“JACKSONED”

By Mark Halpern

If you were a Lions fan and missed Sunday’s Lions vs Ravens game, you didn’t miss much, as by the end of the first half, this game was all over for Detroit. Let’s be fair. By the end of the first quarter, the Lions were back in the den.

   What is an impossible task for many teams is stopping or controlling star Quarterback Lamar Jackson. Since coming to the NFL at the end of the first round by the Ravens, Jackson was the steal. Jackson has been controlled by so few teams because, in recent years, you could stop him if you shut down the run game (which was him). Now, with receivers Beckham Jr, Zay Flowers, and Mark Andrews on this team, his passing accuracy has gotten so much better over the last two years that running is the only trick the Ravens had. In the first quarter, Jackson not only ran one in from 7 yards, he completed a 12-yard touchdown pass to veteran Nelson Agholor, giving him 2 TDs (1 pass, one run) just in the first quarter. In the second quarter, he hit Andrews for an 11-yard score. Then, after that, it was time to let others in on the fun, and Gus Edwards ran a short one in, which made it 28-0 at the half (Jackson 2 pass one rush TD). In the third, the Ravens let Jackson get back to work and hit Andrews from 11 yards out, giving him four total TDs on the day. Overall, Jackson was 31-37 for 353 yards, three TDs, and nine rushes for 36 yards and 1 TD. The Ravens’ Defense was in a good position and could play layback football. They stopped hot QB Jared Goff from having a TD pass but intercepted him and sacked him five times.

   What went well for the Lions wasn’t much, but if anything, rookie running back Jahmyr Gibbs had a great day with 11 carries for 68 yards and a TD but chipped in 9 receptions for 58 yards and the only other real offensive note for the Lions was the 12 receptions 102-yard day that St. Brown had. The Lions’ defense had their hands full from the moment the Ravens had the ball, and with the day that Jackson had, there was only one word, and the Lions had been “Jacksoned.”