Tag: Lamar Jackson

Jamison Crowder, Marcus Maye among Jets’ Studs & Duds in Thursday night loss to Ravens

The unstoppable force that is the Baltimore Ravens steamrolled the New York Jets in a 42-21 primetime win on Thursday night.

The Ravens came into Thursday night’s matchup as two-touchdown favorites and there is no question why. Baltimore clinched its second consecutive AFC North title with Thursday’s 42-21 win over New York.

Baltimore has the most dominant offense in the league, while its defense isn’t afraid to punch you in the mouth. The Ravens offense operated at a video game pace, even with Lamar Jackson hobbled by a quad injury and made a mockery of the Jets No. 2 ranked run defense, running 34 times for 218 yards and a score.

Here are the best and worst players from the Jets’ latest loss.

Stud: WR Jamison Crowder

(Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports)

After dropping a wide-open touchdown pass, Jamison Crowder made a tougher catch to connect with Sam Darnold for his third touchdown reception of the season.

With Demaryius Thomas sidelined and Ryan Griffin placed on injured reserve, Crowder immediately filled the role of Darnold’s go-to receiver as he has numerous times this season.

Crowder caught six passes for 90 yards and two scores in losing fashion.

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Instant Analysis: The Jets never had a chance in Baltimore

It was raining touchdowns in Baltimore on Thursday night.

It didn’t take long for this game to be decided.

By the time the second quarter came to an end, the Jets already trailed the Ravens by 14. Two quarters later, and a predictable 42-21 beatdown was in the books. Baltimore improved to 12-2 and clinched the AFC North, while the Jets fell to 5-9. Not that anyone expected different.

With an extensive injury report and a level of talent that pales in comparison, the Jets never stood a chance against Lamar Jackson and the Ravens. Now that Week 15 has come and gone, New York has some extra time to get healthy before the last two games of the season. The Jets will finish the year with Pittsburgh and Buffalo, and then 2019 will come to a merciful end without yet another playoff appearance.

Game Balls:

  • Special Teams: Sam Ficken’s latest misses aside, special teams were the only area in which the Jets played well on Thursday night. Ty Montgomery, Vyncint Smith and Braxton Berrios combined for 227 total return yards, Lachlan Edwards pinned two punts inside the 20 and Tarrell Basham and B.J. Bello teamed up to take a blocked punt to the house. If only the rest of the team played as well as Brant Boyer’s unit.

Quick Thoughts:

  • It stands out that the Ravens have curtailed their offense to fit Lamar Jackson’s strengths. That sounds like common sense, but more often you see coaches trying to mold young quarterbacks in their image and scheme. Rather than go the stubborn route, though, Baltimore kept an open mind and created an MVP candidate. By comparison, Adam Gase has not been nearly as accommodating to Sam Darnold, his own second-year quarterback. There have been times throughout the season, including Thursday night, in which Gase has played to Darnold’s strengths — namely moving out of the pocket — but there hasn’t been much consistency when it comes to letting Darnold do what he’s best at.  
  • Sticking with Darnold, remember when everything was clicking for the QB during New York’s three-game winning streak? He was sensational over that stretch, especially against bad Washington and Oakland secondaries. But then he put together two poor performances against Cincinnati and Miami. Baltimore, with a star-studded defense, kept Darnold’s string of bad starts alive, holding him 18-32 passing for 218 yards, two touchdowns and two turnovers. Some would argue Darnold needs to prove he can beat top defenses, but first, he just needs to show some consistency. Granted, the Jets are banged up right now, but they need their franchise quarterback to play like one. How they make that happen, as previously mentioned, is up for debate.
  • After much talk of the flu, bowling and his desire for more touches, Le’Veon Bell returned to the lineup and ran 21 times for 87 yards. It was his highest rushing total as a Jet. He only had two catches for one yard, though.
  • Under no circumstances should Neville Hewitt be covering Marquise Brown. As the Jets found out, there’s no scenario in which that ends well.

  • Ever hear the idea that a shooter can be too wide open in basketball? In other words, they miss when uncovered but have no problem with a defender in their face. Well, Jamison Crowder demonstrated the football version of that Thursday night, dropping a wide-open touchdown in the end zone before catching a well-defended pass to the exact same spot on the very next play. Sometimes, that pressure is good for your focus.
  • The Jets’ wounded defense was simply no match for Jackson, who broke history and continued to make his MVP case Thursday night. The Ravens quarterback torched New York’s backup secondary for five touchdowns and added 86 yards on the ground against one of the best statistical run defenses in the NFL. The competition wasn’t much, but Jackson again showed those watching what a special and fun player he is. It’s scary to think this is just his second season.

