Film Room: Lamar Jackson and the Pistol

It is no secret that Lamar Jackson brings a different flavor to Baltimore's offense than Joe Flacco does. Jackson is an all-time great athlete for the position, whereas Flacco resembles a sentient phone booth. The quarterback run threat was bound to expand with Jackson at the helm, but offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg has gone to great lengths to lean into Jackson's skill set, making extensive use of the pistol formation.

The pistol is similar to the shotgun formation in that the quarterback is lined up a few yards removed from the center, but rather than having a running back beside him, the running back is a few yards behind him. It is a blend of shotgun and traditional under-center…