Baltimore Ravens: Week 1 Recap- Lamar Jackson has a record-breaking day
Sep 8, 2019; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) celebrates after throwing a touchdown pass against the Miami Dolphins during the first half at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports ORG XMIT: USATSI-403163 ORIG FILE ID: 20190908_gma_su8_072.jpg
The Ravens rout the Dolphins 59-10 in Miami, as Lamar Jackson broke records for Baltimore along with Marquise Brown, who had a great rookie debut.
Overall, the offense and defense dominated in almost all aspects of the game but offensively, it was a special week one debut for Lamar Jackson as the full-time starter. Lamar had a perfect passer rating at 158.3 and a completion percentage of 85%, as he was 17/20 for 324 yards and threw five touchdowns. The surprising thing is he only had three carries for six yards, as the passing game came alive in this game.
The 22-year-old quarterback from Louisville had 6 touchdown passes last year and almost surpassed that in this game. The connection with Mark Andrews (8 catches for 108 yards and a touchdown) looks promising as he is already becoming a key piece within the Jackson led offense. With too many personal and team accolades to list in his incredible performance that broke some records, Jackson made his mark to start of the 2019 NFL season.
The offseason acquisitions for Baltimore look promising after their debuts.
The biggest additions to the team after last season were Mark Ingram, Earl Thomas, and rookie Marquise “Hollywood” Brown. They all contributed in their week one victory in a big way as both Ingram and Hollywood made the offense lethal. Ingram punished the Miami run defense as he had 14 carries for 107 rushing yards and two touchdowns in his debut as a Raven. Hollywood smoked the Dolphins secondary with four catches for 147 yards receiving and two touchdowns as well. Rookie Miles Boykin, Mark Andrews (mentioned earlier), Willie Snead, and Patrick Ricard all contributed with a touchdown each of their own; as Jackson spread it around to different weapons the Ravens surrounded him with this offseason.
Earl Thomas, on the other hand, had his first interception for Baltimore as the secondary did lose Jimmy Smith to a knee injury that is not season-ending. The defense overall was solid throughout the game and got after the Dolphins quarterbacks (Ryan Fitzpatrick and Josh Rosen) early and often with Matt Judon and Pernell McPhee (who both got one sack each). Patrick “Peanut” Onwuasor was flying around as the starting inside linebacker (had a sack and led the Ravens in tackles with five) and Marlon Humphrey had an interception late in the game, as he is one of the better-emerging cornerbacks in the NFL. Special teams was also a factor as Justin Bethel recovered a fumble while Anthony Levine had a huge run (60 yards) on a fake punt that resulted in a scoring drive.
The 1-0 Baltimore Ravens face the 0-0-1 Arizona Cardinals at M&T Bank Stadium, as rookie Kyler Murray will try to get their first win with new head coach Kliff Kingsbury.
Write about all things football; including the Baltimore Ravens (my favorite team), College Football, the NFL Draft, and other football related content.
