Grading Lamar Jackson’s Week 1 performance for the Ravens
With most of the talk surrounding the Baltimore Ravens this offseason being about Lamar Jackson’s contract, many people didn’t know how that would affect him on the field when the season finally kicked off.
The Ravens’ offense as a whole struggled to get going in the first half of their season opener against the New York Jets.
Jackson and the Ravens offense punted on four of their first five drives, three of which were three and outs. Their first score of the game came at the back of an interception that put the Ravens’ offense in the red zone, but they were made to settle for a field goal.
Jackson completed a beautiful 25-yard touchdown pass to Devin Duverney with almost no separation to end the first half. However, he only had 83 yards passing and six yards rushing over the first two quarters.
The first drive of the second half followed a similar pattern, it ended in a punt. But Lamar Jackson showed that magical ability with his legs that fans have become so used to seeing. A certain sack turned into an eight-yard gain for a first down.
On the next two offensive drives, Jackson and the Ravens appeared to take it up a notch. Jackson was getting the ball out of his hands a lot quicker and started making much better decisions.
The Ravens marched down the field into the red zone and on third down, Jackson stopped up into the pocket to avoid rushers and floated a wonderful 17-yard touchdown pass again to Duverney.
A beautiful 55-yard touchdown bomb to receiver Rashod Bateman on the following drive essentially ended the game.
Overall grade for Lamar Jackson
Grade: B+
Lamar Jackson ended the game with 213 passing yards, three touchdowns, and an interception. He completed 57% of his passes and rushed for just 17 yards on six attempts.
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On a comfortable night for the Ravens, Jackson had a relatively good game, but it took him a while to get going. When he did, however, he looked unstoppable.