Lamar Jackson: The hero of the hour, the hero of the Baltimore Ravens 47-42 victory over the Cleveland Browns
Lamar Jackson has done some incredible things in his career though this one takes the cake. This was Jackson’s crown jewel. This was an example that he can do anything he sets his mind to and that he’s never to be counted out.
If you went to bed before the end of that emotional roller coaster of a game you really missed a classic. Jackson went out of the game with cramps. Trace McSorley got hurt on fourth down in the last chance the Ravens had. Lamar Jackson came running back onto the field.
Jackson had a chance to be the hero, he delivered. Jackson rolled out; everyone on TV and everyone in the stadium thought he was going to run the ball. Jackson instead made an amazing throw to Marquise Brown for a touchdown. Jaw-dropping moments don’t come better.
The Ravens are now a very viable playoff team. They just got past the toughest team left on their schedule and their quarterback is playing more and more to his MVP form. In one moment, it is not being overdramatic to say that Jackson made everything possible for his team. He didn’t just save the purple and black, he gave them victory.
This was one of the most memorable, and certainly one of the most dramatic moments in the history of the franchise. It was one of the most compelling moments ever on Monday Night Football for that matter. Cramps of all things took Jackson out of the game. If he hadn’t returned just in the perfect moment, the Ravens are looking at a big fat L.
Jackson didn’t stop there. After the go-ahead touchdown and two-point conversion, the Browns tied up the game. Jackson had to lead the Ravens down the field to set up the game-winning field goal. Jackson got the job done, fully in command.
Jackson made this entire game possible. He was 11-17 passing for 162 yards and that all-important touchdown. He also had nine rushing attempts for 124 yards and two touchdowns. The Ravens had 384 total yards and Jackson is responsible for 286 of them. No wonder he got cramps, he carried the team on his back.
The Baltimore defense gave up 471 yards. Believe it or not, the Browns picked up 33 first downs just in this game. At points in this game, it felt like the defense was hardly even there. Almost nothing was going right for the unit and the Browns had a 22 point fourth quarter. This game showed you how important Jackson can be to the Ravens.
Jackson has had amazing moments, yet this was a critic silencer. Hunting for a playoff spot the Ravens beat a nine-win team. It’s hard for a week 14 game to be bigger than this Monday evening battle was. He can win big games.
Five touchdowns against the Los Angeles Rams was amazing. The spin move against the Bengals is the most fun highlight play anybody has ever produced. You could go on and on, though this is the defining moment. This is the “See! He’s a franchise quarterback!” kind of moment.
Jackson made crucial throws to win this game. The game was a back and forth affair so it wasn’t just Jackson playing with a lead. Everything critics throw at Jackson got disproved on Monday
. He’s a difference-maker and he showed it. He’s a winner and he showed it. He can handle pressure and he proved it emphatically on Monday night.
The bottom line:
Jackson isn’t going to win the NFL MVP award in consecutive years however, he has proven that he is still the MVP as far as Baltimore is concerned. A national audience was just gifted a great lesson on how good number eight is.
That was a dramatic sports moment. It’s hard to overdo it here, that was incredible. Jackson coming back in for fourth down heroics may have been the moment of the 2020 NFL season. It is certainly the moment for the year of the purple and black. Wow. I still can’t believe it! Again, wow!