In what was a matchup of two MVP-contending quarterbacks vying for one of the top seeds in the AFC, the Baltimore Ravens and Lamar Jackson anointed themselves as the superior team with a 41-7 victory over the Houston Texans and Deshaun Watson.
It was expected to be a tight game as both Jackson and Watson tried to outduel one another in a rematch of their famous Clemson-Louisville shootout. But when Jackson got pulled in the fourth quarter, it was obvious which one was the real MVP candidate. Following the game when the two traded jerseys, Watson gave a little MVP love to Jackson.
Watson specifically wrote:
“To: LJ8
Keep going fam!
Always Love!
100!
MVP”
Jackson should be en route to yet another AFC Offensive Player of the Week nomination and potentially his third consecutive win of the award. He completed 17-of-24 passes for 222 yards, four touchdowns, no interceptions, and a 139.2 passer rating.
Watson, on the other hand, was harassed all game long and made several big mistakes. He finished 18-of-29 for 169 yards, no touchdowns, one interception, one fumble and a passer rating of just 63.7. By comparison, punter Sam Koch completed one pass for minus-two yards and had a passer rating of 79.2.
But Jackson was also the far more dynamic quarterback on the ground as well, gaining 86 yards on just nine carries, including yet another highlight-reel run. Watson ran for just 12 yards on three carries while being sacked six times as Baltimore contained him in the pocket and hit him routinely.
With yet another game against an MVP contender at quarterback, Jackson is proving he’s a step above all of them. If he wasn’t an MVP front-runner before this game, there’s little question he’s there now.
