BALTIMORE — There were some loud groans at M&T Bank Stadium on Sunday when Lamar Jackson tossed a pass right to a Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker and fumbled once again.
There were also collective gasps when the Baltimore Ravens‘ rookie quarterback somehow eluded the pass rush in the pocket and broke for a 20-yard run.
Electric and erratic, Jackson has proved consistency in one area — victories. Jackson’s winning touch lifted Baltimore to a 20-12 win over the Buccaneers.
Now 4-1 as a starter, Jackson helped the Ravens (8-6) keep hold of the No. 6 seed in the AFC, putting them in position to take over first place in the AFC North if the Pittsburgh Steelers lose to the New England Patriots later on Sunday.
Despite coughing up the ball and making some off-target throws, Jackson at times takes over the game with his legs and continues to make progress with his arm. Four days after being named the starter over a now-healthy Joe Flacco, Jackson ran for 95 yards (he went over 100 through three quarters before being dropped for a loss) and completed 14 of 23 passes for 131 yards.
Jackson’s 226 total yards were nearly as much as Tampa Bay’s entire offense (241).
It’s never pretty. It’s never smooth. But Jackson repeatedly responds at the most critical moments and puts together time-eating drives. Three of his scoring series had double-digit plays: 16, 10 and 15.
After his ninth fumble of the season led to a Tampa Bay touchdown, Jackson led Baltimore on a 16-play, 73-yard drive that took eight minutes off the clock and put the Ravens ahead 7-6 on a 5-yard shovel pass to Chris Moore.
Jackson’s most decisive drive came after halftime. On the opening drive of the second half, Jackson thew a 17-yard pass to Mark Andrews on third-and-7 and ran for 22 yards to convert on second-and-16. That extended the Ravens’ lead to 17-9, and Baltimore closed out the game after that.
One criticism is that Jackson and the Ravens have taken advantage of some of the worst defenses in the NFL. That changes next Sunday, when the Ravens play at the Los Angeles Chargers in a game that is full of playoff ramifications.