The Broncos and the Ravens quickly have become a must-see rivalry, thanks to the various beefs arising from Sunday’s game.
Among the points of contention, the Ravens believe that the officials should have thrown a flag after Broncos defensive tackle Mike Purcell hit quarterback Lamar Jackson in the lower back. More generally, coach John Harbaugh believes Jackson gets less protection than he should, because he’s a running quarterback.
“All the quarterbacks should be treated the same,” Harbaugh said Monday, via Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com. “I don’t think any quarterback should be judged any differently in terms of how they’re protected. That’s for sure.”
He’s right. Quarterbacks in the pocket have maximum protection. They lose some of the protections when they exit the pocket. They lose all of the protections when they take off and run.
Still, Jackson is getting less protection in the pocket. As Hensley notes, Jackson hasn’t drawn a roughing the passer penalty since December 2019. Per Hensley, that’s roughly 600 times he has dropped back to pass without a roughing call.
It’s similar to the failure to throw roughing fouls for hits on Cam Newton, frankly. Everyone develops a sense that players like Newton and Jackson are indestructible. Thus, it takes more for the flags to come out.
It shouldn’t. But it does.