Lamar Jackson’s Tumultuous 2025 Season Under Scrutiny
In the Baltimore Ravens’ season finale in Pittsburgh, Lamar Jackson flashed glimpses of his former brilliance, putting together what was described as his best quarter of a frustrating year. He connected on touchdown passes of 50 and 64 yards to Zay Flowers, even escaping a potential sack to extend the play. However, a missed 44-yard field goal by Tyler Loop as time expired sealed a 26-24 loss, leaving Baltimore with an 8-9 record and a host of questions, chief among them: what happened to Jackson this season?
The questions surrounding Jackson’s performance have prompted analysis from former NFL quarterbacks, including three-time MVP winners Rich Gannon, Matt Ryan, and Kurt Warner. They weighed in on the factors that contributed to Jackson’s struggles throughout the 2025 season.
A key turning point came in Week 4 when Jackson suffered a hamstring injury in Kansas City. According to analysis, both Jackson and the Ravens’ offense never fully recovered. Prior to the injury, Baltimore was the highest-scoring team in the league, averaging 37 points per game. Following his return five weeks later, the Ravens failed to reach 30 points in any of the remaining 10 games Jackson started – the longest such drought of his career.
Reduced practice time also played a role. Jackson missed the first practice of the week for six consecutive weeks due to a series of injuries, including issues with his knee, ankle, and toe, as well as illness. This limited his opportunities to build chemistry and refine timing with his receivers.
However, Warner cautioned against overemphasizing the impact of missed practice time, suggesting Jackson’s familiarity with the playbook and his teammates should have mitigated the effects. “I don’t think that’s something you point to and say, ‘Ah, that’s the reason he’s missing these throws,’” Warner said.
The offensive line’s performance was also a significant factor. Jackson faced the worst pass protection of his career in 2025, with a sack rate of 9.8% and a pressure rate of 37.1%, the second-highest in the league. Gannon noted that consistent pressure can negatively impact even the most talented quarterbacks, stating, “When great quarterbacks get hit a lot, they become good quarterbacks. And when good quarterbacks get hit a lot, they become average.”
Jackson’s accuracy also declined. His precision pass rate in 2025 was 48.7%, his lowest since his rookie season. This contrasted sharply with previous seasons, including 2019 and 2023, where his precision pass rates exceeded 54%.
Another notable shift was a decrease in Jackson’s rushing attempts. He averaged only 5.2 rushing attempts per start, the fewest of his career. This reduction in running plays seemingly lessened the pressure on opposing defenses and contributed to the Ravens’ offensive struggles.
The Ravens finished the season with an 8-9 record, leading to the unexpected firing of head coach John Harbaugh after 18 seasons. The new head coach, Jesse Minter, has stated his intention to create an offensive system where Jackson doesn’t feel he needs to be a “Superman” on every play.
Despite the challenges, Jackson remains one of the NFL’s most unique talents, possessing the ability to win games with both his arm and his legs. He still holds the league record for career passer rating (102.2) and rushing yards for a quarterback (6,522). The question now is whether he can recapture his MVP form and lead the Ravens back to contention in a increasingly competitive AFC.