Tom Brady challenges Lamar Jackson to a race in the 40-yard dash — with a catch

Tom Brady wants to race Lamar Jackson, but with a few absurd conditions.

No matter the circumstances, Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is going to be the favorite to win in a foot race against Tom Brady. But Brady had an idea to even the odds.

Jackson set a new NFL record for rushing yards by a quarterback in an NFL season by surpassing Michael Vick’s record (1,039) on Thursday night in Week 15. During the game, Brady issued a challenge on social media. The New England Patriots quarterback wanted to race Jackson — but Brady had a few stipulations.

“Me vs Lamar, 40 Yard Dash on natural grass but he has to wear rollerblades. Who’s buying the PPV?” Brady asked in a tweet on Thursday night.

Still, you’ve got to take Jackson.

If you need a reminder of Brady’s (lack of) speed, look no further than Week 14 when he scampered for a first down in slow-motion,

I repeat: you’ve got to take Jackson.

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Doug Gottlieb’s take on wanting Sam Darnold over Lamar Jackson is ridiculous

Doug Gottlieb can’t be serious.

Doug Gottlieb should never be an NFL general manager.

The FOX Sports analyst shared a truly preposterous opinion about Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson and New York Jets quarterback Sam Darnold. Gottlieb claimed he’d prefer to have Darnold over Jackson. (Gottlieb made this statement on the same day that Jackson set a new record for rushing yards for a quarterback.)

That’s right: Gottlieb wants Darnold, who is 5-8 with 15 touchdowns and 11 interceptions at 7.0 yards per attempt in 2019, over Jackson, who is 11-2 with 35 total touchdowns (28 passing, seven rushing) with six interceptions at 8.6 yards per attempt.

But let’s hear him out. Here’s a look at some of what Gottlieb said:

“I would still to this day take Sam Darnold over Lamar Jackson – it’s the long-term play… If you want to tell me that Lamar Jackson is a good long-term play then you’re going to tell me that Cam Newton was a good long-term play too. … (Lamar) is Cam without the attitude and arrogance.

OK, now you can point and laugh.

What’s funny is that Gottlieb doesn’t know he’s complimenting Jackson by comparing him to Newton. Even if Newton had an attitude problem (which he doesn’t), he was an NFL MVP. He led the Panthers to the Super Bowl. Even if he never quarterbacks his team to another win, his career can be considered a success. In fact, he is the best No. 1 overall pick this decade. You’d probably take him over Andrew Luck, who retired early after dealing with injuries of his own. (Yes, he was more of a pocket passer, and still, his body broke down at 30 years old, just like Newton — and just like Jackson’s body is supposedly going to do.)

Jackson is an even better runner than Newton. The Ravens quarterback seems to be coming along as a passer. Darnold, meanwhile, has been unable to elevate his play. Admittedly, the Jets are a bad team — Adam Gase appears to be a bad coach. But Darnold seems destined to go the way of Josh McCown rather than Peyton Manning.

For good measure, Gottlieb threw in unflattering comparison for Jackson: RG3. While it’s impossible to say whether Jackson will suffer a career-altering injury, it’s hard to imagine Jackson following in the way of a unprecedented rise and fall, like Robert Griffin. (And as mentioned, those injuries can happen to pocket passers like Luck.)

More from Gottlieb:

“You have to be mobile but you also have to be able to throw and complete passes. He can do it on multiple platforms but he never throws outside the numbers.”

To refute this idea, I’m going to show — not tell — that Gottlieb is wrong.

Looks like he can target the perimeter just fine. Here’s more from Gottlieb:

“Unless they change the rules to where they can’t hit you outside of the pocket, they’re going to catch you and hit you. Cam was the biggest, strongest, and most athletic quarterback we’ve ever seen and his body broke down at 30. We’re supposed to expect Lamar’s to be different?”

So Jackson looks likely to win an MVP in 2019, and the Ravens are the No. 1 seed in the AFC. Surely, he’ll regress. The brightest stars tend to fall off slightly. (Newton and Patrick Mahomes did.) But 10 years of Jackson, the most electric player in the NFL, is a much clearer plan than 10 years of Darnold, a ho-hum prospect who seems in arrested development.

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Gottlieb got me. He delivered a take that was so bad that I couldn’t help but write about it. And while that’s his intention — because it gets people talking about him — he needed some reprimanding for his thoughtless and lazy take.

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WATCH! Mike Vick reacts to Lamar Jackson breaking his single-season NFL rushing record by a QB

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has the single-season rushing record for a quarterback.

