Add another sensational effort to Lamar Jackson’s MVP campaign.
The Ravens quarterback carved up a strong Broncos defense on Sunday in a dominant 41-10 win. He finished the fourth quarter resting on the bench after leading the Ravens to a 31-point lead.
When he was done, Jackson had completed 16 of 19 passes for 280 yards (14.7 yards per attempt) with three touchdowns and no turnovers. It added up to a perfect 158.3 passer rating. The Ravens bounced back from an upset loss to the Cleveland Browns last week to improve to 6-3.
Jackson also added some NFL history in the process. In nine games, Jackson is the fastest player ever to reach 20 passing touchdowns and 500 rushing yards in a single season. Per CBS, he broke his own record that he shared with Randall Cunningham and Josh Allen, who previously reached the mark in 11 games.
There was little doubt on Sunday from the beginning of the game that Jackson and the Ravens were in charge. They jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the first quarter on a Derrick Henry score that was the 100th rushing touchdown of his career.
Then with the Ravens holding a 10-7 lead in the second, Jackson threw his first touchdown pass of the day to Zay Flowers. Jackson eluded pressure in the pocket, then scrambled to find Flowers open in the back of the end zone.
That score left 3:47 remaining on the first-half clock. Jackson found Flowers for a second touchdown before the half was over.
This time, Jackson launched a downfield strike over midfield on first-and-10 to find Flowers open in a soft spot in the Broncos zone. Flowers caught the ball near the 30-yard line, then did the rest of the work as he raced pass Denver defenders into the end zone.
The score extended Baltimore’s lead to 24-10 just before halftime.
The Ravens added a Justin Tucker field goal early in the third quarter before Jackson iced the game with his third touchdown pass of the day. This time, he ran a play-action pass on second-and-goal and found fullback Patrick Ricard wide open near the goal line. Ricard corralled the pass and fell into the end zone for the score.
The game was effectively over at that point. Jackson played one more possession that ended in a field goal, then finished his day on the bench as backup Josh Johnson took over at quarterback.
The Broncos entered Sunday’s game with the NFL’s third-ranked defense, allowing 282.6 yards per game and 176.3 yards per game through the air. They were no match for Jackson and a Ravens offensive attack that’s arguably been the league’s best through the first half of the season.
With Sunday’s game, Jackson has now completed 68.2% of his passes for 2,379 yards (9.3 yards per attempt) with 20 touchdowns and just two interceptions. He’s added 505 yards and two touchdowns on six yards per carry.
Jackson is the reigning MVP and a two-time winner of the award in his six previous NFL seasons. It’s hard to argue that he’s not the leader to win his third at the midpoint of the NFL season.