Lamar Jackson’s elusiveness, TD pass gives Ravens cushion

  • Jamison Hensley, ESPN Staff WriterDec 17, 2023, 10:46 PM ET

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    Jamison Hensley is a reporter covering the Baltimore Ravens for ESPN. Jamison joined ESPN in 2011, covering the AFC North before focusing exclusively on the Ravens beginning in 2013. Jamison won the National Sports Media Association Maryland Sportswriter of the Year award in 2018, and he authored a book titled: Flying High: Stories of the Baltimore Ravens. He was the Ravens beat writer for the Baltimore Sun from 2000-2011.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson bounced back from throwing an interception Sunday night to produce the game’s first touchdown just before halftime.

On Baltimore’s final drive of the first half, Jackson hit tight end Isaiah Likely for a 16-yard touchdown to give the Ravens a 10-0 lead over the Jacksonville Jaguars. After getting picked off on the previous possession, Jackson went 6-of-8 for 63 yards as the Ravens converted three third downs.

Jackson flashed his unique elusiveness in the second half to set up the Ravens’ second touchdown, escaping a sack to find Likely with a 26-yard completion to the Jacksonville one. Gus Edwards punched it in from there, and the Ravens led 17-7 early in the fourth.

In what was an unusual first half, Jackson was better throwing deep passes than short ones. On passes of at least 10 yards, he was 5-of-6 with a touchdown. On throws under 10 yards, he’s 6-of-10 with an interception.

Jackson carried Baltimore in the first half, buying time with his pocket presence in the pass game and accounting for most of the production in the run game. He has passed for 134 yards and ran for 30 yards, recording 164 yards of total offense.

Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence, meanwhile, lost a fumble at the Baltimore 23 and failed to spike the ball at the Ravens’ 5-yard line as time ran out in the half. Lawrence threw a short pass with no timeouts and time ran out.

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