Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson accomplished something unprecedented in 2024: He led the NFL in both yards per pass and yards per run.
Jackson had 4,172 on 474 passes, an average of 8.8 yards per pass. And Jackson had 915 yards on 139 runs, an average of 6.6 yards per run. Both of those were the league-leading averages. (A player needs to average 14 passes per game and 6.25 rushes per game to qualify.)
No player in NFL history has led the league in both categories before. It’s not unusual for a quarterback to lead the league in yards per carry (in fact, this is Jackson’s fourth season leading the league), but other quarterbacks who have led the league in rushing average have never been elite passers.
Jackson is unique in NFL history for his greatness as both a runner and a passer. He’s arguably the greatest running quarterback in NFL history, but he’s also perhaps the league’s best passer: In addition to leading the league in yards per pass this season, he led the league in passer rating and had an unprecedented touchdown-interception ratio of 41:4.
Jackson appears unlikely to beat out Josh Allen for league MVP, but Jackson has done things this season that have never before been seen in NFL history.
