by Never mind that the margin of victory was only 14 points. By eliminating the San Francisco 49ers on the road on Christmas night, the Baltimore Ravens emerged as the best team in the NFL, and their quarterback, Lamar Jackson, claimed his position as the best player in the league.
A bold move Monday by the swashbuckling Ravens (12-3), who have lost nine of their last 10 games and now have the NFL’s best record, might surprise those who have been paying attention more on this season. Pastors, Eagles, Cowboys and 49 others.
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But Baltimore’s defense, which held San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy to four interceptions Monday before leaving the game with a nerve injury, is as ruthless as Ravens’ defenses were in the days when Ray Lewis and Ed Reed ran all over the place. The world.
The 49ers (11-4) entered the game as a six-and-a-half-point favorite and the Super Bowl frontrunners, but the Ravens, apparently incensed by a perceived lack of respect from the bookies, posted a three- touched up and exposed San Francisco’s flaws on the weekend where the Chiefs (9-6) and the Cowboys (10-5) also lost, while the lousy Giants barely scratched the Eagles (11-4).
Baltimore’s defense was supposed to be strong, as, under coach John Harbaugh, the Ravens’ defense has been going for decades. Perhaps the surprise is the return of Jackson, the quarterback from Louisville in his sixth NFL season, who has eclipsed other QBs, even Patrick Mahomes, who, believe it or not, is actually subject to funks.
“I thought Lamar had an MVP performance tonight,” Harbaugh said after the game. “It takes a team to produce a performance like that, but it takes a player to play at that level, to play at an MVP level. Lamar was all over the field.”
Jackson, 26, has electric speed and has always thrown the ball much better than he’s been given credit for. He won the league MVP award in his second season, 2019, but lost some luster when the Ravens were upset and eliminated in their playoff opener that year – at home.
As mobile as the guy seems, knee and ankle sprains have caused him to miss 10 games over the past two seasons. Jackson has only won one playoff game, that coming nearly three years ago against the Titans (a game that followed a blowout loss to Buffalo).
However, the Ravens signed Jackson to a five-year, $260m contract extension in April. Only Chiefs Patrick Mahomes ($450m), the Bengals’ Joe Burrow ($275m) and the Chargers’ Justin Herbert ($262.5m) have tougher contracts among NFL QBs.
In addition to awarding him a huge raise, the Ravens also figured Jackson could use some help. Harbaugh, 61, in his 16th season as the Ravens’ head coach, brought in a new offensive coordinator, Todd Monken, who most recently filled the same position at the University of Georgia, the two-time national champions – and it was eight years. NFL experience.
Ravens tight end Mark Andrews suffered a split fibula and ankle ligament injury in November’s win over Cincinnati. But Baltimore added other receivers, including veterans Odell Beckham Jr. and Nelson Agholor.
In addition, the Ravens used their first-round draft pick in April on wide receiver Xavien ‘Zay’ Flowers, who caught 200 passes for 3,056 yards and 29 touchdowns in four years at Boston College. Flowers had nine catches for 72 yards and a touchdown on Monday night.
Flowers, Beckham and Agholor combined for 122 receptions for 1,513 yards and nine touchdowns this season. Tight end Isaac Lively has 23 receptions and two touchdowns since replacing Andrews. Running back Gus Edwards also stepped up his performance.
But Jackson remains the focal point. He has 786 yards rushing this year, including a hare, a spin and a delightful (well, delightful if you weren’t on the 49ers) A 30-yard open field dash through a San Francisco secondary that set up a field goal late in the first half.
That gave Baltimore a 16-12 lead. Purdy had already thrown three interceptions. But Jackson’s best stuff came in the third quarter, even though the 49ers still had a shot to win the game. Three Baltimore drives ended with two touchdowns and another field goal.
One of those drives was just one play and nine yards long, as it came right after Purdy’s fourth interception. Jackson, who doesn’t throw the ball so much as stretch it, threw a touchdown pass to Flowers. Baltimore led 33-12 entering the fourth quarter.
Sam Darnold, the Jets’ QB Flop before Zach Wilson became the latest QB Flop, replaced Purdy after he was injured and threw a touchdown pass to make the game more interesting. But the Ravens intercepted Darnold twice, and then he was intercepted on the Niners’ final drive.
And that was it. Jackson was asked about the Ravens’ next big game, which comes Sunday at home against the Miami Dolphins (11-4), who beat the Cowboys on the last play of Sunday’s game. He described being included on the NFL MVP shortlist.
“It’s amazing,” he told ESPN. “I’m honored to be in the conversation. I have one [MVP]. Man, we’ve got to keep winning, keep doing what we need to do to get to February. That’s the extent.”
Later, he said: “We got the W. I don’t really care [personal] performance. I just want to win. That’s what happened tonight. At Christmas, I got my present.”
Christmas night didn’t start well for Jackson. Baltimore went three-and-out on their first drive, and their second drive ended miserably when Jackson, trying to avoid being tackled in the end zone, bowled over an official, Alex Moore, before being tackled. called for safety by deliberate means.
Jackson has only won 12 starts in one season just one other time in his NFL career – in 2019, when he won the MVP award. That season didn’t end so well, and Jackson is waiting a while for another chance to drive a true contender. Now it seems he has one.
