ExtremeRavens Posted December 31, 2023 Posted December 31, 2023 The last two times December gave way to January, the Ravens were limping, and so was their quarterback. Injuries to Lamar Jackson hampered Baltimore down the stretch in 2021 and 2022, and his absences raised questions about whether he’s worthy of elite quarterback status and the money that comes with it. This time, as the calendar flips, so have those narratives. With a healthy Jackson at the helm, the Ravens are surging into the new year as perhaps the NFL’s best team. Their convincing 56-19 win over the Dolphins on Sunday clinched a division title and the AFC’s No. 1 seed for Baltimore (13-3), which will have a first-round bye and home-field advantage through the conference championship. After leading the Ravens to victory over the 49ers on Christmas, Jackson became the betting favorite to win the NFL’s Most Valuable Player Award. Sports talk shows throughout the past week questioned whether Jackson — with his unique style of play — is deserving of the honor. He proved Sunday that he is. In his best passing performance of the season, Jackson threw a season-high five touchdown passes with a perfect 158.3 passer rating, solidifying his case to win his second MVP award. After each score, Baltimore fans at M&T Bank Stadium chanted “M-V-P” for their star quarterback who is 58-19 in the regular season since taking over as the starter midway through the 2018 season. The AFC North title is the Ravens’ third in the Jackson era, fifth under coach John Harbaugh and seventh in team history. They’ve done so this year before their Week 18 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers — one in which Jackson and other starters could rest to prepare for a playoff run. Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers reacts after a touchdown reception against the Miami Dolphins during the second quarter of an AFC matchup of NFL football in Baltimore Sunday Dec. 31, 2023. (Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun Staff)Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers, #4, cuts behind a stumbling Miami Dolphins cornerback Eli Apple to score a touchdown during the second quarter of an AFC matchup of NFL football in Baltimore Sunday Dec. 31, 2023. (Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun Staff)Baltimore Ravens inside linebacker Roquan Smith returns an interception past Miami Dolphins running back Jeff Wilson Jr., #23, and wide receiver Braxton Berrios during the second quarter of an AFC matchup of NFL football in Baltimore Sunday Dec. 31, 2023. (Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun Staff)Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., #3, hauls down a pass just yards from the end zone as Miami Dolphins cornerback Kader Kohou defends during the second quarter of an AFC matchup of NFL football in Baltimore Sunday Dec. 31, 2023. (Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun Staff)Baltimore Ravens inside linebacker Patrick Queen, #6, watches inside linebacker Roquan Smith haul in an interception of a Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa pass during the second quarter of an AFC matchup of NFL football in Baltimore Sunday Dec. 31, 2023. (Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun Staff)Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., #3, hauls down a pass just yards from the end zone as Miami Dolphins cornerback Kader Kohou defends during the second quarter of an AFC matchup of NFL football in Baltimore Sunday Dec. 31, 2023. (Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun Staff)Baltimore Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely, #80, dives to the pylon, scoring a touchdown in front of Miami Dolphins safety DeShon Elliott (21) during the second quarter of an AFC matchup of NFL football in Baltimore Sunday Dec. 31, 2023. (Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun Staff)Baltimore Ravens Isaiah Likely dives into the end zone dragging Miami Dolphins DeShon Elliott for a touchdown in the second quarter at M&T Bank Stadium. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff photo)Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson throws a touchdown pass in the first quarter Sunday against the Dolphins. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff)The Baltimore Ravens wide receiver ..Rashod Bateman dives for a pass but was unable to make a catch in the first quarter against the Miami Dolphins at M&T Bank Stadium. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff photo)The Baltimore Ravensxe2x80x99 Justice Hill catches a touchdown pass in the first quarter against the Miami Dolphins at M&T Bank Stadium. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff photo)Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, #8, scrambles for yardage as Miami Dolphins linebacker Duke Riley (45) pursues during the second quarter of an AFC matchup of NFL football in Baltimore Sunday Dec. 31, 2023. (Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun Staff)The Baltimore Ravensxe2x80x99 Justice Hill catches a touchdown pass in the first quarter against the Miami Dolphins at M&T Bank Stadium. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff photo)Ravens running back Justice Hill catches a touchdown pass in the first quarter Sunday against the Dolphins at M&T Bank Stadium (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff)The Baltimore Ravens\xe2\x80\x99 Justice Hill catches a touchdown pass in the first quarter against the Miami Dolphins at M&T Bank Stadium. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff photo)The Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Mike MacDonald is with Roquan Smith before a game against the Miami Dolphins at M&T Bank Stadium. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff photo)The Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken is on the field before a game against the Miami Dolphins at M&T Bank Stadium. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff photo)The Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Mike MacDonald looks on before a game against the Miami Dolphins at M&T Bank Stadium. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff photo)The Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh runs on the field before a game against the Miami Dolphins at M&T Bank Stadium. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff photo)The Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson warms up before a game against the Miami Dolphins at M&T Bank Stadium. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff photo)The Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson warms up before a game against the Miami Dolphins at M&T Bank Stadium. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff photo)The Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson warms up before a game against the Miami Dolphins at M&T Bank Stadium. