Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens dominated the New York Jets on Thursday Night Football and these were the AFC North champs’ studs and duds.
Since the start of November, the Baltimore Ravens have continuously had their stock on the rise. That month started with handing the Patriots their first loss of the year and was followed by blowout wins over the Texans and Rams. Later came tough wins over the 49ers and Bills. And on Thursday Night Football in Week 15, they dismantled the New York Jets to reach another milestone.
After having taken over the No. 1 seed in the AFC with their recent run, the Ravens clinched at least a playoff berth on Thursday night as they secured the AFC North title by beating the Jets, 42-21. It was a dominant performance from Lamar Jackson and his team as John Harbaugh’s club felt even further ahead than the final score indicates.
Jackson, the leading candidate to win NFL MVP this season, looked the part of the best player in the league for 2019 as he rushed for over 85 yards and tossed five touchdown passes on the night. A Jets defense playing without Jamal Adams simply had no answer for the Ravens offense and, though they weren’t perfect, Baltimore had plenty of answers for the New York offense.
Not only did the Ravens’ win lock up the division but it may have all but locked up the top seed in the AFC in the NFL Playoffs. Even if the Patriots (the current No. 2 seed) win in Week 15, Baltimore has a one-game lead and owns the tiebreaker over New England. Barring a two-game losing streak after having won 10 consecutive games, the Ravens should get the top spot.
But before we get ahead to the final two weeks of the regular season — including potential questions about resting Jackson and other key players — let’s first get into what happened on Thursday Night Football. These were the studs and duds from a stellar win by the Baltimore Ravens over the Jets.