Man, let me tell you. I remember this one time, I was at my buddy's place for a Sunday football binge. We’re talking seven-layer dip, wings, the whole nine yards. I had this super-duper serious fantasy football matchup on the line. My opponent was talking smack, saying my quarterback, Lamar Jackson, was "just a running back" and wouldn't put up passing yards like the big-shot pocket passers. I was like, "Hold up, fam. You haven't seen the whole picture!" I knew Lamar was a beast, but trying to pin down that exact passing yardage average is like trying to catch smoke. It's not a static number, you know? It changes all the time. We ended up spending the entire halftime break deep-diving into his stats, and let me tell you, it was a wild ride of numbers and arguments. We almost missed the kickoff for the second half! That day, I learned that figuring out Lamar's average passing yards per game isn't just about one number; it's about looking at a whole bunch of awesome context. It’s like detective work, but for touchdowns instead of crimes.
Step 1: Getting the Real Deal on Lamar's Career Average
First thing’s first, if you want the main dish, the big picture, you gotta look at the whole career. This is the foundation, the baseline. It tells you what Lamar does when you average out the good, the great, and those few games where the weather was acting a fool.
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| How Many Passing Yards Does Lamar Jackson Average Per Game |
1.1 The Official Tally
When you look at his entire career, from his rookie year as a first-round pick to right now, his passing yards per game average is sitting right around 195.5 yards. Yeah, you heard that right. That’s the career number, the one that makes all those stat nerds happy. It's a solid number, especially when you remember he’s also scrambling like a maniac, running for hundreds of yards every season, which is totally bonkers for a QB. Most quarterbacks don't even try to run that much!
1.2 Why the Number Matters
This number is kinda low compared to those guys who just stand in the pocket and sling it 50 times a game. But here is the big secret: Lamar's value isn't just in the air yards. It's in the threat of the run, the "Lamar Magic" plays where he dodges five dudes and then chucks a rocket downfield. That rushing ability? It literally changes how defenses play, which means his passing game is built different. It's all connected, like a super-complicated, awesome spider-web of football. The average passing yards are just one piece of his super-power puzzle.
Step 2: Checking Out the Season-to-Season Vibe
A single career average is cool, but a quarterback’s game changes a ton year to year. New coaches, new receivers, new offenses—it's like moving to a new apartment every year. You gotta check out the annual numbers to see the true evolution.
QuickTip: Pause after each section to reflect.
2.1 The MVP Year Explosion
Remember his MVP season? Dude was on fire. He was slinging it and running it like nobody's business. In that epic 2019 season, he averaged a sweet 208.5 passing yards per game. That’s a real good number, showing he can absolutely chew up yardage when the team needs him to air it out. He wasn't just a runner that year; he was a dual-threat demolition man.
2.2 The Rollercoaster Ride: Highs and Lows
His averages jump around like a scared cat! You’ll see years where he was a bit lower, maybe around 183 or 186 yards per game (2020 and 2022, respectively, for example). Then you see years where he hits close to 240 yards per game (like in 2021). That's a huge swing! What's the deal? It's all about the offensive plan. Sometimes the coaching staff decides, "Yo, we gotta run the ball 40 times." Other times they’re like, "Nah, Lamar, let's air this bad boy out and see what happens." And injuries, man, those totally mess up the rhythm. Getting dinged up means less practice, less chemistry, and sometimes a safer, less aggressive play-calling style.
Step 3: Dissecting the Recent Game Tape (The Nitty-Gritty)
If you're betting or playing fantasy football, you can’t just look at stats from three years ago. You need the latest scoop. What's he been doing this season? This is where we get granular, like crunching on a hard pretzel.
3.1 The Current Season Snapshot
Let's look at the current season (or a recent one, since things change fast in the NFL). Say, he's averaging about 206.0 passing yards per game this year. This tells us the current philosophy of the team. Are they relying on the run game more? Is the defense shutting down the long throws? This number is a real-time pulse of the offense. It’s what he’s doing right now.
QuickTip: Read actively, not passively.
