fighting to win” comments drew the attention of many fans, especially when the QB is indeed struggling. Lamar Jackson is going through a stretch he hasn’t seen in years, and it’s showing up everywhere in his game. He hasn’t thrown for 200 yards in three straight outings, and he hasn’t tossed a touchdown in back-to-back games for the first time in six years.

On top of that, he’s been dealing with knee soreness and an ankle issue, which has already forced him to miss a weekly practice just to keep his body in check. And as all this piles up, there’s been an obvious drop in his rushing, which is the part of his game that usually changes everything. He’s now running for fewer yards than ever, and that dip says a lot about how much he’s been fighting through physically and mentally over these past few weeks.

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However, the coach still showed “utmost confidence” in his signal caller, and Jackson has also been “doing what he needs to do.”

The Ravens jumped off from a 2-5 record after Week 8 to a 6-5 record after Week 12. That’s 5 victories in a row. In his comeback game against the Miami Dolphins, Jackson scored 4 passing touchdowns at a 78.3% completion rate (18 of 23) in 204 passing yards. But since then, he has gone silent.

In the last three games, he has finished with a completion rate under 60%, passing for less than 200 yards, one score, and two interceptions. John Harbaugh is defending his quarterback, but he also needs to find answers if it’s the hamstring injury that’s bothering Jackson or the new knee and ankle injuries he has picked up in practice.

However, the signal caller defended himself, claiming that the offense was lagging. He reiterated the need to score points to win games, as only making good plays was not sufficient.

For a player with a 65.1% career completion rate, these things scare the fans. They need him healthier in the future, but even more importantly, they need him to perform at his MVP level. But injuries have derailed his momentum, even for other players like safety Kyle Hamilton, who went down twice today.

John Harbaugh gives relief to fans on Kyle Hamilton

The first scary moment happened around 7:41 in the second quarter. Jets quarterback Tyrod Taylor threw the pigskin to the running back Breece Hall, who then ran down the field along the right sideline. At the 40-yard line, Hamilton came forward to stop him, but Hall used his right shoulder to evade the tackle.

Hamilton first fell flat on his chest, but he then held his right shoulder as he lay on the ground for a few seconds. But the safety got up by himself and headed back to the blue medical tent. John Harbaugh was clearly worried. However, the safety returned just after the next two plays. What concerned everyone was when he headed back to the blue tent again with 3 minutes remaining in the game, as he was sidelined with some sort of leg injury.

However, the coach calmed everyone. He updated the fans that Hamilton’s injury was not serious. They need their veterans now more than ever, as the franchise has returned to the top of the AFC North. Jackson’s comeback has bolstered their chances of qualifying for the playoffs. In fact, fans believe they could have a run at the Super Bowl this year if the team plays at its 100% level.

It depends on how John Harbaugh manages his roster. Defensive lineman Taven Bryan also got injured in the Week 12 matchup. The head coach told everyone to wait until Monday for information about his injury.

However, the bigger issue is their quarterback’s full playing ability. Something definitely feels off. Everyone in Baltimore needs to work double time until they identify the root of the problem and fix it before it spoils their season at some critical juncture. For now, the Ravens flock can celebrate their wonderful turnaround!