Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson threw for three touchdowns in each of the first two weeks of the regular season and he went even further in New England on Sunday.
Jackson threw for four scores and then ran for a touchdown with three minutes left to play in the fourth quarter to put the Ravens in front of the Patriots 37-26. A rare missed extra point by Justin Tucker stopped the Ravens from extending their lead to 12 points, but a Marcus Peters interception ended any remaining drama.
The win moves the Ravens to 2-1 on the year and they’ll return home for another big AFC game against the Bills next weekend.
If Jackson remains in a groove, they’ll have a good chance of getting a win. The quarterback threw a pair of touchdowns to tight end Mark Andrews in the first half and then hit Devin Duvernay and John Oliver for scores after the break. The Ravens could not shake the Patriots, however, and a Rashod Bateman fumble set the home team up in Ravens territory with a chance to take the lead in the fourth quarter.
There would be no late collapse from the Ravens this weekend, however.
The Patriots drove to Baltimore’s 10-yard-line, but Mac Jones threw a ball up for grabs while moving backward in the pocket and Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey picked it off in the end zone. The Patriots forced a punt on the ensuing drive, but Nelson Agholor lost a fumble to set up Jackson’s rushing score.
Jackson was 18-of-29 for 218 yards and he ran eight times for 110 yards. Andrews had eight catches for 89 yards, Justice Hill ran eight times for 60 yards, and running back J.K. Dobbins had 40 yards from scrimmage in his first game since tearing his ACL last summer. The Ravens did lose left tackle Patrick Mekari to an ankle injury, so getting Ronnie Stanley back sooner rather than later would be a welcome development in Baltimore.
The Patriots offense put off 449 yards for a new season high, but four turnovers meant that there wasn’t nearly enough to show for it. Jones threw three picks overall, which helped negate any positives from DeVante Parker breaking out with 156 yards on five catches or the Rhamondre Stevenson/Damien Harris combo producing 114 yards on 23 carries. Jones also appeared to hurt his left leg on the final interception, so that will bear watching in postgame and over the coming days.
They’ll travel to Green Bay next Sunday and they’ll need to be a lot cleaner if they’re going to avoid a 1-3 start for the second straight season.
