Lamar Jackson admittedly didn’t play his best against the Chargers.
But it was still good enough for a decisive 34-6 victory.
Jackson completed 19 of 27 passes for 167 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. He also ran for 51 yards on eight carries.
After the game, Jackson was more subdued than usual.
“It’s a lot of season left,” he said. “We just want to keep winning. Just keep it a game at a time. That’s all.”
Jackson was still a key performer and outplayed his younger counterpart, Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert.
With the win, Jackson surpassed former Dolphin Dan Marino for the most wins by a quarterback before their 25th birthday in NFL history (35).
“It’s pretty cool. I don’t know what to say after that. It’s cool,” he said about the record.
One more look back before we look ahead! pic.twitter.com/rVnwYBrxi4
— Tony Lombardi (@RSRLombardi) October 17, 2021
The Chargers have the league’s worst run defense and the Ravens exploited this weakness. Baltimore pounded the ball up the middle and found space to run outside, finishing with 187 yards on 38 carries. Latavius Murray was especially dominant with his physical, downhill running style. He had 44 yards on nine carries, including a 14-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, before leaving with an ankle injury. Le’Veon Bell was solid and ran for 18 yards with a touchdown.
Devonta Freeman had his best game, finishing with 53 yards and a score.
“Every game is the most important game,” Freeman said. “The next game is always the most important game for me. [I’m] always excited and happy to be out there and get the chance to compete. When we get a chance to win as a whole, that’s the most important thing, because that’s the main goal – just try to get a win.”
The Ravens’ defense had a dominant performance, even better than they played in Denver in Week 4. The Ravens limited the Chargers’ explosive plays and kept quarterback Justin Herbert off-balance. Baltimore also did a solid job tackling. Herbert was 22 of 39 for 195 yards with a touchdown and interception. The Chargers managed just 26 yards on the ground.
“It was a lot of looks that we didn’t see on film and stuff they constructed for us,” Herbert said. “They did a great job at disguising their looks; bringing pressure from one way and hiding from another. It was looks they hadn’t shown all season and stuff that you know we have to be better at to adjust to during the game. But, you know, they played a great game.”
Safety DeShon Elliott missed the past two games with a quad injury, but he came back with a vengeance. He had three tackles, one sack, two quarterback hits, two passes defensed, and an interception. His presence is a huge boost to the secondary.
“We have a great team – offensively and defensively,” Elliott said. ‘When we play together, when we play as a band of brothers, we can be a very great team. Because that team over there is a great team – a great offense, great defense. I just feel like on this day, it’s ‘Any Given Sunday,’ and we were the better team today.”
The Ravens improved to 5-1 and in first place of the AFC North. The Ravens have their first divisional game against the Bengals next week at M&T Bank Stadium.
