The NFL’s No. 1 statistical defense and a quarterback with a lot of physical gifts and not much fear provided a winning combination for the Ravens.
CARSON — Nobody said the NFL was fair. (Although you can interpret that any number of ways.) But when circumstances seem to be slanted against you, talent and will can win the day.
The Baltimore Ravens were dealing with a short week, and they’d traveled across the country to play a Chargers team that had 10 days off. And, well, the game’s No. 1 defense and a young quarterback with fresh legs and no fear turned out to be the antidote.
Rookie Lamar Jackson passed for 204 yards, ran for 39 and kept the Ravens moving, though touchdowns were elusive for most of the night. Baltimore’s defense limited the Chargers to one touchdown and one field goal — and created the biggest turnover of the night to turn a Chargers drive into a Ravens score.
And the visitors went home happy, if maybe a little bleary-eyed, with a 22-10 victory that kept them in the playoff hunt and all but consigned the Chargers to wild-card status. (The Chiefs could make that official Sunday night against Seattle.)
The Ravens’ ETA in Baltimore Sunday morning is around 7 a.m. EST… but at least they’ll have an extra day to prepare before their own Week 17.
Jackson, the 2016 Heisman Trophy winner at Louisville, showed some additional dimensions to his game Saturday night. He had rushed for 427 yards in his five starts since taking over for the injured Joe Flacco, but he threw for 204 against the Chargers, though 68 of those came on the pass play to Mark Andrews in the third quarter that answered the Chargers’ only touchdown of the game and put the Ravens ahead to stay.
“I finally had a 200-yard game, huh?” he said afterward. “People thought it was going to be a big test for me and it was going to be difficult, but our offensive line did a great job. If it wasn’t for them, I would have only been 100-and-some yards again.
