Lamar Jackson Outshines Russell Wilson in Raven’s Win
Lamar Jackson Outshines Russell Wilson in Raven’s Win
Sunday afternoon’s contest between the Seattle Seahawks and the Baltimore Ravens featured the most exciting quarterback matchup of Week 7.
Russell Wilson entered the game red hot. Through the first six games of the season, the Seattle quarterback established himself as a front runner for the league MVP award. Before Sunday’s game, Wilson was on pace to record the best single-season passer rating in NFL history. He was the holder of the league’s longest active streak of consecutive completions without an interception. He had pulled off miracles already this season, leading his team to three fourth-quarter comebacks including one in Week 6 against Cleveland. Simply put, Wilson, already an established superstar in the league, was off to a very impressive start.
Wilson’s counterpart, Lamar Jackson, entered the game as the emerging, dual-threat quarterback capable of impacting games in ways that no one else at the position can. In just his sophomore season, Jackson is already drawing comparisons to Michael Vick, and his numbers this season certainly warrant the analogy. Through the first six weeks, Jackson found himself a top ten rusher in the league. Yep, rusher, as in the top ten among running backs. He is a major reason why his team entered Sunday with a 4-2 record and the best rushing attack in the league.
And it was, in fact, Lamar Jackson who had the more impressive day when the final whistle blew in the Raven’s 30-16 victory. Jackson once again changed the course of the game with his dominance on the ground. He finished the game with 14 carries for 116 yards and a touchdown.
The 22-year-old’s speed and elusiveness are unparalleled at the quarterback position, and he spent all of Sunday proving it. Early in the second quarter on a third and long play, Jackson was chased out of the pocket and, after failing to find an open receiver downfield, turned the broken pass play into a 28-yard gain with a dazzling scramble. It wasn’t the first time he improvised for first down yardage, and it wouldn’t be the last. In fact, Jackson finished the game with five rushes for first downs.
The biggest moment for the young quarterback came towards the end of the third quarter. On a third and 15 play from the Seahawks’ 21-yard line, Jackson held on to a read-option and picked up 13 yards. With the score tied at 13, coach John Harbaugh sent out the field goal unit, but ultimately decided to call a timeout. After some deliberation, Jackson and his offense were sent onto the field. On fourth and two, Jackson kept the ball on a power run play, finding a gap in the middle of the line and fighting his way into the end zone. The play was Baltimore’s only offensive touchdown of the game, and it gave them a 20-13 lead.
As a passer, Jackson’s numbers were nothing incredible. He completed nine of his 20 attempts for 143 yards, but he managed the game well and avoided committing any turnovers. For as imminent of a rushing threat as Jackson poses, he displayed the ability to complete downfield passes on a 50-yard completion to Miles Boykin, and a 33-yarder to Mark Andrews.
Russell Wilson, meanwhile, turned in his worst performance of the season against a Baltimore defense which ranks among the league’s worst against the pass. He ended up completing less than 50% of his pass attempts (20/41) for 241 yards. Wilson also threw his first interception of the season and snapped his streak on a third and six pass intended for Jaron Brown. The newly acquired Marcus Peters jumped the route, intercepted the pass, and returned it 67 yards for a touchdown. It was just the fourth pick-six of Wilson’s career. The six-time Pro Bowl quarterback failed to put together the type of efficient outing we’ve grown accustomed to seeing from him this season. At one point in the second quarter, Wilson had a streak of six consecutive incomplete passes.
Seattle is notorious for being a difficult place to win a football game for opposing teams, but Sunday’s game marked the second time this season that the Seahawks lost at home. The loss came as a result of a solid team performance from a Baltimore squad that is proving to be formidable this year. The defensive unit scored twice on the two turnovers it created. Justin Tucker converted all three of his field-goal attempts. But it was the play of Lamar Jackson that outshined the rest of the cast and caught the attention of everyone, including Seattle’s top playmakers.
“He’s one of one,” said five-time Pro Bowl linebacker Bobby Wagner. “You see he’s special, some of the plays he had where he’s running full speed and stops on a dime and lets the defender go past. You knew you were going to have your hands full containing him. We saw firsthand.”
Defensive end Jadeveon Clowney likened Jackson’s play to Michael Vick’s.
“I always wanted to play against Michael Vick,” Clowney said. “I guess I got the new era with Lamar Jackson. He did his thing today.”
Russell Wilson weighed in on Jackson’s performance.
“He’s really special out there,” said Wilson. “He’s had a great season, he’s been playing great and I always loved watching him in college and talked to him after the game, so he’s a tremendous football player.”
Coming from a tremendous football player himself, I’d say we can trust Wilson’s assessment.
-By: Jonny Hart