BALTIMORE _ Led by star second-year quarterback and NFL Most Valuable Player front-runner Lamar Jackson, an NFL-record 12 Ravens were named to the Pro Bowl on Tuesday night.
Jackson, who has powered the Ravens to a franchise-record 10-game winning streak, was one of six Ravens voted as a starter in the annual all-star game. The Pro Bowl will be held in Orlando, Fla., on Jan. 26, the Sunday before Super Bowl LIV.
The Ravens, who led the NFL in total fan votes, are well represented in all three phases. On offense, fullback Patrick Ricard, left tackle Ronnie Stanley and guard Marshal Yanda were also named starters, while running back Mark Ingram II and tight end Mark Andrews also got in. Defensively, outside linebacker Matthew Judon, cornerbacks Marcus Peters and Marlon Humphrey and safety Earl Thomas III were named to the roster. Kicker Justin Tucker and long snapper Morgan Cox will represent the Ravens' special teams. Right tackle Orlando Brown Jr. and punter Sam Koch, meanwhile, are first alternates.
The 12 selections tie the 1973 Miami Dolphins' record and break the franchise record of eight, reached in 2003, 2006 and 2011. The Ravens had seven players finish atop fan balloting at their respective positions in the AFC. Voting for the Pro Bowl, which also equally weighs the input of players and coaches, concluded last week.
A year after his passing struggles cost the Ravens in a season-ending playoff loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, Jackson earned his first Pro Bowl nod with week after week of breathtaking play. As a passer, the 22-year-old has thrown for a franchise-record-tying 33 touchdowns and six interceptions and became the youngest quarterback in NFL history to post two perfect passer ratings in a single season. As a runner, Jackson broke Michael Vick's single-season record for rushing yards by a quarterback and is averaging an NFL-best 6.9 yards per carry.
He had help. Ingram, a three-time Pro Bowl selection, is 37 yards shy of 1,000 rushing yards this season and has 14 total touchdowns, one shy of Ray Rice's single-season franchise record. Andrews has 58 catches for 759 yards, fifth most among tight ends, and eight touchdowns, the most at the position and by a Ravens tight end in a single season. Ricard, a two-way player and first-time honoree like Andrews, has emerged as one of the Ravens' most versatile and punishing blockers.
Up front, Yanda has again led the Ravens' rock-solid offensive line. With his eighth Pro Bowl selection, the 35-year-old is behind only linebacker Ray Lewis (13), offensive tackle Jonathan Ogden (11) and safety Ed Reed in career honors. Stanley, a first alternate in the Pro Bowl last year, has allowed no sacks and just six pressures in 13 games this season, according to Pro Football Focus. Brown, taken two rounds after Jackson and three picks before Andrews in last year's draft, has continued his development into an upper-tier right tackle.
Peters, acquired in a mid-October trade with the Los Angeles Rams, has five interceptions overall _ only two players have more this season _ and an NFL-high three defensive touchdowns, along with 13 passes defended. It's his first Pro Bowl selection since 2016 and third overall. Humphrey, who was snubbed in Pro Bowl voting last season, earned his first career nod after returning two fumbles for touchdowns and posting two interceptions and 13 pass defenses.
Tucker, the most accurate kicker in NFL history, is third in the league in scoring (120 points). He's 51 for 53 on extra-point attempts and 23 for 24 on field-goal tries this season, including a perfect 15 for 15 inside 40 yards.
