The Baltimore Ravens came into this season with a bunch of questions. At the top of the list was quarterback Lamar Jackson’s development from his rookie season into his second year. With concerns about his accuracy and ability to throw NFL-level passes consistently, many people took to calling Jackson a running back as a slight against his passing ability.
Following a Week 1 whooppin’ on the Miami Dolphins in which Jackson went 17-of-20 for 324 yards, five touchdown passes and no interceptions for a perfect 158.3 quarterback rating, he wasn’t having any of it in the locker room post-game. Jackson threw a little shade back on his doubters with a simple sentence.
Jackson showed poise in the pocket when pressured, avoiding defenders with his legs and continuing to look downfield for open receivers. He was accurate with his passes, hitting on short, intermediate and deep throws all game long. He trusted his eyes and arm, only running the football three times for six yards. Jackson completed passes to eight different pass catchers and threw touchdowns to four of them.
For all that, Jackson tied the record for the most touchdowns thrown in a game and nearly tied the number of touchdown passes he had all of last season. The Ravens posted the best outing in the history of the franchise as well, scoring 59 points.
It was not only a statement win for Baltimore but one for Jackson specifically. He answered the critiques of a lot of pundits and showed he’s more than just a running back that’s asked to throw the football. If you doubted him initially, there’s plenty of room on the bandwagon now.
