Lamar Jackson Easily Best AFC North QB in Week 1

Thursday marked the official start of the 2024 NFL Season. The storylines were plenty for both teams as the Chiefs and Ravens entered Week 1. Kansas City, looking to begin their road for a three-peat, and Baltimore, trying to build off a 2023 season that saw them one win away from a trip to the Super Bowl.

The talk of the offseason in Baltimore was the newly slimmed-down Lamar Jackson, something we haven’t seen since his incredible 2019 campaign. Losing 15 lbs in the offseason,  Jackson stated the weight loss was to “be more agile and be able to move more.” We got a real glimpse of that as Jackson took the field for the first time Thursday night in Arrowhead. From the first drive, it was clear Jackson had returned to the speed that made him such a deadly runner early in his career. Jackson showed more of a willingness to leave the pocket and a burst to get away from defenders, something he’s missed in designed QB runs. Despite Derrick Henry joining the RB room, Jackson led all Ravens in rushing with 16 carries for 122 yards, an average of 7.6 yards per carry.

The passing game is where the highs and lows came about during his Week 1 performance. The first quarter was a head-scratcher for fans as Lamar and the Ravens averaged under two yards per pass attempt, and featured a series of screen passes and multiple check-downs. As the Ravens continued to get hosed on Illegal Formation penalties, the offense seemingly couldn’t get a play to develop before havoc would unravel in the backfield.

After a few drives, it was clear where the Ravens would find success in the passing game. Mark Andrews received tight coverage throughout the night, bracketed on anything downfield.  Jackson was able to feed Isaiah Likely in his stead, not getting away from Baltimore’s advantage of 12 personnel. Likely and Jackson’s chemistry allowed the Ravens offense to stay alive, as the run game seemed once again missing outside of Lamar.

As both squads went back and forth, the Ravens received one last opportunity to even things up, beginning their drive with 1:50 remaining in the game. Following a ridiculous snag by Rashod Bateman for 38 yards, the Ravens lined up for first and goal, looking destined for an insane comeback on the road. However, the football gods had other plans, dangling two golden opportunities in Baltimore’s face, just to rip them away. A mishap from Jackson on 2nd and goal, and Likely stepping out of the back of the end zone by an eyelash resulted in another heartbreaker for the Ravens to the hands of the Chiefs.

The results weren’t what everyone had hoped for but if there was a positive to take away from the Ravens Week 1 loss, it’d be the clear return of Jackson’s lethal dual-threat ability.

A Look Around the AFC North

It was a below-average week for opposing QBs within the AFC North. After newly acquired Steelers QB Russell Wilson re-aggravated his calf injury, Pittsburgh turned to Justin Fields, also signed this offseason, to take the reigns against the Falcons. I suppose you could say Fields was efficient in the team’s 18-10 win in Atlanta, going 17/23 for 156 passing yards and 57 on the ground without turning the ball over. Fields and Wilson were supposedly in a QB battle during the preseason, one that seemed to lean in Wilson’s favor from the jump. If Wilson remains sidelined, Fields will have to be more than just a game-manager for Pittsburgh if they plan to be successful on offense. They take on the listless Denver Broncos at Mile High next.

The Bengals saw the long-awaited return of Joe Burrow, following a season-ending wrist injury in 2023 suffered against the Ravens. Coming in as -8.5 point favorites, the Bengals hosted the rebuilding Patriots in what seemed like a warm-up game to get the season going. Cincinnati was without Tee Higgins (hamstring) and had questions surrounding the availability of Ja’Marr Chase following an illness to the star receiver Saturday. The Bengals offense as a whole was extremely underwhelming, managing to gain only 224 yards of total offense. Burrow was accurate, going 21/29 but lacked the big play ability he’s shown in the past. There’s plenty of drama within the Bengals locker room at the moment, following an ugly loss Sunday, their response is going to be something to keep an eye on. Things get no easier for Cincy as they hit the road to Kansas City in Week 2.

Browns fans swore they found their franchise quarterback following a league-shaking trade in March of 2022 when the team acquired Deshaun Watson from the Texans. Following the trade, Cleveland turned around and handed Watson a fully guaranteed 230 million dollar contract, completely blowing up the QB market. Despite all the investment into the once promising Clemson product, Watson’s tenure with Cleveland has been more than a disappointment. Following an offseason of recovery from a shoulder injury in 2023, Watson and the Browns offense had high expectations to take the weight off the shoulders of their defense. Watson’s performance Sunday against the Cowboys has left everyone questioning whether the QB can lead this team to a successful 2024. Despite 45 attempts, Watson connected on only 24 passes for a lousy 169 yards, a touchdown, and 2 INTs. It’s Deshaun’s fifth loss in only his 13th start with the team. It’s only Week 1 but something needs to change with Watson if the Browns have any thought of repeating the success they saw a season ago (which came mostly with Joe Flacco at the helm). Cleveland travels to Jacksonville next.

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