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Someone on the Baltimore Ravens sidelines was paying attention to the box score. And the story.
The Ravens extended their streak of consecutive games with at least 100 yards rushing in 43 regular-season games on Sunday, tying the Pittsburgh Steelers of the 1970s for the longest streak in NFL history. They earned a 23-7 victory over the Denver Broncos along the way.
For most of the second half, it looked like the Ravens weren’t going to make it. At the end of a six-minute fourth quarter practice that essentially put the game on the sidelines with a field goal from Justin Tucker, the team had 97 rushing yards.
The Broncos received the ball and quickly descended the field, hitting the red zone with 20 seconds left. The game was pretty much over by then until Drew Lock threw an interception on cornerback Anthony Averett, giving the Ravens a chance to break the record.
With the ball in hand and three seconds left, the Ravens let Lamar Jackson run one more play rather than putting a knee in formation for the win. He picked up 5 yards and more history.
After the game, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said he was responsible for the decision go for the record, saying it was “meaningful” for the team:
“It’s my 100% call. It’s one of those things that makes sense. It’s one of those things that as a head coach you have to be aware of your team. , your players and your coaches and what that means to them This is a very, very difficult record to achieve and it’s a long term record.
“I’m not going to say it’s more important than winning the game for sure, it sure isn’t. As a head coach I think you do it for your players and for your coaches and it’s something they’ll have for the rest of their lives. “
While the record may have been meaningful for the Ravens, the Broncos players were “livid” about Harbaugh’s post-game decision, for example. Mike Klis of 9News.
The final play was an exclamation mark on another strong game from Jackson, who finished 22 of 37 for 316 passing yards and one touchdown plus seven carries for 28 yards. His day would have been even better if a touchdown pass for tight end Mark Andrews had not been called up due to a face mask penalty.
It was the second 300-yard passing performance in Jackson’s career and his first since his first game of the 2019 season. The biggest play was a 49-yard touchdown to Marquise Brown, who redeemed her three terrible falls. last week with a stellar capture.
The Ravens streak is Lamar Jackson’s career
The Ravens’ streak dates back to Week 11 of the 2018-19 season, which coincidentally is the week Jackson took over as starting quarterback from Baltimore after drafting him 32nd in the 2018 draft.
Since then, the Ravens have been the class of the NFL in the ball race, thanks mainly to Jackson’s talents and the heavy running plan of offensive coordinator Greg Roman. Even as the league becomes more and more pass-friendly, the Ravens have kept him on the pitch when they can because of what Jackson is giving them.
Whether it’s Gus Edwards, Mark Ingram, JK Dobbins or Latavius Murray by his side, no player inspires fear on the pitch like Jackson. He can turn a base recoil into a long gain if the defenses don’t have him in the pocket and no team wants him in space on a designed racing game. This includes options games, in which Jackson can force even veteran gamers to make some very silly decisions:
There are few positions in the NFL that are as advantageous as being a running back against a defense that has to pay attention to Jackson every game, and it shows. Since Jackson took over, no running back with more than 100 carries has averaged less than 5 yards per carry in a season.
Defending Jackson and another dedicated runner can be a nightmare math problem for a defense, and that’s how the Ravens can be so consistent on the pitch.
Now the team will have the chance to take sole possession of the record next week against the Indianapolis Colts, who entered Week 4 ranked among the NFL’s final 10 in race defense but only relented. 35 yards to the Miami Dolphins in a win Sunday. .
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