The Baltimore Ravens’ Lamar Jackson is the all-time, single-season rushing leader for a quarterback. The second-year star broke Mike Vick’s mark with a short run on the Ravens’ first drive in their Thursday game with the New York Jets.

Vick’s mark was 1,039 yards set in 2006. The run put Jackson at 1,044 yards and counting.

FOX Sports, which broadcast the game, quickly cut to a taped video of Vick congratulating the Heisman winner from Louisville.

Jackson did not rest on his laurels. He rushed for 25 yards on this play on Baltimore’s second drive to set up a score that made it 13-0. Justin Tucker missed the PAT, a rare occurrence.

Lamar Jackson breaks Michael Vick’s single-season rushing record

In Week 15 against the Bills, Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson entered the NFL record books by breaking Michael Vick’s record

It’s been a season to remember for Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson. And as the regular season winds down, Jackson finds that he’ll be remembered forever after entering the NFL’s record books regardless of how the rest of his career goes.

Against the New York Jets in Week 15, Jackson officially broke Michael Vick’s single-season rushing record for quarterbacks, surpassing the 1,039-yard mark. With a five-yard run in the first quarter, Jackson has hit 1,044 rushing yards with 11 quarters still remaining this season.

It’s impossible to think of Jackson on the football field and not remember so many electric runs just this season. He’s made defender after defender look silly, juking would-be tacklers to see them whiff at thin air on the way to big gains. He’s continually wowed not only fans and teammates but his opponents as well. At a time when quarterbacks are often judged negatively for leaving the pocket, Jackson has proven to be this team’s biggest weapon, leading the Ravens and ranking ninth in the league in rushing yards while pushing Baltimore to the top-ranked offense in points scored.

Though Jackson had been on track to break Vick’s record this season, he was relatively unaffected by the monumental moment. When questioned about the idea of breaking an idol’s record, Jackson remained humble and kept his team-first attitude towards winning the game first and foremost.

Jackson is already the frontrunner for the league’s MVP award, according to oddsmakers. While Jackson’s legs have certainly earned him praise and plenty of television time as a human highlight reel, it’s not just been his rushing ability that has him considered the favorite to win the NFL’s most prestigious annual award. Jackson has developed quickly as a passer this season, coming into this game with the most passing touchdowns, the highest TD% and the fourth-best passer rating. He’s one of just three quarterbacks to ever post two perfect 158.3 rating games in a single season, matching Peyton Manning and Ben Roethlisberger.

But with his name in the record books this season, it seems impossible anyone will be able to beat him for the annual award now. If you don’t believe that, you might want to avoid Ravens running back Mark Ingram . . .

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Ravens vs. Jets Week 15 inactives: TE Mark Andrews active, T Ronnie Stanley out

The Baltimore Ravens will have to battle the New York Jets without left tackle Ronnie Stanley, who is out with an injury.

The Baltimore Ravens and New York Jets come into Week 15 with very little time to get healthy. Playing on Thursday night, it gave both teams just a few days to get everyone prepared for another football game and this late in the season, those bumps and bruises have started to accumulate.

However, the Ravens come into this one actually fairly well off. In spite of big names like tight end Mark Andrews and quarterback Lamar Jackson not guaranteed to play tonight, both are active. But the offense will have to function without left tackle Ronnie Stanley, who was listed as “doubtful” on Wednesday’s injury report.

Baltimore Ravens inactives:

QB Trace McSorley
WR Jaleel Scott
G Ben Powers
T Ronnie Stanley
CB Anthony Averett
DT Justin Ellis
LB Chris Board

New York Jets inactives:

DL Quinnen Williams
OL Chuma Edoga
RB Bilal Powell
CB Brian Poole
WR Demaryius Thomas
SS Jamal Adams
CB Arthur Maulet

Ravens vs. Jets final score predictions: It’s not going to be pretty

Everyone here at Ravens Wire is predicting another lopsided victory for Baltimore as they take on the New York Jets in Week 15

It’s December, freezing cold and it’s time for football as the Baltimore Ravens host the New York Jets on Thursday Night Football. Arguably the best team in the league going up against one of the worst, Baltimore is rightfully a massive favorite in Week 15. It’s no surprise that us here at Ravens Wire are feeling pretty high about this game ourselves.

Before Baltimore kicks off tonight, take a look at our final score predictions for this game and how we expect it to play out.

Matthew Stevens

Ravens 34 – Jets 10

It’s been the tale of the entire season: Can anyone stop quarterback Lamar Jackson. And against some of the best defenses in the league in terrible weather, the answer has been no. So why would it change this week against a struggling New York squad?

