Lamar Jackson enhances MVP case with perfect rating in Ravens' win over Broncos: Key takeaways

By / / Sports / 6 minutes of reading


By Nick Kosmider, RJ Kraft and Jeff Zrebiec

Lamar Jackson’s three passing touchdowns and perfect passer rating led the Baltimore Ravens to a blowout 41-10 win over the Denver Broncos in a battle of AFC playoff hopefuls.

The Ravens quarterback went completed 16 of his 19 attempts for 280 passing yards and a 158.3 rating — his second perfect rating in a year as he had a perfect passer rating in a Week 17 against the Miami Dolphins. In his career, Jackson has had four games with perfect passer ratings, which ties an NFL record. The two-time NFL MVP nearly compiled a perfect passer rating in two weeks ago — finishing at 158.1 in a Week 7 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Jackson now has 20 passing touchdowns on the season after connecting with Zay Flowers twice and Patrick Ricard once for scores. Flowers was Jackson’s favorite target on the day with five receptions for 127 yards.

Baltimore running back Derrick Henry scored twice on the ground to reach 101 rushing touchdowns. He now ranks eighth on the all-time rushing touchdowns list and is three away from tying John Riggins for seventh. Henry’s 106 rushing yards saw him cross the 1,000-yard mark for the season — in Week 9 — as he leads the league with 1,052 rushing yards.

Baltimore (6-3) will have a short Week 10 as it will take on the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday Night Football. Meanwhile, Denver (5-4) will face the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs on the road in Week 10.

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Jackson enhances his MVP candidacy

It may not have even been Jackson’s most memorable performances of the season, but it was still plenty effective. After a week in which he dealt with knee and back injuries and practiced only once, Jackson went out and had his way with a Broncos defense that was regarded as one of the best units in the league. The Ravens quarterback clearly wasn’t looking to run, but he didn’t need to either. He repeatedly found open receivers — completing passes to seven different targets en route to a perfect passer rating.

Ravens coach John Harbaugh said that the team could give Jackson more rest days from practice moving forward. His performance Sunday indicated that might not be a bad idea. — Jeff Zrebiec, Ravens beat writer

Broncos defense backslides

The Broncos entered Sunday’s game with the NFL’s top-ranked defense in terms of TruMedia’s EPA (expected points added) per play. They had given up only 12 total touchdowns in their first eight games of the season. They also hadn’t faced a challenge in the same neighborhood of the one posed by the dynamic, versatile and explosive Ravens offense. There are levels to becoming a great defense, and the Broncos clearly still have a long way to go.

After the Ravens punted on their opening possession, they scored touchdowns on five of their next six drives. They scored two in the final four minutes of the second quarter to break the game open. The Broncos continually lost Flowers in the first half and succumbed to the hammer that is Henry in the second. Jackson, the MVP quarterback driving it all, was content to operate from the pocket and surgically pick apart a secondary that couldn’t keep track of Baltimore’s seemingly never-ending list of targets.

The Broncos are not alone in their inability to stop the Ravens, who have the NFL’s most prolific offense. But with Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs on deck next Sunday, the Broncos have plenty to figure out if they want to keep their playoff goal alive. — Nick Kosmider, Broncos beat writer

Pick-your-poison with Ravens

Members of the Ravens offense have been saying all year that when they’re at their best, defending them is a pick-your-poison proposition. Crowd the line of scrimmage to stop Henry and Jackson will take you apart with his arm. Load up the field with defensive backs to match up with Baltimore’s speed and they’ll get in their heavy personnel and get Henry downhill.

In the first half Sunday, the Broncos limited the Ravens running game, holding them to just 24 yards on the ground. Except they had no answers for Jackson and the passing game. He threw for 208 yards and two touchdowns. In the second half, Jackson had just 72 yards throwing, but the Ravens running game got on track. The Broncos never did find an acceptable balance to stop the Ravens. — Zrebiec

Nix’s growth encouraging, but offense still work in progress

Bo Nix didn’t only record a touchdown reception Sunday, making the NFL’s first player this season with a passing, rushing and receiving score. He leaped up to catch the pass from wide receiver Courtland Sutton on fourth down, made the grab through contact from safety Marcus Williams and twisted his body over the goal line. It illustrated the kind of competitiveness and fight Denver’s rookie quarterback brought to Baltimore on Sunday. Nix’s play, particularly in the first half when the game still hung in the balance, was an encouraging sign of growth that was currently recognized with the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year award.

The problem as it relates to the Broncos’ quest to reach the playoffs this season is that the complete picture Denver and coach Sean Payton are trying to paint around the young quarterback continues to be elusive.

Take the second play of Sunday’s game. Nix rolled to his right off play-action and threw to Lil’Jordan Humphrey in the flat. The ball tipped off the hands of the veteran wide receiver and was picked off Ar’Darius Washington. The pass was slightly high, but it also should have been caught. Nix later had a touchdown run that was called back by a holding penalty on Garett Bolles. Payton’s management of the closing moments of the first half also left something to be desired after he allowed the Ravens to get the ball back with 54 seconds and one timeout left, a situation Baltimore turned into another touchdown.

To watch Jackson scan a field to find targets running free throughout Sunday’s game was to be reminded how much work the Broncos still have to do in order to build a more complete offense around a quarterback who appears more and more each week like he can be the elusive answer at the position. — Kosmider

Required reading

(Photo: Scott Taetsch / Getty Images)





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About The Author

Avatar of Fannie Hogan
Fannie Hogan is a writer and editor who covers lifestyle, books, sports, education, and tech. She's always loved to write—from the time she was a little girl writing stories about talking animals to the day she got her first job as an editor at a lifestyle magazine. Her hobbies include long walks on the beach, running, and taking breaks from work to read a good book.

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