Reigning NFL MVP Lamar Jackson had a huge night in the regular-season opener, even though the Ravens fell short. The problem for Jackson and the Ravens is that, if he keeps playing the way he did, he’ll fall short of a full 17-game season.
Jackson, who looked noticeably thinner during pregame warmups, took too many hits. He delivered too many hits, too.
For a quarterback, one hit delivered is too many. The goal is to avoid contact. Because any hit can be the one hit that knocks a quarterback out, for the game or a week or a month or the season.
Yes, he rushed for 122 yards on 16 carries. It won’t be wise to keep that up for 16 more regular-season games. It definitely won’t be wise to lower a helmet and crash into a defender, as Jackson did at one point.
Six years ago, Jimmy Garoppolo did the same thing, in the same stadium. And he tore an ACL. In 2016, Robert Griffin III did the same thing, during a Week 1 game for the Browns against the Eagles. And he messed up his shoulder.
The courage is admirable. The risk is unreasonable. The Ravens have little chance to do much this year without one of the NFL’s best players. He doesn’t need to treat each game like the Super Bowl, and he doesn’t need to treat each play like it’s the last play of the fourth quarter.
Slide, get down, get out of bounds. An extra yard isn’t worth the risk of missed time.