LANDOVER, Md. _ Quarterback Lamar Jackson ran for a career-long 50-yard touchdown and threw for two more scores Sunday, leading the Ravens to a 31-17 bounce-back win over the Washington Football Team.
After a blowout loss on "Monday Night Football" to the Kansas City Chiefs, the Ravens (3-1) mostly took care of business at FedEx Field. It was not a vintage day for the offense ? 350 yards and two turnovers ? but the Ravens got timely stops and made the most of Washington's mistakes.
Jackson finished 14-for-21 for 193 yards, two touchdowns to tight end Mark Andrews (three catches for 57 yards) and an interception, his first of the season. He also added a game-high 53 rushing yards. The Ravens played without starting left tackle Ronnie Stanley, who was inactive with a shoulder injury. Orlando Brown Jr. played left tackle and D.J. Fluker started at right tackle.
With a 21-point lead midway through the fourth quarter, the Ravens turned the offense's reins over to former Washington quarterback Robert Griffin III, who threw an interception in his regular-season return to an empty FedEx Field. With their eighth straight road win, the Ravens improved to 4-3 overall against Washington (1-3) and ended a two-game losing streak to their in-state foes.
The Ravens again had a turnover spark their offense Sunday. In Week 2, inside linebacker L.J. Fort's recovery of a fumble forced by cornerback Marlon Humphrey helped the Ravens start to put away the Houston Texans. On Monday, the Ravens mounted a brief comeback against the Chiefs after a fourth-down stop.
On Sunday, Humphrey came through again. His punch-out after a completion by running back J.D. McKissic led to a fumble recovery by cornerback Marcus Peters and a short field. The Ravens needed just two plays to score: a 33-yard strike to wide receiver Marquise "Hollywood" Brown (four catches, 86 yards) and a 1-yard run by running back Mark Ingram II.
Their next drive needed just three plays to extend the lead to 14-0. None was more impressive than Jackson's 50-yard touchdown run, the longest by a quarterback in the past five seasons, according to ESPN. The Tennessee Titans' Marcus Mariota ran for an 87-yard touchdown in 2015.
From there, the defense took control against an offense led by one of the NFL's worst quarterbacks, Dwayne Haskins Jr. With a banged-up receiving corps, Washington relied mostly on a mix of short passes and screens. Haskins finished 32-for-45 for 314 yards and no touchdowns, but much of his production came on runs after the catch.
Washington had a chance to make the game competitive before the the fourth quarter, but it seemed almost uninterested near the goal line. Down 28-10, facing fourth-and-goal from the Ravens' 13, Washington chose not to try for a field goal. Instead, Haskins threw a check-down pass to wide receiver Isaiah Wright, who ended 8 yards short of the end zone.
