Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson’s first full regular season might be over after beating the Cleveland Browns 31-15 in Week 16. With the Ravens locked in as the top seed in the AFC playoff picture, there’s little reason for many of Baltimore’s top players to start in Week 17.
With Jackson adding another three touchdown passes and another 100-plus yard rushing game, the presumptive NFL MVP has put a great cap on his second season. When asked about how Jackson has done this year, Ravens coach John Harbaugh left the podium with a mic-drop moment.
“Not bad for a running back”
"Not bad for a running back."
Okay Coach! pic.twitter.com/dNaBlzJ7yu
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) December 22, 2019
Many fans and even pundits had been quick to judge Jackson before the start of this season. After a rookie campaign that was full of electric runs but some lackluster throws, a common snub was to call Jackson a “running back” as a way of dismissing his passing ability.
But with the win against Cleveland, Jackson has now gone 265-of-401 (66.1%) for 3,127 passing yards, 36 touchdowns, six interceptions and a total 113.34 passer rating. Jackson currently leads the NFL in passing touchdowns, TD% (touchdowns per attempt) and is third in passer rating. Meanwhile, Jackson has also totaled 1,206 rushing yards, breaking Michael Vick’s single-season rushing record, and adding another seven rushing touchdowns as well.
If running backs were this capable, I’d imagine NFL teams would be spending their first-round draft picks on them more often.
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