Shannon Sharpe sets Patrick Mahomes and Aaron Rodgers as Lamar Jackson’s benchmark for greatness after his ‘uplifting’ performance against the Lions

Sharpe claimed Jackson has eclipsed the quarterbacks drafted in and around his time.

Shannon Sharpe sets Patrick Mahomes and Aaron Rodgers as Lamar Jackson’s benchmark for greatness after his ‘uplifting’ performance against the Lions

Shannon Sharpe claimed Lamar Jackson has outgrown his peers (Image via IMAGO)

Lamar Jackson completed 21 passes from 27 for 357 yards and threw three touchdowns as the Baltimore Ravens trumped the Detroit Lions 38-6 on matchday seven. This was enough for Shannon Sharpe to put Jackson in the same bracket as Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes.

On Monday’s segment of ESPN’s First Take, Sharpe declared that Lamar Jackson has outgrown the likes of Justin Herbert. The Los Angeles Chargers made Herbert the highest-paid player in the NFL until the Ravens decided to eclipse that with Jackson.

According to Sharpe, the two are on different courses and are far apart from each other. Jackson’s ruthless performances warrant even harsher scrutiny, like those of Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes.

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We’ve got to judge Lamar just like we would Aaron Rodgers, just like we would Patrick Mahomes. Because that’s the level of greatness that he’s shown. I’m not going to judge him like I judge Justin Herbert. Because he’s on a level and shown that he should be graded harsher.

The $260 million that the Ravens signed the 26-year-old for seems to be paying dividends. Expectation levels were already high when the league gave Jackson the Unanimous MVP award in 2019. His 2023 performance shows what he can achieve by staying injury-free.

Besides crossing the 1600 passing yards threshold in the first seven games, he has also rushed for more than 350 yards and bagged five touchdowns. A dual threat that keeps improving after every matchday ends.

Lamar Jackson’s pocket awareness is improving

The statement of victory over the Lions came as a shock to many. It was not on the cards because of how well the Detriot side has performed. Lamar Jackson single-handedly stole the game away from their opponents’ noses with great pocket play.

Shannon Sharpe sets Patrick Mahomes and Aaron Rodgers as Lamar Jackson's benchmark for greatness after his 'uplifting' performance against the Lions
Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh and quarterback Lamar Jackson (Image via NFL.com)
Lamar is obviously great at moving. He also senses people around him, even outside the pocket, and then sees the receivers downfield. That combination showed up yesterday.
Ravens head coach John Harbaugh as per FOX Baltimore.

However, he’s not ready to get the win in their heads. The season is only at its middle point, and there are a lot of games yet to be played, and anything can happen. Growing complacent will damage their ambitions of playing in the Super Bowl since 2013.

It says they're right where they should be. Because how many games have we played so far? Seven. We've got 10 more in the regular season. We have a lot of work to do.

Lamar Jackson and the Ravens will be the clear favorites when they face the Arizona Cardinals on match day. The Rocky Mountain side is currently on a four-game losing streak.

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