Marvin Lewis offers interesting take on Lamar Jackson’s future

Cincinnati Bengals coach Marvin Lewis didn’t appear particularly moved by Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson’s success as a runner in Sunday’s game.

Jackson carried the ball a remarkable 27 times for 117 rushing yards as the Ravens bested the Bengals 24-21 in a big AFC North game. After that defeat, Lewis warned Jackson that running the ball that much was unsustainable if he wants to stay healthy.

“Quarterbacks don’t run forever in the NFL,” Lewis said, via Jamison Hensley of ESPN. “Sooner or later, they get hurt, and they don’t run the same. But today he could run, and he did a good job.”

Lewis’s comments are fundamentally correct, but may sound a bit like sour grapes after his defense failed to adapt to Baltimore’s gameplan. The Ravens probably won’t run that much regularly. Jackson is still raw as a passer, and the gameplan was working, so they kept at it.