3.2 The "Yards After Catch" Factor
Here's where it gets nerdy but cool. A lot of Lamar’s passing yards come from a high amount of Yards After Catch (YAC). What the heck is YAC? Simple: Lamar throws a short, quick pass—maybe only five yards in the air—but his receiver, who is lightning fast, catches it and runs for another 20 yards. Boom! That’s 25 passing yards for Lamar! Since his style is often about getting the ball out fast because defenses are crashing the line to stop the run, his receivers have room to run. So, a lower average passing yard number doesn't mean his arm is weak; it often means his receivers are making plays after the catch. It’s a team stat, y'all.
Step 4: Comparing Lamar to the Pocket Passers (The Great Debate)
This is the part where you shut up your buddy who calls him a running back. You gotta put his passing average into context with the other guys in the league.
4.1 Different Quarterbacks, Different Missions
A guy like Patrick Mahomes might average 275 to 300 passing yards per game. Crazy numbers. But he's throwing the ball 40 or 50 times a game, and his team relies on that. Lamar is different. His offense is a run-heavy attack. His total yardage is split: say, 200 passing and 60 rushing. That’s 260 total yards of offense he personally generates. The pocket passer might have 300 passing and 5 rushing. See? The total offensive output is often similar, but how they get there is totally different. Lamar is the only QB who is a serious threat to run for a touchdown every single play.
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4.2 The Efficiency Flex
You also gotta look at efficiency metrics like Passer Rating and QBR. This is how you show the quality of his throws. Lamar has one of the highest career passer ratings in NFL history. Seriously! He might not throw for 300 yards every game, but when he does throw, he's usually super accurate and avoids throwing picks. Quality over quantity, my friends. His passing yards might be lower, but his turnover rate is also often super low, which is a massive win for the team. Don't sleep on that efficiency!
Tip: A slow, careful read can save re-reading later.
Step 5: Calculating Lamar's Average (The Math Lesson)
Now for the step-by-step breakdown you asked for, in case you need to calculate this for a specific period or just show off your new math skills. It's super easy.
5.1 Step-by-Step Yardage Calculation
This is how the stat-keepers do it. Grab your calculator—it's gonna be wild!
Find the Total Passing Yards (YDS): Look up Lamar Jackson’s total passing yards for the period you want (a season, a career, or the last five games). Let's say, for example, he’s racked up 21,501 career yards.
Find the Number of Games Played (GP): Look up the total number of games he played in that same period. Maybe that’s 110 games.
Do the Simple Division: Divide the total yards by the number of games.
So, for our career example: yards per game.
5.2 The Real-Time Tracker
For the current season, they update this every single week. You can literally check ESPN, NFL.com, or StatMuse after every Sunday game, and that new average will be there, fresh as a daisy. That's the one you need for your fantasy league waiver wire decisions! Always use the most recent data because in the NFL, what happened last week is old news.
FAQ Questions and Answers
Reminder: Focus on key sentences in each paragraph.
How do I find Lamar Jackson’s best passing yards per game season?
You gotta look through his annual stats on a site like Pro-Football-Reference. You'll see that his highest single-season average was recently around 245.4 yards per game (in the 2024 season), a clear sign of his growth as a passer.
Does his running ability lower his passing yards average?
Yes, totally. Since the team runs the ball a ton because Lamar is so good at it, he has fewer passing attempts compared to other quarterbacks. Fewer attempts means fewer opportunities for big yardage totals, which naturally keeps his passing average lower, even though his total offense average is elite.
What is the difference between passing yards and total yards?
Passing yards are only the yards gained through the air. Total yards is the real score, because it adds up his passing yards plus his rushing yards. This total yards stat is what you should look at to see how much of the offense he's personally generating.
How can I calculate his average for a five-game stretch?
Easy peasy! Add up his passing yards for those five specific games. Then, divide that total by five. For instance, if he had 1,008 yards over five games, that’s yards per game for that specific stretch.
Why is Lamar Jackson’s passer rating still high if his passing yards are lower than some other QBs?
Passer rating isn't just about yardage; it’s about efficiency! It heavily weights touchdowns, completion percentage, and avoiding interceptions. Lamar is generally super accurate and throws a high percentage of touchdowns for his attempts, which keeps his rating sky-high even if he throws for fewer overall yards. He's efficient with his chances!
Would you like me to compare Lamar Jackson’s total yards per game average to another elite NFL quarterback?
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