NFL Weekly Recap: Week 7

The show must go on without “Showtime” Patrick Mahomes; Lamar Jackson becomes a superstar

Game of the Week: Jackson rallies Ravens, outduels Wilson in Seattle to sensational 30-16 victory

Down by 10 points with 3:50 left in the fourth quarter, the Seahawks still had a sliver of hope. After all, they have Russell Wilson, the leading candidate for MVP in many minds, who’s manufactured a comeback-victory or two in his day. Rookie receiver D.K. Metcalf has had a nice start to his career, having already made some key plays late in games. The Hawks thought they’d get the ball into the hands of the explosive receiver and let him work. The problem was, on this play, his hands didn’t work. Wilson tossed a quick pass to his left over to Metcalf, who caught the ball, took two steps, then inexplicably fumbled without contact as he attempted to switch the ball from his left hand to his right. Ravens CB Marlon Humphrey promptly said “yoink” for an 18-yard-scoop-and-score, effectively ending the game at 30-13.

It was the Ravens’ second defensive touchdown of the day in a dominant performance on the road, holding Wilson to his worst outing of the season by far. In the second quarter, newly acquired CB Marcus Peters – who only briefly practiced with his new team -brilliantly baited Wilson into a rare pick-six that completely changed the complexion of the game. From there, the Ravens leaned on their young quarterback.

Lamar Jackson has had many questions swirling around him since the offseason – hell, since he was drafted in 2018. Is he a “running quarterback”? Can he be an efficient passer? Can he stay healthy, and be a winner at the pro level? The answer to all of those questions so far… is yes. While it wasn’t his prettiest passing performance, completing just 9-of-20 for 143 and no touchdowns, on the ground Jackson made plays that only he can make from the quarterback position. Finishing with 116 yards and a score on 14 carries, Jackson sliced his way through the Seattle defense, converting multiple back-breaking third-down conversions along the way.

The crucible moment came on an 8-yard touchdown run on 4th-and-2 to give the Ravens their first lead of the game, one that Jackson boisterously celebrated towards a beleaguered Seattle crowd. Initially, Jon Harbaugh sent in the field goal unit. After seeing the look on the ultra-competitive Jackson’s face coming off the field, Harbaugh asked the 22-year old if he wanted to go for it. “Hell yea, coach, let’s go for it!”, Jackson responded. Harbaugh then called a designed run with 8 blockers on the line, and Jackson did what he does best.

By leading his team to victory in the notoriously difficult road game in Seattle, Jackson passed one of the major tests for becoming an elite quarterback in this league. Remarkably, he’s been able to stay healthy while averaging nearly 15 rushing attempts per game since becoming the starter midway through last season. In 14 career starts, Jackson is averaging over 80 rushing yards per game… as a quarterback. His 6.9 yards per carry leads all players this season with a minimum of 20 attempts. It is truly amazing stuff we’re seeing, and if Jackson can continue to play in good health – which is a big “if” – the Ravens are legitimate Super Bowl contenders, no questions asked.

What We Learned:

I. The injury to Patrick Mahomes was not pretty, as cameras got a clear shot of trainers having to pop the superstar’s knee back into place. The prognosis is that is Mahomes will miss three weeks, meaning he could return for the Chiefs road game in Tennessee. The obvious concern here is the possibility of the injury reoccurring later this season. Mahomes and the Chiefs are the consensus “last hope” of fans against the Belichick-Brady reign of terror over the NFL for the past two decades. Nothing would delight the masses more than not having to see another Patriots-verse-X-team in the Super Bowl.

While it could have been much worse for Mahomes, it’s a huge loss nonetheless not only for the Chiefs, but for the game as a whole. Mahomes was in the middle of an epic run over the span of his 24 career starts. In that time, he’s thrown for 65 touchdowns to 14 interceptions in a fashion we’ve never quite witnessed before. His 311 yards per game through the air is more than the all-time passing leader Drew Brees, who averages 281.4 yards per game. His career passer rating of 112.1 would top Aaron Rodgers for best in NFL history, but Mahomes has 856 of the 1500 attempts necessary to qualify.

The fact is, not only was he putting up video game numbers, he was showing us things we did not know were necessarily possible (the no-look bullseye pass; the fadeaway 60-yard, flick-of-the-wrist bomb). When a generational player is ascending beyond the known limits of the game, it not only grows the awareness popularity of the sport, it inevitably changes the game fundamentally. Think “Slingin” Sammy Baugh – all the way back in 1947, the man was completing nearly 60% of his passes and throwing for 3000 yards, a feat some quarterbacks have trouble accomplishing today. 70 years later, Mahomes has the potential to set a new standard of excellence for the league. A standard that would be a privilege watch him set on Sundays for the next decade. Here’s to hoping for a full and speedy recovery.