Stopping Lamar Jackson, Ravens now a four-down challenge

Jim Harbaugh hadn’t even held a lead in two prior games on his big brother, not to mention win a game. And when Jim finally got his first lead on Monday night, John Harbaugh stunned him – and stunned many of the 8 billion people on the planet. Down 10-7 to the Chargers at the two-minute warning in the first half, the Ravens kept the offense on the field on a fourth-and-1, from their own 16-yard line.

“The downside is you give them the ball at the 16-yard line,” said John Harbaugh after Baltimore’s 30-23 win. “That’s the downside. But the upside, or the thought, is I really thought we could get it.”

They got it. And they got it with a direct snap to tight end Mark Andrews, who mined 2 yards with center Tyler Linderbaum and guards Patrick Mekari and Daniel Faalele at the point of attack, and Patrick Ricard and Derrick Henry pushing from behind. Baltimore focused about a ton of humanity on the play, and cashed in tons of momentum. Four plays later, Lamar Jackson threaded a needle through the arms of Kristian Fulton on a 40-yard touchdown pass to Rashod Bateman. The Ravens (8-4) never trailed again.

Before that pass, Jackson had targeted Bateman in the end zone on the Ravens’ previous drive, a pass the receiver couldn’t corral. Jackson didn’t hesitate to go back to him.

“I believe my receivers are great,” said Jackson, who was 16 of 22 for 177 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. “They have great hands. The first one, in the back of the end zone, I told him, ‘Bro, I expect you to catch that.’ He was like, ‘I got you.’ He made up for it, and he made a terrific catch. I trust all my receivers.”

That trust has made Jackson the NFL’s leading passer – he ranks No. 1 in both rating (117.9) and yards (3,053), and is tied with Joe Burrow for first in touchdown passes (27) — entering Week 13. But Jackson and Henry, who stands 67 yards behind Saquon Barkley among NFL rushing leaders, isn’t the most terrifying aspect of the Ravens’ offense right now. After Monday night, what scares the shoulder pads off Baltimore opponents is that stopping the Ravens is now a four-down challenge, not three.

In Monday’s win, Baltimore (3-for-3) tied a single-game franchise record with three fourth-down conversions. Clinging to a 17-16 lead late in the third quarter, Harbaugh again kept his offense on the field – twice on the same drive. On fourth-and-1 from his own 39, Henry answered with a 27-yard burst. Then, on the first snap of the final period, Henry grounded out 2 yards to convert another fourth-and-1, setting up Jackson’s touchdown pass to Andrews.

In the shadows Monday night was the Baltimore defense, which has played well in its last two games. Everyone knows the Ravens’ defense is the team’s Achilles’ heel. But even if Baltimore’s defense can frustrate a player like Justin Herbert to his lowest passer rating (75.9) of the season, history will remember the Ravens based on the answer to one question.

“This season is only going to be judged based on what they do in the playoffs,” said Hall of Famer Troy Aikman after the broadcast. “And for them, it doesn’t matter about making the playoffs, AFC Championship Game; they’ve got to go win a Super Bowl.”

Clear your calendar: Baltimore halted the Chargers’ four-game winning streak but next week, they face a team that’s won seven games in a row. The Ravens return home to face Barkley and the Eagles (9-2) on Sunday (4:25 p.m. ET, CBS). Barkley leads the NFL in both rushing yards (1,392) and scrimmage yards (1,649), while Henry (1,325 and 1,421) ranks second in both categories. In NFL history, only three individuals have ever reached 2,000 scrimmage yards with multiple teams: Eric Dickerson, Marshall Faulk and Christian McCaffrey. Barkley and Henry are both on pace to accomplish that this season. Jackson is 23-3 (.885) in 26 career starts against NFC opponents.

Pixar Lamar: In primetime games, Jackson is now 20-5 (.800) with 50 touchdown passes, 11 interceptions. No starting quarterback since the league merged with AFL in 1970 and launched the Monday Night Football franchise has a better winning percentage in those games. As of now, the Ravens are not scheduled to play again in primetime.

Historic average: The Ravens are now averaging 6.97 yards per play on offense. The single-season NFL record is 6.98 by the 2000 St. Louis Rams, the Greatest Show on Turf.

For more information on the Ravns and Chargers, visit the Baltimore and L.A. Chargers team pages at ProFootballPost.com.