Can the Eagles Contain Lamar Jackson?
Going into Sunday’s highly anticipated showdown against the Ravens, it’s no secret the Eagles will have their hands full. They will be facing arguably the best quarterback on their schedule this season in Baltimore franchise quarterback Lamar Jackson. He is once again having a career season, with a respectable 117.9 passer rating across 12 games thus far. Jackson also has 27 touchdowns along with 3,053 yards in the air. With his greatness being considered, is there an avenue for the Eagles to contain him for a chance to win?
As the football world has found out by now, Jackson is not just a threat on the ground. He has only thrown three interceptions all season and is throwing at a 67% completion rate. For the Eagles, the front line will truly determine how much Lamar can do. We know they’re will be some scrambles that can lead to first downs, given his ability to stay elusive inside and out of the pocket. If Philadelphia is going to have a chance on the road in Baltimore, they truly need to limit how much time Lamar has in the pocket to the best of their ability.
Steady pressure on Jackson will be a must throughout all four quarters for the Eagles. A few names that come to mind being relied on will be Jalen Carter and Josh Sweat. They are among the Eagles best pass rushers and will need to have their presence felt in this one. If they can keep Lamar in the pocket, the Eagles secondary has proven they can keep other receivers for quiet performances. The Eagles also are holding opponents to a 42% conversion rate on third downs, which will also be a factor in the outcome of this game. It will be up to the Eagles defense in all areas to make stands on critical downs. It would also be revealing to see if the Eagles could create a turnover in this game, which could mightily help the offense against a formidable Ravens defense. If the Eagles can hold Lamar to a quiet game of his standards, it will be extremely telling as to what the identity of this defense is heading into the playoffs.
