The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Jackson uses whole arsenal to top ’Hawks
Whether it was scrambling away from trouble or designed runs to use his speed, there was no stopping Lamar Jackson.
Baltimore’s speedy quarterback ran for 116 yards and a touchdown, made key throws when necessary and led the Ravens to an impressive 30-16 win over the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.
Jackson was the best player on the field, outshining Seattle QB Russell Wilson on a day the Seahawks star had his first off-day of the season. Jackson was especially good in the second half, when he led Baltimore on a pair of crucial scoring drives.
Earl Thomas made his return to Seattle after nine seasons of playing for the Seahawks, but aside from some occasional barking at the sideline of his former team and running off the field twirling Wilson’s jersey over his head after the victory, the former All-Pro safety ceded the spotlight to Jackson.
The second-year quarterback ran for an 8-yard touchdown late in the third quarter on fourth-and-2 to give the Ravens (5-2) the lead. On their next possession and backed up deep in their own end, Jackson made a series of highlight plays to drive Baltimore into scoring position for Justin Tucker’s fourth field goal and a 10-point lead with 3:47 left.
Jackson had a 30-yard run on third-and-8 from the Ravens 12. He scrambled 13 yards for another first down and hit tight end Nick Boyle for a 20-yard completion to get the Ravens inside the Seattle 10. Baltimore went 86 yards in 13 plays and ate 9 minutes off the clock.
And when Wilson finally got the ball back in his hands, the Ravens quickly stretched the lead to 17. DK Metcalf fumbled Wilson’s first pass, and Marlon Humphrey returned it 18 yards for a touchdown, the second defensive TD of the game by Baltimore.
Jackson completed just 9 of 20 passes for 143 yards on a cold, wet day in the Pacific Northwest. He was hampered by several drops and could have had an even more dynamic performance running if not for footing problems on the wet turf.
While Jackson was great, he was helped by a defense that held Seattle to three points in the second half and capitalized on two turnovers.
Wilson was nearly flawless for the first six games but struggled to find open receivers against Baltimore’s physical secondary. He was 20 of 41 passing for 241 yards and an 8-yard TD in the first quarter to Tyler Lockett.
Rams 37, Falcons 10: Jared Goff threw for two touchdowns and ran for another, and Los Angeles beat reeling Atlanta. The Falcons suffered their fifth straight loss and had quarterback Matt Ryan leave the game with an ankle injury. Ryan’s right leg bent awkwardly as he was sacked by Aaron Donald and fumbled early in the fourth quarter.
Jaguars 27, Bengals 17: Gardner Minshew led a fourth-quarter TD drive that put Jacksonville ahead to stay, and Yannick Ngakoue returned an interception 23 yards to clinch a victory over winless Cincinnati. The Jaguars managed only field goals until their rookie quarterback and their depleted defense made game-turning plays at the end.
Vikings 42, Lions 30: Kirk Cousins was 24 of 34 for a season-high 337 yards and led Minnesota on four straight TD drives, going ahead for the first time on a 5-yard pass to C.J. Ham to make it 28-21. Cousins threw for a fourth TD for the second straight game on a 15-yard pass to Kyle Rudolph to put Minnesota ahead by 11 points with 5:46 to go.
Packers 42, Raiders 24: Aaron Rodgers had his best game by far under new Green Bay coach Matt LaFleur, throwing for 429 yards and five touchdowns and running for another. Rodgers completed 25 of 31 passes to eight different targets and finished with the first perfect passer rating of his career. Colts 30, Texans 23: Jacoby Brissett threw a careerhigh four TD passes and Indianapolis sealed a win over Houston with Darius Leonard’s late interception. Indy has won three straight in the series and took over the lead in the AFC South. Brissett was 26 of 39 with 326 yards in a game the Colts only produced 62 yards rushing.
49ers 9, Redskins 0: Robbie Gould made field goals from 28, 22 and 29 yards to provide the only points in an ugly win by undefeated San Francisco over Washington in steady rain and driving wind. Jimmy Garoppolo bounced back from a dreadful first half to finish 12 of 21 for 151 yards passing. Titans 23, Chargers 20: Jurrell Casey recovered a fumble by Melvin Gordon at the goal line with 15 seconds left, and Tennessee pulled out a victory after a frantic finish. Gordon initially was ruled down shy of the goal line at the 1, the play was reviewed and overturned and the call was a fumble forced by Titans linebacker Wesley Woodyard.
Saints 36, Bears 25: Teddy Bridgewater threw for 281 yards and two touchdowns, and New Orleans improved to 5-0 without injured starter Drew Brees. Bridgewater completed 23 of 38 passes, Michael Thomas had nine receptions for 131 yards, and Latavius Murray ran for 119 yards and two touchdowns.