Getty Lamar Jackson runs against the Bills.
The Baltimore Ravens get set to play the New York Jets on Thursday Night Football, and while it might not seem like much is on the line, the opposite is true.
This week, the Ravens have a couple of important clinch scenarios to remember as they get set to take on Week 15. First, with a win, the Ravens can clinch the AFC North. Second, with 23 rushing yards, Lamar Jackson can clinch the best rushing season for a quarterback since Michael Vick in 2006.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter outlined what was on the line for the Ravens in this game, and as the tweet shows, there is plenty of reason for Baltimore to bring it for a game against the dreadful Jets.
Ravens can clinch the AFC North with a win tonight against the Jets, and Lamar Jackson can clinch the single-season quarterback rushing record with just 23 yards. Michael Vick rushed for 1,039 yards in 2006, and Jackson is at 1,017 entering tonight’s game against the Jets.
Obviously, the team win is first and foremost for Baltimore, but one would expect Jackson to be able to accomplish the rushing feat fairly early in the game. That will be some incredible history to witness seeing as folks in the NFL haven’t seen a quarterback able to do the things Jackson can do since Vick.
Ravens Making Statements in 2019
Though this certainly doesn’t qualify as a huge game given the record of the opposition, the clinch scenario makes it so. The Ravens have beaten some of the best teams on their schedule this season in order to crack the 11-2 mark. It’s not easy to beat the Seahawks on the road, nor is it easy to beat the 49ers. In addition to those wins, Baltimore has also beaten the New England Patriots, the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Los Angeles Rams and most recently the Buffalo Bills. Those are some of the best of the best thus far this season.
With an impressive body of work as a whole, the Ravens have made statements not only in the fact that they have won, but how they have gotten the job done. The offense has put up points and yards, while the defense has managed to keep the opposition in check as well. That type of two-headed attack only proves how dangerous the Ravens have been and could be the rest of the way. It’s exactly what the Jets will have to deal with this week.
Lamar Jackson’s Statistics
This season, Jackson has been the epitome of a dual threat quarterback and one of the leaders in the next generation of quarterbacks that will make waves in the league. After the action concluded this weekend, Jackson has put up 2,677 passing yards and 28 touchdowns through the air. On the ground, he has rumbled for 1,017 yards and 7 touchdowns. As a whole, the Ravens have managed to find the best of Jackson on the field. Arguably, he’s become the most obvious MVP candidate in the league given these type of things.
Since being drafted out of Louisville, Jackson has begun to rewrite the book in the league in terms of what a quarterback is and can be. These numbers and plays only help to prove that in the end.
Numbers like this are just another reason Jackson is one of the NFL’s most exciting athletes to watch, and more reason fans will be worried about him ahead of another key game against the Jets.
Jackson can set another record and help his team to a potential clinch along the way. Not much more to ask for on a Thursday night.