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For the first time since 2019, the Baltimore Ravens have won back-to-back division titles. They finished the regular season with a 12-5 record, making them the third seed in the AFC. They will host the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Wild Card round.
The Ravens began the season with two losses, one to the Chiefs and the other to the Raiders. Only a handful of teams have made the playoffs after an 0-2 start. While making the playoffs was not impossible, history was not on Baltimore’s side. It was the fifth time in franchise history they started the season 0-2, and the previous four times led to them missing the postseason.
After a slow start, they won their next five games. One of those games was against the Bengals, so they took the top spot in the division. It was not until they suffered an upset loss to the Browns that they fell to the second spot in the division. They bounced back by winning their next two games, but a loss to the Steelers gave them their second loss within the division. At the time, the loss was huge because there was a chance they would be a Wild Card team and go on the road for the postseason.
Just before their bye week, the Ravens lost to the Eagles. Not only was that their fifth loss of the season, but it was just the second time in Lamar Jackson’s career that he lost to an NFC opponent. It felt more and more likely that they would not be the AFC North division champs. But Jackson made it clear that he was not going to let the loss get to him.
Him and the team were locked in and ready to get back in the winning column. Coming out of the bye, they faced a stretch where they had three games in ten days. The first game was against the Giants, and they won in dominant fashion. The next game was against the Steelers, which had major implications in the division.
For the first time since 2019 when Lamar Jackson became the starter, they defeated the Steelers. Their final game was against the Texans, and they won in dominant fashion. They ended the season with a win over the Browns, giving them four straight wins. Meanwhile, the Steelers lost four straight so Baltimore jumped ahead to clinch the division.
Action Jackson
Lamar Jackson finished the season with 4,172 passing yards (career-high), 915 rushing yards, 41 passing TDs (career-high), four rushing TDs, and four interceptions. He also finished the regular season with a league-leading 119.6 passer rating, which is not only a career-high but also the four best passer rating in NFL history.
It was a historic season for Jackson in many ways. He became the all-time leader in rushing yards by a quarterback, surpassing Michael Vick. He became the first player in NFL history to average 8.5 yards per pass and six yards per carry in the same season. He also became the first player with 4,000 passing yards and 800 rushing yards in a season.
He recorded a perfect passing rating against the Broncos, tying him with Ben Roethlisberger for the most in NFL history with four.
In both matchups against the Bengals, he led a comeback in the fourth quarter. In the fourth quarters combined, he threw for five touchdowns and no interceptions. The second matchup in the fourth quarter was the best of his career as he completed 85% of his passes along with three touchdowns to give him a perfect passing rating.
He also had two games this season where he threw for five touchdowns aka “Jackson 5.” He did it against the Buccaneers and Giants. Not only did he have five touchdowns over the Giants, but he had just four incompletions. That made him become the first quarterback to throw for over 250 yards, five passing TDs, 80% or higher completion rate, over 50 rushing yards and no picks in one game.
For much of the season, he was the frontrunner to win his third MVP. But the race has gotten a lot closer as Josh Allen emerged in the second half of the season with some impressive performances against the Rams, 49ers and Lions. The Ravens and Bills met earlier in the season, with the Ravens winning 35-10. The MVP race is shaping to be the closest in recent memory.
Turning Back Time
After eight seasons with the Titans, Derrick Henry signed with the Ravens on a two-year deal. He almost got traded to the Ravens last year at the trade deadline, but it did not go through. One of the best running backs in the league paired with a dual-threat quarterback was a match made in heaven.
Henry finished the season with 1,921 rushing yards, 16 rushing TDs, and a career-high 5.9 yards per carry. He tied with James Cook and Jahmyr Gibbs for the most rushing TDs. He became the first player in NFL history with 1,500+ rushing yards and 15+ rushing TDs in multiple seasons.
In the first matchup against the Bengals, he set two milestones. He rushed for his 100th career touchdown, and later reached 10,000 career rushing yards. He is the only active player with at least 10,000 career yards, putting him in elite company. He is tied with Jim Brown for the fifth most rushing touchdowns in NFL history with 106.
Just last week, he turned 31 years old. And yet, he is showing zero signs of slowing. It is not often that a running back in their thirties is as productive as Henry is. This season showed that the position is just as valued as the quarterback and wide receiver position.
Photo Courtesy: @NFL/X