National Football League

Is this the season the NFL defenses finally solve the Lamar Jackson conundrum?

Updated Aug. 25, 2021 6:25 p.m. ET

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Lamar Jackson is entering just his fourth season in the NFL, but he already has a résumé that reads like that of an experienced veteran.

He has led the Baltimore Ravens to the playoffs in three consecutive seasons, and he claimed the 2019 NFL MVP award. However, while Jackson has gotten off to a fast start in his career, some believe that ground still exists for the rest of the field to catch up. 

According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, some executives around the league think 2021 will be the year Jackson stops lapping the competition.

"They say this might be the year that everybody figures out Lamar Jackson," Fowler said last week on "Get Up." "There is sort of that feeling right now. He can definitely prove that wrong, but I think there is a little bit of pressure on him right now."

For as magical and exciting as Jackson has been before the age of 25, the belief that the NFL could finally be figuring him out might not be completely off-base.

Jackson enjoyed a dominant 2019 campaign. He threw 36 touchdown passes and accumulated 3,127 yards through the air while rushing for 1,206 yards ⁠(an NFL record for a quarterback), scoring seven rushing touchdowns and leading the Ravens to a 13-3 record.

But in 2020, there was a slight regression. Jackson passed for 2,757 yards and 26 touchdowns and rushed for 1,005 yards and seven TDs, all dips from his MVP season.

The Ravens managed to go 11-5 but fell in the AFC divisional round, the same result as the year prior.

If there has been an Achilles' heel for Jackson so far in his career, it's the postseason, in which he has been ineffective as a passer, tallying only three passing touchdowns and throwing five interceptions in four playoff starts.

But even with the small warts that have begun to show, Nick Wright believes NFL defensive coordinators will continue to have the same issues when it comes to stopping Jackson, as he explained on Wednesday's "First Things First."

"Lamar has been playing football for nearly 20 years now, and no one at any level has been able to figure him out," he said. "Does Lamar need to improve in certain areas? Absolutely, but that's a different discussion. But as long as Lamar is healthy and keeps this level of athleticism, there is no reason to believe he is about to be figured out."

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Wright is mostly referring to Jackson's time at Louisville, where he was – to put it bluntly – unreal. 

As a sophomore, Jackson threw for 3,543 yards and 30 touchdowns and rushed for 1,571 yards and 21 scores, winning the Heisman Trophy at the end of the season. As a junior, he passed for 3,660 yards and 27 scores and added 1,601 yards and 18 TDs on the ground.

Retired NFL veteran Mark Schlereth shares the same sentiments as Wright, believing that Jackson is in a tier of his own among the very best athletes in the NFL.

"In a league of absolute freakshow athletes, he is the freakiest of all freaks," Schlereth said. "The guy is unstoppable. He's unbelievable."

Colin Cowherd said the same on Wednesday's "The Herd."

"I just laugh at the, ‘We’re gonna figure out Lamar Jackson this year.' Folks, you never figure out stars," Cowherd said.

"Nobody's figuring Lamar Jackson out. You don't figure out 4.3 speed from a quarterback."

The 2021 season could very well represent the year NFL teams finally figure out Jackson. 

But that doesn't mean they will be able to stop him.

For more up-to-date news on all things NFL, click here to register for alerts on the FOX Sports app!

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National Football League

Lamar Jackson

Baltimore Ravens

Nick Wright

First Things First