The Baltimore Ravens got their 2022 season off on the right foot, defeating the New York Jets 24-9 at MetLife Stadium. They took full advantage of the Jets having to start backup quarterback Joe Flacco, as they didn’t score a touchdown until the waning moments of the game.
The Ravens’ offense, despite being without some key contributors, clicked on all cylinders. J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards were both sidelined, leaving the heavy lifting out of the backfield to be handled by Kenyan Drake and Mike Davis.
That put a little more pressure on Lamar Jackson, as Drake and Davis combined for 42 yards on 13 rushes. Jackson was limited on the ground, gaining only 17 yards on six rushing attempts. But, he used his legs and athleticism when needed to keep a play alive.
While not his most efficient outing through the air, Jackson did more than enough to help the Ravens secure a victory. He completed 17-of-30 attempts for 213 yards and three scores. Devin Duvernay caught two of the touchdown passes, while Rashod Bateman caught the third.
It was a good season debut for Jackson, who will be showcasing his talents in hopes of landing a long-term deal next offseason. Extension talks had a deadline of Friday afternoon and no new deal was reached, meaning Jackson will be playing this season out on his fifth-year option.
Head coach Jhon Harbaugh isn’t overly concerned about it. He still believes a long-term deal will eventually be struck between the Ravens and Jackson when talking about it during his Friday press conference.
“I think all the feelings you would expect that anybody would have you probably have,” Harbaugh said. “Probably not for me as much because I wasn’t directly involved in any back and forth. You’re hopeful. Those things will work themselves out in the end, I’m confident in that. I said at the beginning, that’ll happen when it’s time and when it’s time it’ll happen. Lamar’s playing quarterback, he’s going to be playing quarterback here for a long time. He and I talked about it yesterday a little bit, like ‘OK, let’s go be our best and go focus on football.’ That’s what he’s been doing all along. I know nothing will change with that and just focused on Sunday.”
If Jackson can continue playing at the level he did against the Jets and lead the Ravens to more victories, he will be looking at a significant payday this offseason. Baltimore should work hard to get a deal done as things will only get more expensive.
With the likes of Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert quickly approaching extension talks of their own and Kyler Murray and Deshaun Watson cashing in on a monster contract this offseason, this offseason is the best time for the Ravens to get a deal done before the bar is raised again.
