We've been waiting for the Baltimore Ravens' new-look passing attack to show up this season, an attack that would feature Lamar Jackson throwing it all over the field to a new group of pass-catchers who would light up the scoreboard.
We finally saw it Sunday.
Jackson proved he can and will flourish in first-year coordinator Todd Monken's system, one that was supposed to display a better downfield passing attack. But heading into Sunday's impressive blowout of the Detroit Lions, it seemed to be missing something on a weekly basis. Whether it was turnovers by Jackson or the many drops by the receivers, the consistency wasn't there.
But it was there in a big way against the Lions as Jackson was outstanding. He threw for a season-best 357 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. He ran nine times for 36 yards and a touchdown, but the rushing total was his second lowest this season. Jackson completed 21 of his 27 passes and averaged 15.1 per attempt. That's special stuff. The Ravens scored touchdowns on their first four possessions to blow open the game early.
Jackson is certainly now in the MVP conversation with his play putting the Ravens at 5-2 and true contenders in the AFC. They are up to third in my Power Rankings this week after dominating a good Lions team.
The Ravens signed Jackson to a mega contract before the season, and he's proving them right with he way he's playing. At times in his career, Jackson has been an erratic passer, capable of the wow moments but full of inconsistent periods of inaccuracy. That is no more. His completion percentage is 71.0, which is the best of his career and second highest in the NFL among passers with 200 or more attempts behind only Tua Tagovailoa. It would be even higher if the Ravens didn't have seven drops in a loss to the Steelers.
It has taken time to get the Monken offense going, but with the offensive line getting healthy, Jackson looks so much more confident in the system than earlier in the season. When you add in that the Ravens are the top-ranked scoring defense in the league, giving up 13.9 points per game, Baltimore is definitely a Super Bowl contender.
The new-look pass offense arrived in a big way against the Lions, which is why the Ravens are threats to win it all and why Jackson is a real threat to be the MVP for a second time in his career.
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | They are clicking now on offense, which is the scary thing for the rest of the NFL. They looked like the offense we expect from Patrick Mahomes against the Chargers, really for the first time this season. | -- | 11-6-0 |
| 2 |  | The defense came up big against a good Miami offense Sunday night. That's a good sign going forward. Jalen Hurts still doesn't look all the way right, but he's close. | 3 | 11-6-0 |
| 3 |  | With all the focus on Lamar Jackson, it's easy to overlook the defense. But that side of the ball has been really good as well. | 6 | 13-4-0 |
| 4 |  | They've won four straight and still haven't looked great in doing so. The offense still isn't clicking all the way, but the signs are there that it's coming. | 3 | 9-8-0 |
| 5 |  | They've lost two straight games, and the defense was gutted by the Vikings. Now here come the Bengals and Joe Burrow. | 1 | 12-5-0 |
| 6 |  | They went on the bye after beating the Chargers on the road, which had to give this team life. Is this the point when they really start to play well? | -- | 12-5-0 |
| 7 |  | The offense has to prove they can score on the road against good teams. It didn't help they had three starting offensive linemen out for the game against the Eagles, but the questions still remain about beating good teams on the road. | 5 | 11-6-0 |
| 8 |  | That was a tough game at Baltimore, but it was the way they played that's a bad look. They got dominated in every facet of the game. | 5 | 12-5-0 |
| 9 |  | The defense wasn't as dominant against the Colts, but it made a lot of big plays on that side of the ball to help offset an odd day. The Deshaun Watson injury situation isn't helping this team. | 1 | 11-6-0 |
| 10 |  | This team is quietly 4-2 and would be a playoff team if they started now. They have won four of five, and it could easily be five straight were it not for blown chances at Cincinnati two weeks ago. | 3 | 9-8-0 |
| 11 |  | Mike Tomlin has done a nice job with this team this year. It's good to see the offense show some life against the Rams as they ready for a big game with the Jaguars. | 11 | 10-7-0 |
| 12 |  | They lead the NFC South after beating the Bucs on the road. The defense has improved in a big way in recent weeks, but Desmond Ridder has to quit turning the ball over. | 8 | 7-10-0 |
| 13 |  | They suddenly don't look close to being a Super Bowl-type of team. The defense has been crippled by injuries -- and it shows. | 5 | 11-6-0 |
| 14 |  | The bye had to be good for this team, especially Joe Burrow and his calf. They needed the time. But now they face a brutal trip to play the 49ers. | 3 | 9-8-0 |
| 15 |  | At 3-3 off their bye week, they have to feel pretty good about where they are after losing Aaron Rodgers on opening night. The defense is special. | -- | 7-10-0 |
| 16 |  | They come off their bye at 3-3, one of the surprise teams of the league so far. This week it's C.J. Stroud against Bryce Young. So far, Stroud has been the better of the two rookie quarterbacks. | -- | 10-7-0 |
| 17 |  | They lost another close game this week, this time to Steelers at home. Now they face a tough road game at Dallas against a rested Cowboys team. | 5 | 10-7-0 |
| 18 |  | At 3-4, the heat has to be on Brandon Staley. The offense hasn't improved that much with Kellen Moore, and Justin Herbert is turning it over too much. | 3 | 5-12-0 |
| 19 |  | They've won two straight games to right things and maybe hold off any potential fire sale. Kirk Cousins was outstanding against the 49ers. | 7 | 7-10-0 |
| 20 |  | Two straight losses has this team reeling a bit. The offense couldn't seem to get it going the past two weeks. | 6 | 9-8-0 |
| 21 |  | The offense is so limited right now with Derek Carr not playing well. He points a lot of fingers at others, but he's a big part of the problem. | 4 | 9-8-0 |
| 22 |  | Gardner Minshew did some good things against the Browns. But he also did a lot of bad things. That's just what happens when he plays quarterback. | 4 | 9-8-0 |
| 23 |  | The offensive line is awful and Sam Howell is taking a beating. He's been sacked 40 times. That's disgraceful. | 4 | 4-13-0 |
| 24 |  | They looked lifeless for most of the game in losing to the Bears. Now they face another tough trip this week to play the Lions on the road. | 1 | 8-9-0 |
| 25 |  | The good news after beating the Bills was how well Mac Jones played. Could that be the game that gets him going again? They face a tough one this week at Miami against the Dolphins. | 4 | 4-13-0 |
| 26 |  | Losing to the Broncos off a bye is not a good look. It took them way too long to get the offense going. They need to play looser on offense than they did in the first half. | 2 | 9-8-0 |
| 27 |  | They come off their bye without quarterback Ryan Tannehill. That means it's Malik Willis and Will Levis for a bit and maybe longer if the Kevin Byard trade means they are having a fire sale. | 2 | 6-11-0 |
| 28 |  | Tyson Bagent played well in beating the Raiders. The defense also made big strides in that game. | 1 | 7-10-0 |
| 29 |  | Kyler Murray is back at practice and they need him back. This staff has to find out about him. | 1 | 4-13-0 |
| 30 |  | Tyrod Taylor has done a nice job in his two games as quarterback, including beating the Commanders. Is there a quarterback controversy when Daniel Jones comes back? Not yet. | -- | 6-11-0 |
| 31 |  | They finally played a good defensive game in beating the Packers. They needed that victory in the worst way to stop the bleeding. | -- | 8-9-0 |
| 32 |  | They come off their bye with a change in play-calling duties with coach Frank Reich giving them up. It's a way to try and jump-start the offense, but that unit has problems bigger than that. | -- | 2-15-0 |