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff photo)Eric DeCosta, executive vice president and general manager of the Baltimore Ravens during pregame for an AFC matchup of NFL football against the Miami Dolphins in Baltimore Sunday Dec. 31, 2023. (Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun Staff)Still unable to play because of an injury, Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews chats with fullback Patrick Ricard during pregame for an AFC matchup of NFL football against the Miami Dolphins in Baltimore Sunday Dec. 31, 2023. (Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun Staff)Nursing an injury, Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews watches pregame for an AFC matchup of NFL football against the Miami Dolphins in Baltimore Sunday Dec. 31, 2023. (Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun Staff)Baltimore Ravens fans shout for quarterback Lamar Jackson who enters to practice during pregame for an AFC matchup of NFL football against the Miami Dolphins in Baltimore Sunday Dec. 31, 2023. (Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun Staff)Baltimore Ravens punter Jordan Stout poses for fans during pregame for an AFC matchup of NFL football against the Miami Dolphins in Baltimore Sunday Dec. 31, 2023. (Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun Staff)Former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice seen during player introductions before an NFL football game between the Cleveland Browns and the Ravens, Sunday, Oct. 23, 2022, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)Show Caption of Expand As elating as Sunday’s victory was, the Ravens and Jackson have been here before. In 2019, Baltimore entered the postseason as the AFC’s top seed on a 12-game winning streak, and Jackson was on the verge of being a unanimous MVP. None of that mattered, though, when they fell flat in the divisional round to the Tennessee Titans. “We know what it was in 2019 when we were playing against [teams] like this [and] winning regular-season games,” Jackson said after the win over the 49ers last week. “When the time came, we didn’t finish the season. We’re just going to keep taking it a day at a time, a practice at a time and a game at a time. That’s all I’m focused on right now.” On Christmas, the Ravens stymied quarterback Brock Purdy and the 49ers offense in a convincing win over the NFC’s best team. In a similar offense led by Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel, a protege of San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan, Tagovailoa didn’t have the same difficulty early in the game against a Ravens defense without injured safety Kyle Hamilton and cornerback Brandon Stephens. Tagovailoa, who entered with the opportunity to usurp Jackson as the MVP front-runner, easily matriculated the ball downfield on the opening drive with the help of running back De’Von Achane, starting in place of the injured Raheem Mostert, for a 75-yard drive that ended in an 8-yard touchdown pass from the former Alabama standout to wideout Cedrick Wilson Jr. on third down. The start to Baltimore’s first offensive drive wasn’t as smooth. Jackson and wideout Rashod Bateman couldn’t connect on a wide-open deep pass, and a big gain to running back Justice Hill on a wheel route was called back by a penalty. But Hill extended the drive by taking a screen 18 yards to convert on third-and-16. Hill then scored his fourth touchdown of the season — and first receiving score of his four-year career — on the same wheel route that was penalized earlier in the drive, catching Jackson’s accurate throw for a 20-yard score. The Dolphins easily drove inside Baltimore’s 10-yard line on their next drive, but Tyreek Hill, an MVP candidate who is chasing a 2,000-yard season, dropped a wide-open touchdown in the end zone, forcing Miami (11-5) to settle for a short field goal from Jason Sanders. Sanders kicked another field goal in the second quarter, but those points were the only Miami could muster until the fourth. Without Stephens, Hamilton and cornerback Marlon Humphrey, who exited in the first half with a calf injury, the Ravens bent but didn’t break against a Miami offense that entered leading the NFL in points and yards. The depleted secondary held Hill to 76 yards on six receptions. The Ravens took their first lead — one they never relinquished — midway through the second quarter on a 1-yard rushing score from Gus Edwards. The plunge was set up by a majestic throw and catch from Jackson to Odell Beckham Jr., who corralled an off-balanced throw from his quarterback down the sideline for a 33-yard gain. It wasn’t quite his signature one-handed grab back in 2014 with the Giants, but his teammates would later show off their own ability in that regard. After Sanders’ second field goal, Jackson needed just one play for his response, hitting Zay Flowers down the sideline and watching the rookie wideout evade two defenders for a 75-yard touchdown. Ravens coach John Harbaugh holds The Baltimore Sun newspaper with the headline “AFC’S BEST” after Baltimore’s 56-19 win over the Dolphins on Sunday clinched the No. 1 seed. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff) Linebacker Roquan Smith then picked off Tagovailoa — the first of two, as Geno Stone caught his seventh interception in the third quarter — to give Jackson and company another opportunity to score before halftime. It appeared they would have to settle for a field goal, but Harbaugh trusted his 26-year-old signal-caller to convert a fourth-and-7 at the 35 instead of sending kicker Justin Tucker out for a 53-yard field goal attempt. Harbaugh’s faith was correctly placed, as Isaiah Likely hauled in a pass from Jackson with one hand and raced into the end zone, giving the Ravens a 28-13 lead at halftime. The Ravens didn’t take their foot off the gas pedal in the second half, as Hill returned the opening kickoff 78 yards to set up another Jackson-to-Likely touchdown pass. After a 1-yard touchdown pass from Tagovailoa to Achane early in the fourth, Jackson responded with his fifth touchdown of the afternoon, hitting fullback Patrick Ricard on a 4-yard floater in the end zone. Backup running back Melvin Gordon and No. 2 tight end Charlie Kolar both scored touchdowns in the final five minutes as the Ravens continued to pour in the points. Gordon’s was his first of the season, while Kolar’s was the first of his career. Their 56 points are the second most in franchise history, behind only the 59 points Jackson and the Ravens scored in the 2019 season opener against Miami. Jackson celebrated more after the final score — a 19-yard pass from backup quarterback Tyler Huntley to Kolar — than after any of his own touchdowns. He danced up and down the sideline with Flowers in jubilation for his friend and teammate. The final two minutes consisted of hugs and high-fives on the Ravens’ sideline. Each time Jackson appeared on the video board, the crowd at M&T Bank Stadium let him and the football world know what they think of him. “M-V-P,” Ravens fans repeatedly chanted. This story will be updated. Week 18 Steelers at Ravens Sunday, TBA TV: TBA Radio: 97.9 FM, 101.5 FM, 1090 AM View the full article Quote
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