Here are 3 reasons the Ravens are Super Bowl contenders based on what they did against the Seattle Seahawks:
This victory against a very good Seattle Seahawks team answered plenty of questions and silenced a lot of doubters. Traveling across the country and facing an MVP quarterback in Russell Wilson is usually enough for an opposing team to lose some sleep in preparation for a tough game. These Ravens, however, seemed as if they were expecting a victory as soon as the team plane touched down in rainy Seattle. The offense, lead by phenom Lamar Jackson, was a force to be reckoned with. The biggest surprise, perhaps, was the outstanding performance put on by the injury depleted Baltimore defense. The Ravens take pride in their “bully ball” mentality, and that was evident during this statement victory.
Lamar Jackson had the team on his back:
Lamar Jackson has been proving doubters wrong every Sunday afternoon since he was drafted with the final pick of the first round in the 2018 draft. He is leading the charge for this new generation of quarterbacks with his game-breaking speed along with his powerful arm and wise decision making. This game was no different Jackson, he was without a doubt the best player on the field while playing against this extremely solid Seahawks team. His ability to scramble and make something huge out of a dead play is something the NFL has never truly witnessed before. Jackson is putting up historic numbers both on the ground and through the air so far this season, seemingly setting records every week.
The stats are all there, but the individual glory is irrelevant to Lamar Jackson. He says all he cares about is winning and his attitude on and off the field only proves that. To add to Jackson’s remarkable performance; Mark Andrews (Lamar’s favorite target) had a very off game with a handful of dropped passes. Thankfully, Tight End Hayden Hurst showed up on a big third down conversion where Lamar was running out of both room on the field and receiving options. Otherwise, this victory seemed to come at the hands (and legs) of our young franchise quarterback.
Lamar has the confidence in himself to beat anyone in the league in a one on one situation. This was put on display late in the third quarter when he picked up a big 12 yard gain with his legs on third down only to be short two yards. Coach Harbaugh initially brought out Justin Tucker for the quick three points, but Harbaugh called timeout after Lamar Jackson convinced him that he could pick up the first down. Lamar went out on fourth and two deep in the red zone and took the ball himself into the end zone, right through the Seattle defense, for the lead. This is the kind of football that puts the league on notice. Which it indeed did, with the video surfacing of the interaction between coach Harbaugh and Lamar Jackson going viral. Listen for the excitement in Marshal Yanda‘s voice as Jackson says he wants to go for it. The 13 year veteran is just following 22 year old Lamar’s lead, and why wouldn’t he?