Lamar Jackson’s legs aren’t exactly a state secret. And every edge rusher in the league usually spends Ravens week thinking about the same thing: how do you actually get him on the ground? Jets linebacker Jermaine Johnson has taken that to heart, and he’s adjusting everything he can heading into Sunday.

“I’ve been doing extra running. Been staying off sugary drinks, stuff like that, to get ready. Very special player, but I have confidence in all the guys in this locker room to get the job done,” Johnson said.

“It’s more of a personal thing. I’m chasing after a lot of guys as the season’s going on, and I just want to shed off any kind of weight that’s slowing me down. And turn those hurries or hits or pressures into sacks because I can do that. Especially since this is a guy, like we’ve been talking about this week, it’s very important,” the linebacker added.

At 6-foot-5 and 254 pounds, Johnson has fought his way back into form after the Achilles tear that limited him to two games last season. A sprained ankle cost him time earlier this year, too, but he’s back to giving the Jets meaningful snaps, with three sacks and five quarterback hits so far.

The Jets’ defense looks very different without Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams. The expectation was that Johnson might be headed out the door as well after his name popped up in Eagles and Bears rumors. But the deadline passed, and he’s still in green and white. And now he’s preparing for one of the toughest quarterbacks in football.

“Just gotta do your job to the best of your ability. A lot of guys like to do something called ‘cage,’ and just stay in front of them as a defensive line. To me, I think you just gotta throw your stuff and you still gotta go get ’em. But he’s very dynamic,” Johnson remarked.

The irony is that this season, it hasn’t exactly been impossible to get home on Lamar. The chances will be there. Johnson just wants to make sure he’s ready when they are.

Lamar Jackson’s lack of protection

Lamar Jackson can make half a defense miss in a phone booth, but even that only goes so far when the guys in front of him are consistently leaking pressure. Last week in Cleveland was a reminder of that. He was sacked five times. Four of those went to Myles Garrett.

Through seven games, Jackson has already been sacked 23 times, the same number he took in all 17 games last season. Even he couldn’t believe it when the number was put in front of him.

“Goddamn. I’ve got to talk to the offensive line about that now. I’mma holler at my guys about that, man. They probably ain’t gonna like that, though. You guys telling me it’s 23 sacks, they’re probably not going to like that,” he said.

And he’s right. A year ago, Baltimore ranked fourth in sack rate. This season, they’ve fallen all the way to 30th, ahead of only the Jets and Titans. Jackson can drag the Ravens to wins with pressure in his face, but when he runs into another defense like Denver’s, that margin disappears.

For now, though, Jermaine Johnson has as clean a window as he’s going to get. With the way Baltimore’s line is playing, a couple of sacks aren’t out of the question, and his no-sugary-drinks plan might actually work. Additionally, he wouldn’t hurt to pick up the phone and ask Myles Garrett for a pointer or two, either.