ATLANTA — There is talk that the Baltimore Ravens will have to make a decision at starting quarterback this week because Joe Flacco will be recovered from a hip injury.
Lamar Jackson might have ended any quarterback controversy in helping the Ravens beat the Atlanta Falcons 26-16 on Sunday.
Once again, Jackson led the offense with his legs and did enough with his arm to keep Baltimore as a favorite for a wild-card spot. He continues to give this team a physical, run-first mentality. He repeatedly delivers a much-needed dose of excitement at the most critical part of the season.
Can the Ravens take the job away from Jackson after he has gone 3-0? If the season ended today, the Ravens (7-5) would have the No. 6 and final playoff spot in the AFC, and Jackson has certainly provided the spark for it.
The drawback with Jackson is the frustrating growing pains. The offense doesn’t run as smoothly as Jackson glides for first downs.
He is prone to turnovers, throwing three interceptions and fumbling once (which got returned 70 yards for a touchdown by the Falcons) in three starts. He struggles with accuracy and overthrows open receivers for big plays, as he did Sunday when John Brown broke free at the Falcons’ 15-yard line.
Flacco is certainly the more polished quarterback right now. Jackson, though, is better-suited for the team at this time.
With Jackson, the Ravens are the most dominant rushing team in the NFL. They take chunks off the clock, which keeps the NFL’s top-ranked defense fresh. Jackson finished 12-of-21 for 125 yards passing and ran 17 times for 75 yards. They’re not scintillating numbers, but they’re winning ones.
Jackson truly staked his claim to the starting job for the rest of the season in the fourth quarter, when he returned after being cleared from the concussion protocol. With Ravens up 16-10, Jackson converted a third down with a 16-yard run and then hit Ty Montgomery on another third-down pickup, which put Baltimore in range for a 47-yard field goal by Justin Tucker.
When Jackson took over as the starter during the bye week, the Ravens had lost three games in a row and were spiraling downward. They couldn’t run the ball and struggled to throw the ball deep.
Jackson came in to beat two of the worst defenses in the NFL — Cincinnati and Oakland — at home. In his first road start, Jackson marched Baltimore down the field on the first drive, capping it with a 13-yard touchdown run. Another box was checked for Jackson.
The popular narrative is the Ravens will have a choice at quarterback heading into next week’s game in Kansas City. But Flacco was not moving around well this past week. He had a noticeable limp.
With Jackson undefeated, Flacco’s recovery might not be an issue. Jackson might have ended the quarterback debate in the city where another running quarterback, Michael Vick, once starred.