In NFL Week 3, Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson led his team to a 37-26 victory over the New England Patriots. He proved his performance as the game’s best player and put the offense on his back. After the game, Ravens’ coach John Harbaugh said how his quarterback keeps doing it.
“If I was assessing what they were doing, I think they were going to force Lamar to run a little bit and say, ‘OK, are you really willing to do that?’” Harbaugh said. “They were playing tough against the running back stuff, and then they were saying, ‘OK, run Lamar,’ see how much he’ll do it.”
In Sunday’s game at Gillette Stadium, Jackson did not just break through New England’s defense but also toyed with it. He finished the game with five touchdowns, 107 rushing yards with one score, and 18-of-29 for 218 yards with four touchdowns.
Jackson’s last game against New England was a big test for him. He was defeated 23-17 in his last visit to Gillette Stadium in 2020. And the Ravens were defeated 42-38 by the Miami Dolphins in Week 2.
Jackson responded to the challenge by making history. He became the first quarterback in NFL history to throw three touchdowns and rush for 100 yards in the same week. He also became the first quarterback to rush for 100 yards against Bill Belichick as the Patriots’ coach, following Tim Tebow’s 93 yards in 2011, and Mitchell Trubisky’s 81 yards in 2018.
He proved that the Ravens needed his kind of performance. He became the third quarterback in NFL history to throw four touchdown passes and rush for a touchdown in the same game, after Cam Newton in 2010 and Randall Cunningham in 1990.
The reason behind the Ravens’ victory
When Patriots’ safety Kyle Dugger was unable to play in the previous game, the Ravens took advantage of the opportunity. The Baltimore offense centered on tight end Mark Andrews, of which Jackson took advantage with two first-half touchdown passes.
The Ravens, who had runs of 34, 38, 35, and 20 after Lawrence Guy left the game because of a shoulder injury, had even more lanes open for the Ravens. The offense competed with the Patriots almost every time they scored, and when the defense began to shut them down, the offense kept pushing through and went on a 17-0 run in the early second half.
Jackson was crucial in the previous game. He’s still looking like an MVP candidate. Even with four sacks, the Patriots couldn’t keep Jackson quiet for the entire game.
“I mean, they played good defense against him,” Harbaugh said. “But Lamar, he’s a tough guy.”
Jackson creates big plays for the Ravens.
Jackson’s ability to create big plays in the passing game is what makes him different. The Patriots put pressure on Jackson early with an interception, but he survived by going nearly perfect over the final three quarters.
Jackson threw touchdown passes to Andrews and receiver Devin Duvernay despite having defenders draped all over them. Throughout the game, he bought time and found checkdown receivers. With three minutes remaining in the game, Jackson put the game away with a 9-yard touchdown run.
It was his 14th career game with 100 rushing yards and his sixth career game with four-more passing touchdowns. Jackson retains the explosive speed that earned him MVP in 2019. He said that after five years, he had matured and learned how to win. He knows what it takes to be ready every week.
“I’m just maturing,” the 25-year-old quarterback said. “Just knowing the game of football, just basically inside out. You’ve just got to stay locked in. That’s probably the thing, just being locked in no matter what’s going on during the game.”