Former Pro Bowler's 'formula' to beating Lamar Jackson is outdated

The longtime member of the Tennessee Titans received notable backlash on social media for his comments and followed up on Thursday afternoon, attempting to use Tennessee's divisional-round victory over Baltimore in January 2020 as evidence for his argument.

The sixth-seeded Titans stunned the top-seeded Ravens in that contest, 28-12, as Lewan's teammates on the defensive side held Jackson (that season's MVP) and company to one touchdown and two field goals. The Louisville product finished the night 31-of-59 for 365 passing yards and a touchdown while adding 20 carries for 143 rushing yards. Jackson was sacked four times, however, while committing three turnovers via two interceptions and one fumble lost.

Baltimore would avenge their defeat one year later, knocking off the Titans on the road, 20-13. Jackson rushed for 136 yards and one touchdown on 16 carries and went 17-of-24 for 179 passing yards with no touchdowns and one interception in that contest

The biggest flaw in Lewan's argument is that four years have passed since the Titans' upset playoff win, during which time the signal caller's game has evolved.

Under first-year offensive coordinator Todd Monken and with a wide array of offensive weapons, Jackson had arguably the best season of his career in 2023 and is an MVP finalist again.

He stayed healthy (playing in 16 games for the first time since 2018) and his numbers were elite.

Though Jackson's 24 touchdown passes this season were only his third-most since he joined the league, he also posted career-best marks in completion percentage (67.2%), passing yards (3,678) and yards per pass attempt (8.0) while leading the NFL in yards per carry (5.5). He threw just seven interceptions despite attempting a career-high 457 passes. Jackson's 102.7 passer rating was his second-highest mark as a pro, only behind his 2019 MVP campaign.

Even though he was throwing more than ever in 2023, Jackson was still an unstoppable force on the ground when he needed to be, recording 821 yards and five touchdowns on 148 attempts. His heater to end the regular season carried over into the team's divisional-round victory against the Houston Texans last weekend.

Jackson finished the 34-10 win an efficient 16-of-22 for only 152 yards passing, but found the end zone twice through the air and twice on the ground. While playing turnover-free football, the star quarterback found seams in the Texans defense, carrying 11 times for 100 yards as well.