The Baltimore Ravens, who were coming into the season after losing star linebacker C.J. Mosley and future Hall-of-Famer Terrell Suggs, did not know what they were going to do without their key players.
The Ravens came into the season with a second-year quarterback: Lamar Jackson. Many analysts were criticizing his abilities and saying he should be a running back or wide receiver.
Even though the Ravens lost many great assets, they still acquired some good free agents and draftees.
The Ravens picked up star free safety Earl Thomas III and running back Mark Ingram in free agency, and the team drafted wide receiver Marquise “Hollywood” Brown in the first round.
The Ravens started off the centennial NFL season with a hot streak, beating the Dolphins 59-10 and the Cardinals 23-17. In the game against the Dolphins, Jackson had a perfect passer rating, passing for five touchdowns and 285 yards by completing 17 passes on 20 attempts.
Jackson created the catchphrase, “not bad for a running back,” in response to is doubters from last season.
After their next two games—losses against the Chiefs and Browns—the Ravens recruited linebackers Josh Bynes and L.J. Fort.
In the Raven’s close fifth game against the Steelers, Jackson threw three interceptions, causing critics to crawl back to him.
Strong safety Tony Jefferson went down with a complete ACL tear, resulting in Chuck Clark being named starting strong safety. This was an excellent decision because Clark has excelled at communicating with the team’s defensive coordinator.
In Week 6, the Ravens beat the 0-5 Bengals 23-17.
After acquiring previous pro bowler and cornerback Marcus Peters, the Ravens were going into a huge test against the Seahawks for Week 7. Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson was the MVP front runner, and the team was 5-1.
But the Ravens shut Wilson down, holding him to only 240 passing yards and under a 50 percent passing rate. Peters had an interception returned for a touchdown and cornerback Marlon Humphrey had a fumble recovery returned for a touchdown to put the game away. The Ravens won 30-16.
By this point, the Ravens had won three games in a row and were heating up. But after coming off a bye, the Ravens had to play the formidable 8-0 New England Patriots.
Jackson had a total of three total touchdowns and led the Ravens on two amazing drives to finish the game 37-20.
The next week, the Ravens dominated the Bengals 49-13. Jackson had his second perfect passer rating of the season and totaled four touchdowns. Jackson’s 47-yard touchdown might have been the NFL play of the year this far into the season.
One week later, the Ravens had to play the 6-3 Houston Texans. Jackson could not be stopped. He led the Ravens to a 41-7 win by throwing four touchdowns.
The next week was a week the Ravens will always remember. They beat the 6-4 Los Angeles Rams. Jackson passed for a career-high five touchdowns to advance the Ravens to 9-2.
The game of the year was during Week 13 when the Ravens faced off against the 10-1 San Francisco 49ers. The game was neck-and-neck until the very end, when Justin Tucker’s 49-yard field goal edged out a win, with a final score of 20-17.
After these wins, Ingram became Jackson’s hype-man, calling him “Big Truss” in after-game interviews.
Jackson is now the clear MVP frontrunner and has been doing it in unbelievable fashion. He is the first quarterback to have a perfect passer rating at least two times in a season and rush for 100 yards in at least four games in a season. He only needs 63 rushing yards this season to break Michael Vick’s record.
The Ravens now have their longest win streak in franchise history after winning eight in a row to advance to 10-2, and they are now the first seed in the American Football Conference.
So far it has been an amazing regular season for the Ravens, and everyone is waiting to see what they have in store for the playoffs.
Article and photo by Andrew Plotnick of Walter Johnson High School