Lamar Jackson knows that many people still need to be believers in the Baltimore Ravens or him in the gunslinger position. The world knows he is a high-caliber talent, but does he deserve all the accolades that come his way without a Super Bowl ring yet to claim? His performance over the Detroit Lions on Sunday, Oct. 22 should have proved convincing enough.
As one of the most anticipated matchups over the weekend, the Ravens dismantled the Lions quickly and easily, dominating one of the NFC’s lightning-hot squads.
By halftime, the Ravens led 28-0, tallying 503 total yards on only 55 offensive plays. That’s an average gain of 9.1. Jackson stretched plays in the pocket for 10 or more seconds, despite the tough-as-nails Detroit defense bearing down on him.
Lamar For MVP
Jackson turned in 21 completions on 27 pass attempts for 357 yards and three touchdowns for an almost flawless passer rating of 155.3. He also shattered his previous single-game high this season by more than 100 passing yards and averaged four yards per carry with a rushing touchdown.
Still, Lamar was stoic, which is even scarier.
“I believe, when you’re playing regular-season games, you should be okay,” Jackson said with no expression at the post-game presser. “We’re winning. I’m all right with winning, but still, it’s [the] regular season. We made strides for improvement last week [in a 24-16 win over the Titans] and earlier in the season. I believe we did, but it’s just one regular-season game.”
Remember his 2019 MVP season? That year, he only came close to the 357-yard passing yards he turned in during Week 1 in 2019 against Miami.
Under Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken, Jackson’s improvements as a passer are evident, with an increased efficiency rate mixed with his innate skill set as a mobile quarterback.
The “Monk” Effect
“Today was lights out – just by Lamar, Coach ‘Monk’ – from the top down on the offensive side of the ball,” said Ravens tight end Mark Andrews, who scored two touchdowns. “Those two guys were elite.”
On the Ravens’ first drive of the game, they faced a fourth-and-1 from the 7-yard line, and instead of settling for another field goal, Jackson walked right into the end zone unscathed from a play call by Monken.
“It was wall to wall from the beginning to the end,” Ravens Coach John Harbaugh said at the press conference.
For a game that saw former Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs enter the Ring of Honor in front of Baltimore legends like Ray Lewis and more, Lamar Jackson showed up ready to claim his slot at the top of MVP contention.
