Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson is such a dynamic runner; he’s often criticized for his passing.
The criticism is ridiculous when you consider he won the MVP in 2019, and he has 106 career touchdowns and just 41 interceptions.
And don’t forget the Ravens have provided few quality weapons for him since they took him with the 32nd pick in 2019.
Jackson dominated Detroit’s defense in a 38-6 win, and he did it with his arm.
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He completed 21 of 27 passes for 357 yards and three touchdowns with a passer rating of 155.8.
It was the fifth 300-yard passing game of his career. The Ravens are 4-1 in those games.
He started fast and never slowed down against a Lions’ unit that ranked seventh in total defense (285.8), first in run defense (64.7), and 9th in points allowed (18.8).
The Ravens scored on drives of 75, 68, 92, and 80 yards to start the game.
“I believe, when you’re playing regular-season games, you should be OK,” Jackson told reporters. “We’re winning. I’m all right with winning, but still, it’s the regular season.
“We made strides for improvement last week and earlier in the season. I believe we did, but it’s just one regular-season game.”
Jackson, who had a seven-yard touchdown run, had 255 yards passing and touchdowns of 12 and 11 yards in the first half as the Ravens took a 28-0 halftime lead.
None of this was lost on Detroit coach Dan Campbell, who praised Jackson lavishly before the game.
“We just didn’t play well. I hate to say it; it’s just one of those games. We could not get out of our own way,” Campbell said. “It’s a credit to those guys. They played outstanding football and rubbed our nose in it.
“You don’t want these to happen, but when it does, it re-centers you, it re-focuses you. Nobody likes to look over there and watch them having a good time because they kicked our (butt). Nobody thinks that’s fun.
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“But I know that motivates me for next week, and it motivates our team. The shame would be if we don’t use this to get better for next week, and it bleeds over to the Raiders. That would be the ultimate shame.”
Surprising Bil Belichick contract news followed by even more stunning win
Word of Bill Belichick getting a new multi-year deal gets out, and the Patriots turn in their best performance of the season.
The win ended a three-game losing streak and gave Belichick his 300th win with a 29-25 win over Buffalo. Belichick is the third coach to win 300 games.
“It’s great,” Belichick said after the game. “I’m really more focused on our team and this year. I’ll worry about that later. Thank you.”
Mac Jones played well, passing for 272 yards and two touchdowns. The Patriots finally started fast.
New England started with a drive for a field goal and then intercepted Josh Allen’s first pass. Then the Patriots drove 45 yards in nine plays for a 14-0 lead.
Jones completed six of seven passes on the game-winning 69-yard drive.
The Patriots led 22-10 with seven minutes left before the Bills scored on consecutive drives sandwiched around a turnover to take a 25-22 lead with 1:49 left.
“It’s just a crumb, right? That’s what I always say,” Jones said about his performance in the win. “And you’ve got to build off that. You’ve got to build off that and attack every day the same.”
Miami’s offensive fireworks flame out on primetime
Can we please stop all the chatter about Miami’s offense and the comparisons to the Greatest Show on Turf?
Right now, they’re not good enough to be in those conversations after getting thumped 31-17 by Philadelphia.
The 1999-2001 Rams put up obscene offensive numbers. More important, they played in two Super Bowls, winning one.
The Dolphins have played two good teams – Buffalo and Philadelphia – and their offense did nothing in those games. Miami’s five wins have come against teams that are a combined 8-25.
“You have to feel what it’s like to play such a good team on the road,” said coach Mike McDaniel. “Your margin for error is small. It’s an important building block along your progression for the season.”
The Eagles limited the Dolphins to 244 yards and one offensive touchdown. Tyreek Hill caught 11 passes but only gained 88 yards with a touchdown.
Tua Tagovailoa passed for 216 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
“The little things matter, and they turn into big things as they build up,” Tagovailoa said after the game.
Another awful showing for Josh McDaniels
Josh McDaniels is a poor head coach.
He wasn’t good in Denver when he went 11-17 before getting fired. Twelve years later, he’s coaching Las Vegas, and he’s still not good.
The Bears, playing without starter Justin Fields, blew out the Raiders 30-12.
Some dude named Tyson Bagent, a Division II All-American at Shepard College last year, started for Chicago.
The undrafted free-agent rookie passed for 162 yards and a touchdown. The Bears led 14-3 at halftime and 21-3 after three quarters.
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Bagent is the first Bears quarterback to win his first start since 2004.
McDaniels’ offense produces little.
Brian Hoyer passed for 129 yards, and Josh Jacobs ran for 35 yards. The Raiders managed just 235 yards and 3.9 per play.
The Raiders have scored more than 18 points once.
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Jacobs, who led the league in rushing last year, averages 2.9 per carry and ranks 20th in rushing.
Davante Adams, who caught seven passes for 57 yards. He is 11th in the league with 528 yards. Last year, he was third with 1,516 yards.
He can’t figure out how to get his best players involved, which is a problem.
A.J. Brown’s unstoppable streaks leads to NFL history
Right now, Philadelphia receiver A.J. Brown is unstoppable.
He caught 10 passes for 137 yards and a touchdown against Miami. It marked his fifth consecutive game with more than 125 yards receiving.
That ties the NFL record shared by Calvin Johnson and Pat Studstill (1960). In 2012, Johnson had games of 129, 207, 143, 140 and 171 yards.
His 14-yard touchdown gave Philadelphia a 24-17 third-quarter lead.
Tyrod Taylor is outperforming Daniel Jones, sparking Giants’ offense
Daniel Jones didn’t play Sunday for the New York Giants.
No worries.
Tyrod Taylor passed for 279 yards and two touchdowns in a 14-7 win over Washington.
The Giants built a 14-0 lead on touchdown passes of 15 and 32 yards.
Quarterback Daniel Jones, who signed a $140 million deal in the offseason, will return soon.
Taylor has managed the team better, but Jones is the future.
“That’s up to coach,” Taylor said. “Obviously, if DJ is healthy, he’s a captain on our team, captain of our team, a leader on the offense, and I am here to support you in any way that I can.”
Myles Garrett delivers another win for Cleveland
Myles Garrett turned in one of the best performances of his career, and the Browns needed all of it to beat Indianapolis, 39-38.
Garrett had two sacks, two forced fumbles, blocked a field goal, and made six tackles – and that was just in the first half.
“Man, 95 is a problem. That’s for sure,” coach P.J. Walker said of Garrett after the game. “You can see them rally around him.
“He makes big plays when the biggest plays need to be made, and that’s big for us.”
Garrett finished with nine tackles, including one for loss, and batted down a pass at the line of scrimmage.
“Who says the next one can’t be even better?” Garrett wondered. “It really was just another day at the office.”
Jean-Jacques Taylor is the NFL Insider for Sportsnaut. Follow him on Twitter. He’s the author of Coach Prime: Deion Sanders and the Making of Men.