If there was any doubt Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is something special, any suspicion should be gone by now. Jackson broke a bevy of franchise and NFL records last season en route to only the second unanimous MVP selection in league history. But Jackson was once again added to the NFL record book in Week 4 against the Washington Football Team.
Jackson hit 5,000 passing yards and 2,000 rushing yards faster than any player in NFL history, with his 193 passing yards on Sunday helping him crack the achievement. Jackson accomplished the feat in just 35 career games (26 starts), beating Michael Vick’s 39 career game mark.
As has been usual for Jackson, he was humble and even dismissive of the record following the game. When asked about if breaking records means anything to him, Jackson turned his attention to the season at large rather than his own personal achievements.
“Probably in the long run, but I’m focused on trying to win a championship. We still have bigger fish to fry right now. Those types of things, I feel like I’ll cherish those later.”
That’s really what makes Jackson such an intriguing player. Not only is he ridiculously talented physically — able to make defenders look like children when he’s running by them or throwing passes over their heads — he’s got a team-first mentality and reserved personality that would rival even the nicest players in NFL history. It’s not that a career achievement like this doesn’t mean something to him, it’s just that Jackson knows his place in the team and what he’s being counted on to do rather than his own personal goals.
It’s not the first milestone Jackson has made and it likely won’t be the last either. But once again Jackson has proven, with statistics, to be something special.
