Could Ravens' Lamar Jackson do the unthinkable and win NFL rushing title as a quarterback?
Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is also a betting option at William Hill sportsbook to win the NFL rushing title.
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No NFL player who played primarily the quarterback position has ever won the league's rushing title. Might that change in 2020? Baltimore Ravens signal-caller Lamar Jackson is +2500 on the moneyline odds at William Hill sportsbook to pull off that seemingly impossible feat.
With all due respect to guys like Randall Cunningham and Michael Vick, there really never has been a quarterback like Jackson in terms of his running ability. On the way to winning NFL MVP honors last season and leading the Ravens to the NFL's best record at 14-2, Jackson set a single-season league record for a quarterback by rushing for 1,206 yards.
The former Heisman winner from Louisville averaged a stellar 6.9 yards per carry, best in the league; by comparison, NFL rushing king Derrick Henry of the Tennessee Titans averaged 5.1 yards per carry. Jackson's total of 1,206 yards was sixth in the NFL and 334 yards behind Henry. Jackson sat out a meaningless Week 17 game. His season-high game total was 152 yards on 19 carries vs. the Bengals. Jackson had five 100-yard games and then another in the playoff loss to the Titans.
Vick held the previous rushing mark by a quarterback when he had 1,039 yards in 2006 with the Falcons. Vick is the only other QB to reach 1,000 yards on the ground. Jackson has said Vick was his favorite player growing up.
The 2019 Ravens also set the NFL all-time rushing yardage mark with 3,296 yards. The previous record in a 16-game season was 3,165 yards by the 1978 New England Patriots. Baltimore had nine games with at least 200 yards rushing. It was also the first team in NFL history to average 200 yards passing and rushing in a season.
The 2020 Ravens might even be better from a rushing standpoint after stealing Ohio State running back JK Dobbins at No. 55 overall in this year's draft. Dobbins' 2,003 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns last year for the Buckeyes were tied for the most in this year's rookie class. The SportsLine Projection Model forecasts Jackson to rush for 984 yards this year.
Baltimore is -9 on the NFL odds for Week 1 vs. the visiting Browns.
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