Two fourth-quarter collapses at home by the Ravens has perhaps been the biggest headline from the team to start the 2022 season. But don't let that over-shadow Lamar Jackson's season.
The dynamic quarterback is off to yet another great start to the season, bouncing back from an injury-plagued 2021 to posting some of the most impressive numbers of any player in the NFL through the first four weeks of the season.
On Sunday, NFL fans across the nation will get their first chance to watch Jackson under the bright lights of primetime as he and the Ravens host the reigning AFC champion Bengals in their first AFC North game of the season.
The stats he has posted thus far have brought up memories of the 2019 NFL season when Jackson lit up the league, en route to being named the NFL MVP and leading the team to an NFL-best 14-2 regular-season record. How do his numbers so far this season compare to those he posted in 2019? The Sporting News takes a look.
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Lamar Jackson 2022 stats vs. 2019
Passing
The first thing that comes to mind with Jackson is often his elusivity and rushing ability. But that often leads to many under-playing his tremendous arm talent.
Through the first four games of the 2022 season, Jackson is tied for the league-lead in passing touchdowns (11), ranks tied for eighth in yards per attempt (7.6), has the 15th-best ProFootballFocus passing grade (68.6) and the sixth-highest big time throw rate (5.6 percent).
Here's how his passing stats compare to the 2019 season through the first four games, per Stathead, with league rank:
| 2019 | Stat | 2022 |
|---|---|---|
| 1,110 (11th) | Yards | 893 (21st) |
| 134 (16th) | Attempts | 117 (t-21st) |
| 8.3 (13th) | Yards/Attempts | 7.6 (t-8th) |
| 10 (t-1st) | Touchdowns | 11 (t-1st) |
| 2 (t-16th) | Interceptions | 4 (t-6th) |
| 64.9% (17th) | Completion percentage | 65% (15th) |
The numbers overall are comparable. Jackson doesn't have as many passing yards and has two more picks, but he has one more touchdown and a better completion percentage.
Much like in 2019, Jackson has had no problem spreading the ball around. He has connected with 11 different receivers in 2022, the same total as through the first four games in 2019, per Stathead. That 2019 group, however, had four players with at least 100 receiving yards and seven players with at least seven receptions. This year, only three players — Mark Andrews, Devin Duvernay and Rashod Bateman — have at least seven receptions or 100 receiving yards. No other player has more than six receptions or 51 receiving yards.
Coming into the year, the big question about how much success the Ravens could find through the air hinged on the receivers, particularly after Marquise Brown was traded to the Cardinals, leaving Bateman and Duvernay to take on a bigger role as a receiver. So far this year, the two have combined for 415 receiving yards. In 2019, Brown and Willie Snead combined for 458 through the first four games. However, only Andrews had more than Brown's 584 receiving yards by the end of the year as he finished with 852 yards that season.
MORE: Who's the better bet in the early NFL MVP odds: Jalen Hurts or Lamar Jackson?
Rushing
Jackson's passing numbers early in 2022 are already impressive enough to start the year. But what separates Jackson from the rest of the league is his rushing ability. And he's been on another level so far this season.
Through the first four games of the season, Jackson is tied for the 34th-most carries, but has the ninth-most rushing yards. That's enough to give him the second-most rushing yards per attempt (8.5).
Here's a look at how his rushing numbers compare to those he posted through the first four games of the 2019 season, according to Stathead:
| 2019 | Stat | 2022 |
|---|---|---|
| 36 (34th) | Attempts | 37 (t-34th) |
| 238 (15th) | Yards | 316 (9th) |
| 6.6 (1st) | Yards/Attempt | 8.5 (2nd) |
| 1 (t-27) | Touchdowns | 2 (t-10th) |
Jackson has rushed just one more time than what he did in 2019, but the the carries have gone much farther as he is averaging nearly two more yards per attempt in 2022.
There's a bit more competition at the quarterback position among rushing QBs in 2022 than there was in 2019. Back then, the next-closest quarterback in rushing yards was Josh Allen with 131 on 31 carries. There were only four quarterbacks with at least 100 rushing yards, and Jackson and Allen were the only two quarterbacks with at least 20 carries.
This year, there is a more crowded field of mobile quarterbacks. Eight quarterbacks have at least 20 carries and six have at least 30 carries. Jackson, Jalen Hurts, Daniel Jones, Allen and Justin Fields all have at least 100 rushing yards — Fields has the fewest of the five with 147. Hurts has the most carries with 53, with four ending in the end zone.
MORE: What channel is Bengals vs. Ravens on today?
Overall
Collectively, Jackson has a total of 1,209 yards and 13 touchdowns with four turnovers through the first four games in 2022. In 2019, he had 1,338 yards with 11 touchdowns and two turnovers.
Jackson is among the favorites to win the NFL MVP at season's end, and if he continues to fluster defenses as both a passer and a runner, he'll remain in that conversation all year.
