In Week 2, the Browns committed to containing Baltimore’s rushing attack led by Derrick Henry, and they held him to 23 yards on 11 carries. But Jackson threw darts against Cleveland’s secondary, connecting for two touchdown passes to Devontez Walker and one each to DeAndre Hopkins and Tylan Wallace.
The performance showed Jackson’s growth since entering the league. He was both electric and efficient (19 of 29, 225 yards) as he extended plays, avoided mistakes, and remained poised and patient in the pocket. The Ravens often had poor field position in the first half, but Jackson kept probing, and Baltimore eventually exploded.
“It was a tough game [Sunday] against a really great defense,” Head Coach John Harbaugh said. “He kept pressing; he kept making the checks he needed to make.
“A couple of times, there were plays that we were in trouble, and he bailed them out. Probably three of his big plays were plays that he made something out of absolutely nothing and made a bad play into a great play with the help of his teammates. That’s Lamar, that’s the thing about Lamar that really just makes him on another level as a player. … It’s just Lamar being Lamar.”
All three of Walker’s career catches have gone for touchdowns, and the second-year wide receiver knows that Jackson will deliver the ball to any target at any time.
“Lamar understands what we have in our room and throughout our offense,” Walker said. “We have so many weapons everywhere, and he wants everybody around to have just as much success as he does. That’s just the type of guy and quarterback he is. He makes you want to go out there and play hard for him.”