Lamar Jackson is wasting no time reminding the NFL why his name belongs in the top tier of quarterbacks.
With Baltimore sitting at 2-1 entering its Week 4 home matchup against the Tennessee Titans, Jackson has already stacked together the kind of early-season production that turns heads. The Ravens missed the playoffs last year, and that made this start feel even more important. Now it’s on Jackson and the team’s new head coach Jesse Minter to push this group back into the postseason and beyond.
That momentum is showing up in the numbers, and it showed up in a big way against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 3. Garrett Podell of CBS Sports described Jackson’s performance this way: "Lamar Jackson was nearly perfect throwing the football in the Baltimore Ravens' 34-31 victory over the Dallas Cowboys in Week 3, completing 15 of his 20 throws for 186 yards and two touchdowns while also adding 50 rushing yards," he notes in the piece. "He needed just six seconds to get Baltimore in position for a game-winning, 56-yard field goal after hitting Zay Flowers for a 27-yard gain on the first play of the game's final drive."
That outing helped strengthen the case that Jackson is playing like an MVP-caliber quarterback again. In Podell’s ranking of NFL quarterbacks, Jackson comes in at No. 3, behind only Patrick Mahomes and Brock Purdy.
He’s also placed ahead of Josh Allen, who is No. 4.
The stat line backs up the ranking. According to Podell, "Jackson is fourth in the league in passer rating at 113.1, third in the league in EPA per dropback and he leads the NFL in yards per pass attempt at 9.8." It’s the kind of start that puts Jackson right back in the conversation as one of the league’s best.
In Other News...
Ravens Got An Encouraging First Look At Lamar Jacksons Blind Side
The Ravens left Brazil with more than a win over the Cowboys. They also got their first extended look at Carson Vinson protecting Lamar Jacksons blind side in a starting role at left tackle, a spot that has been under plenty of scrutiny as Baltimore sorts through its options up front. Vinson showed enough to make the outing noteworthy, handling the assignment with a mix of encouraging moments and the kind of growing pains that come with a first NFL start.
Baltimore also saw other linemen and front-seven pieces make their case. Zion Young showed up in the run game and as a pass-rush presence, flashing the kind of quickness and physicality that suggest there is more to come. Calais Campbell, meanwhile, kept doing what he has done for years, turning in another effective performance in his 19th NFL season and reinforcing the idea that the Ravens still have dependable veteran production in the mix. [Read more 🡒]
Lamar Jacksons New Approach Could Calm Ravens Fans Biggest Fear
Lamar Jacksons message after the Ravens Week 3 win over Dallas landed because it went beyond the usual victory lap. He made a point of praising his teammates and acknowledging the issues Baltimore has had closing out games, a reminder that the new coaching staff under Jesse Minter is trying to reshape more than just the playbook. For a team that has lived with late-game anxiety, the tone from its quarterback mattered almost as much as the result.
Jackson revisited the subject in a later press conference, stressing why the message was important to him and to the room. For Ravens fans, the bigger question is whether the shift in leadership can finally translate into cleaner finishes when the margin gets tight in the fourth quarter. The words were encouraging, but Baltimore still has to prove the habit has changed. [Read more 🡒]
Ravens 2-1 Start Is Hiding Pressure They Cant Ignore
A 2-1 start usually buys a little breathing room, but in Baltimore it has done something closer to expose the edges of a team that still looks unfinished. The Ravens are sitting right alongside the rest of the AFC North in the standings, yet the early-season review has been harsher than the record, with September drawing a C+ grade after uneven offense and a defense that has had trouble holding up its end.
The schedule is about to tell a lot more of the story. Tennessee and Atlanta are next, followed by a stretch that includes Cleveland, Cincinnati, Buffalo and Jacksonville, and those games should quickly show whether Baltimore can turn a modest opening into real momentum or keep living with the same questions that have already followed them through the first month. [Read more 🡒]