Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson picked up a quad injury during the win over the Buffalo Bills in Week 14. It seems safety Earl Thomas is not happy with the kind of treatment he is getting from the referees.
Jackson sustained a number of questionable hits during the 24-17 victory against the Bills that failed to draw any penalties. Thomas was not shy about expressing his displeasure with the refs being hesitant with their flags, via ESPN's Jamison Hensley:
Ravens safety Earl Thomas feels refs need to protect Lamar Jackson more and sees teams targeting Jackson’s legs
There were at least two instances where a flag should have been thrown. One of them came during a run to the outside where he was hit well out of bounds and the other was a hit below the knee while he was still in the pocket that may have resulted in the quad injury. As a result, it should come as no surprise to see Thomas come to his quarterback's defense.
Fortunately, the injury does not appear to be too severe after Jackson was able to log in some practice time. He has already ensured that he will be good to go on a short week versus the New York Jets on Thursday night.
Regardless, Thomas' complaints still raise questions about the efforts being made to protect Jackson as a quarterback. There is no question that his status as an elite mobile quarterback is being taken into consideration, however, the officials will need to draw the line at some point.
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