While the Jets at full health would probably be a pretty dangerous opponent, they’re about as beaten up as a team could get. They’ll be without key starters on both sides of the football, which just doesn’t bode well when trying to keep up with the Ravens. Just as we’ve seen repeatedly this season, Baltimore gets out to an early lead which completely kills the Jets’ offense and forces them to be one dimensional, where the Ravens can then be even more aggressive defensively. It’s a death spiral where Baltimore piles on the points before resting the starters in the second half.

Joe Serpico

Ravens 34 – Jets 10

The Jets don’t stand a chance based on recent results and the quick turnaround. They flat out stink on offense and the Ravens are proving that defensive rankings just don’t matter against them right now. Baltimore jumps out to a quick lead that allows them to rest Jackson and that ailing quad in the fourth quarter.

Vasilios Nikolaou

Ravens 52 – Jets 17

To keep line with my bold prediction, the Ravens rain hellfire down onto the Jets under the bright lights of primetime football. Lamar Jackson is going to pad his stats before maybe being deactivated for the end of the season if the Ravens lock up the North and the #1 seed.

The wide receivers and tight ends put on a show for the home crowd and folks start to leave in the third quarter because of the score disparity.

Neil Dutton

Ravens 27 – Jets 6

The Ravens offense has cooled a bit of late, which is understandable given how good they had been and also considering the quality of opposition they’ve faced. But this is something a get right game against one of the leagues sorriest offenses. Even if Lamar Jackson is slightly under the weather, a likely Jamal Adams-less Jets defense should be no match for the Ravens.

Alex Bente

Ravens 30 – Jets 0

The Ravens’ offense should control this game from the onset, sustaining long drives that take loads of time of the clock, but I don’t expect them to dig too deep into their bag of tricks. A steady dose of the run game along with the occasional deep ball should be all Baltimore needs to take care of business.

The defense, on the other hand, will make short work of the Jets’ offense . . . or lack thereof. Hungry after nearly letting the Bills even the score on the game’s final drive, watch as the defense punishes the visiting team in front of a fired-up home crowd. The Jets fail to score as the Ravens cruise to their 10th-straight win, a repeat division title and one step closer to securing home-field advantage in the playoffs.

Kevin Oestreicher

Ravens 35 – Jets 13

I’ve been calling it close for the Ravens in most games and they’ve blown out teams, so now it’s my turn to call a blowout. This Jets team is extremely banged up right now, and although the Ravens are certainly still feeling the effects from the Bills game on Sunday, I expect a dominant showing from Lamar Jackson and company, as well as the defense. I expect a lot of pressure looks to be dialed up by Don Martindale and a run-heavy game plan employed by Greg Roman. I don’t think Lamar Jackson plays a full game in this one, but not because of injury. Instead, the Ravens take advantage of their dominance to get their second-year signal caller some much-needed rest and let Robert Griffin III get some playing time

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Report: Ravens to rest Lamar Jackson in Week 17 if they lock in playoff seeding early

If the Baltimore Ravens have nothing to play for in Week 17, they’ll sit quarterback Lamar Jackson against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Baltimore Ravens have an interesting question to answer in the final week of the season. If they have their playoff seeding already figured out, do they rest their starters against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 17 or play postseason matchmaker by going all-in?

According to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, the Ravens could sit at least quarterback Lamar Jackson and start Robert Griffin III against the Steelers in that case.

That could be seen as a controversial decision since Pittsburgh could very well be fighting for their postseason lives in Week 17. While Baltimore beat the Steelers back in Week 5 to start their now nine-game winning streak, it took overtime to get the job done. The Steelers have been surging since that point themselves and could be quite the dangerous foe to allow into the playoffs.

On the other hand, there wouldn’t be much reason for Baltimore to put their key players in harm’s way unnecessarily either. The Ravens could potentially lock up the No. 1 seed this week and while the notion of kicking the Steelers from the postseason sounds great, it would be foolish for it to potentially come at the loss of an impact player as Baltimore eyes Super Bowl LIV.

Instead, the Ravens could use that time to rest key players in order to get as healthy as possible for the playoffs. If they have the first or second seed already by Week 17, they’ll be guaranteed a first-round bye. Meaning sitting players like Jackson would effectively give them two weeks of rest before taking on the winner of the wild card round. That extra rest could very well be the difference in Baltimore making Super Bowl LIV or not.

It’s a tough call for the Ravens’ coaching staff and one that will be criticized heavily if it doesn’t pan out while universally beloved if they make it to the Super Bowl. But sitting at 11-2 entering Week 15 and currently the best team in the league, it’s best to trust what coach John Harbaugh and his staff choose to do.