Jackson not content after dismantling Lions with near-perfect passing day

BALTIMORE – Lamar Jackson looked like a most valuable player again on Sunday, dismantling one of the best teams in the NFL with near-perfect passing.

But Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens (5-2) were surprisingly understated in a 38-6 win over the Detroit Lions (5-2). Jackson barely cracked a smile in his postgame media session, and Ravens coach John Harbaugh pointed out how stone-faced his star quarterback was after the biggest win of the season.

“I don’t even think he’s that happy with the game,” Harbaugh said. “When I see him in the locker room right now, it’s not like he’s all giddy in there. He’s thinking about the plays that he could have had. He’s thinking about the plays he wants to get better at. That’s how all our guys are thinking right now. That’s how they should be thinking.”

Jackson finished with 357 yards passing — the second-most of his career — and threw for three touchdowns. He completed 21-of-27 passes (77.8%) and produced a 155.8 passer rating (perfect is 158.3).

This also marked Jackson’s 50th career victory. He’s the fifth-fastest quarterback to do so (68 games) when debuting in the Super Bowl era.

Yet, no one could tell if Jackson won or lost a game by his demeanor afterward.

“I believe, when you’re playing regular-season games, you should be OK,” Jackson said. “We’re winning. I’m alright with winning, but still it’s [the] regular season. We made strides for improvement last week [in a 24-16 win over the Titans] and earlier in the season. I believe we did, but it’s just one regular-season game.”

The Ravens had heard all week how this game was going to be their measuring stick. Detroit entered the game tied with the NFL’s best record and had won four straight games by double-digit margins.

But the Ravens answered with their most complete game of the season.

The Lions couldn’t slow Jackson with pressure. He was 5-of-6 outside the pocket for 116 yards. On his first touchdown pass, Jackson’s scrambling bought him 9.24 seconds before he hit Nelson Agholor for a 12-yard touchdown. That’s the third-longest time to throw on a touchdown pass since 2016, according to NextGen Stats.

A week ago, Baltimore struggled mightily in the red zone, settling for five field goals inside the 20-yard line. On Sunday, Jackson was 5-of-6 for 38 yards and three touchdowns in the red zone.

This was Jackson’s fourth career game with 300 yards passing, three touchdown passes and no interceptions — which passes Joe Flacco for the most in Ravens history.

“Lamar beat us,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said. “He hammered us with his arm.”

The most emotion Jackson showed on Sunday came after a mistake. He had a botched exchange on a handoff with running back Justice Hill, leading to Baltimore’s eighth lost fumble of the season. That’s the second-most in the league this year.

After the turnover — which ended a string of four straight touchdown drives to open the game — Jackson had words with Hill before throwing his helmet into the bench on the sideline.

“He’s not satisfied,” Ravens offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley said. “He’s been playing great and he won’t be satisfied until we get a Super Bowl, so I know what I’m getting in my quarterback.”