On their opening drive with Lamar Jackson under center in place of injured starter Joe Flacco, the Baltimore Ravens scored — without attempting a single pass.
By running 11 straight times on the way to pay dirt, Baltimore became just the third team since 1999 to score a touchdown on an opening drive that had at least 10 rushing plays and no pass attempts. And there might have been a changing of the guard in the process.
On the day, Jackson rushed for 117 yards on 27 carries and added 150 yards and an interception on 13-of-19 passing. The 27 rushing attempts for Jackon – which came on a mix of designed play, options, and scrambles – were the most by a quarterback in the NFL’s modern era (a period that dates to 1970).
If Lamar Jackson develops into even just a slightly below average passer he could be terrifying 😳
He's going to become the 2nd QB in NFL history to rush for 1,000 yards in a season at some point. Getting 60 rushing yards a game is too easy for him. Had a nonchalant 117 today. pic.twitter.com/UmQEzYucAu
— Hog Maw Athletics (@hogmawathletics) November 19, 2018
The run into the record books helped the Ravens snap a three-game losing streak with a 24-21 victory over the Bengals and also may have cost Flacco his job.
“I thought he played spectacular,” Baltimore coach John Harbaugh said of Jackson. “I thought he played winning football. … For a first-time-out rookie in an environment like that to have all those operational things go well speaks to his intelligence, his studiousness, just his ability to run the show. After that, the playmaking, that comes from God.”
Harbaugh now must decide whether to go back to Flacco once he is healthy or keep Jackson, who the team picked in their first round of the last draft, on the field.
According to Sports Illustrated, it’s really no choice at all. “What we saw from Baltimore on Sunday was different,” according to the publication. “It was something that a lot of teams on their schedule aren’t equipped to handle from here. It was draining. And that was only, really, the beginning.”
Bengals coach Marvin Lewis felt differently following the loss, saying there’s no way Jackson can run the ball as much as he did going forward.
Lamar Jackson‘s longevity after the Ravens rookie first-round pick ran the ball more times than any other quarterback in the Super Bowl era.
“Quarterbacks don’t run forever in the NFL,” Lewis said. “Sooner or later, they get hurt, and they don’t run the same. But, today, he could run, and he did a good job.”
Considering he lost to Jackson, those comments should be taken with a grain of salt.
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