The Baltimore Ravens (12-2) ravished the New York Jets (5-9), 42-21, on Thursday Night Football. Lamar Jackson threw five touchdowns against the Jets, and broke Michael Vick’s record for most rushing yards by a quarterback in a single season.
Jackson, the runaway candidate for league MVP, came into the Jets game trailing Vick by only 17 yards. He secured the new record with a five-yard scamper in the red zone. Jackson finished the game with 86 yards on the ground.
“It’s pretty cool,” said Jackson. “He’s my favorite player growing up. It’s amazing. I’m going to cherish that forever, and just got to keep it going. It’s an honor for me to do it.”
Lamar Jackson Stats – NY Jets (12/12/19)
Passing Yards: 212
Attempts: 15-for-23
Touchdowns: 5
Interceptions: 0
Rushing Yards: 86
Jackson threw five touchdowns for the third time this season. Over his last four games, Jackson tossed 14 touchdowns and only one interception.
The Ravens jumped out to a 13-0 lead and never looked back on their way to their 10th consecutive victory.
The Jets did their best to keep up, but were unable to stop the Lamar Jackson Show, and the Ravens’ highest-scoring offense in the league. Ghostbuster Sam Darnold finished the game 18-for-32 for 218 yards and two touchdowns. Darnold connected with Jamison Crowder for six passes, including two touchdown strikes. Le’Veon Bell rushed for 87 yards on 21 carries after he missed Week 14’s game with the flu.
The Hype Man and L-Freaky
Mark Ingram joined the Ravens in the offseason, but he’s become a vocal leader in the clubhouse, considering it’s only his first year in Baltimore. Ingram has become Jackson’s “hype man” because the humble Jackson is too shy to talk about his remarkable abilities.
“He’s special,” said Ingram. “He is the MVP. He’s great. He does everything necessary to be a great QB. Puts it all on the line for his teammates. Humble. We’re blessed and we’re thankful. We’re happy for him.”
In one of the funnier moments of the season, Ingram took over reporting duties during a postgame interview. Erin Andrews from Fox Sports handed off her microphone to Ingram, who then pegged Jackson with questions.
"Hell yeah! I mean heck yeah!"
STOP EVERYTHING YOU ARE DOING AND WATCH THIS POSTGAME INTERVIEW NOW.@Ravens | @ErinAndrews | @Lj_era8 | @markingram21 pic.twitter.com/z6L0IAZTka
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) December 13, 2019
Ingram rushed for 76 yards on only 13 caries, including a touchdown. He also caught one of Jackson’s five touchdown passes.
Passing the Torch: Lamar Jackson > Michael Vick
At the peak of his career, Michael Vick was one of the most explosive runners in NFL history. Vick originally set the QB rushing record back in 2006 with 1,019 yards in a season, eclipsing a record that Bobby Douglass set in 1972.
After the Ravens and Jets game, Vick offered his thoughts on social media.
“Congratulations on breaking the record,” said Vick in a personalized video to Jackson. “All records are made to be broke, but I didn’t know it would happen in less than 12 years. You are a blessed individual and a great player. Keep chasing all those records and the record books.”
Vick currently owns the all-time QB rushing record with 6,109 yards. If Jackson remains healthy, that record is well within reach, much to Vick’s chagrin.
One legend to another.@MichaelVick congratulates @Ravens QB @Lj_era8 for breaking his single-season rushing record pic.twitter.com/vTrYqulStw
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) December 13, 2019
“But, don’t break all my records!” Vick joked.
The Baltimore Ravens are currently 5/2 odds to win the 2020 Super Bowl.
