Lamar Jackson named AFC Offensive Player of the Week

After a heroic performance in the Ravens 47-42 victory over the Browns on Monday night, Lamar Jackson has been named AFC Offensive Player of the Week for Week 14.

Jackson finished the game with a stat line of 167 passing yards and one touchdown having completed 11-of-17 pass attempts. His production was good for a passer rating of 115.6 and QBR of 99.5, the former of which which is Jackson’s second-highest clip of the season.

More notably, he rushed for 124 yards on the ground and found the end zone twice as a runner. Jackson’s 124 rushing yards were the most ever by a quarterback in the history of Monday Night Football. In the first half, Jackson ripped off runs of 10, 20, and 30 yards, as well as a couple other key scrambles that converted first downs. On the opening drive of the third quarter, Jackson got loose along the sideline and cut back towards the middle of the field, making Browns defenders miss for a 44-yard gain.

After a Tyus Bowser interception lead to J.K. Dobbins scoring a one-yard touchdown, the Ravens held a commanding 34-20 lead with 4:21 remaining in the third quarter. Following this sequence, Jackson exited the game with cramps. He remained in the locker room for almost all of the fourth quarter and appeared unlikely to return.

During Jackson’s absence, the Ravens went three-and-out on their lone offensive possession and the defense surrendered 15 unanswered points. With the Ravens trailing by one point and two minutes remaining in the game, backup QB Trace McSorley suffered a knee injury on third down at Cleveland’s 41 yard line.

Right on cue, Jackson returned from the locker room and saved the day. On 4th-&-5, Jackson lofted a pass to Marquise Brown for a 44-yard touchdown. After the Browns responded with a touchdown to tie the game, Jackson connected on four straight completions for 38 yards in just under a minute. This sequence set Justin Tucker up with a chance to win the game from 55 yards out — which he did with ease.

This marks the second time Jackson has won AFC Offensive Player of the Week in 2020. The first occasion happened in Week 1 which, oddly enough, was also against the Browns. In that game, Jackson tossed three touchdown passes and threw for 275 yards for a near-perfect and season-high passer rating of 152.1. Needless to say, Jackson enjoys playing against Cleveland.

In 2019, Jackson earned AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors five times, meaning his career total now sits at seven total.