- Now Baltimore (13-1) can rest its starting QB and other players against Pittsburgh
- Jackson, 26, won the NFL MVP award in just his second season in Baltimore
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In a stunning argument in favor of his own MVP candidacy, Lamar Jackson finished with a perfect passer rating while also helping the Baltimore Ravens capture the AFC's top seed with a 56-19 loss to the Miami Dolphins on Sunday.
The 26-year-old Jackson threw for 321 yards and five touchdowns on Sunday, two of which were to receiver Isaiah Likely, as the Ravens won their sixth straight game, taking home their first AFC North title since 2019, Jackson's first MVP season.
Now Baltimore (13-3) can rest its starting quarterback — and anyone else for that matter — in the regular-season finale against Pittsburgh.
Miami (11-5) is also postseason-bound, but now the winner of next weekend's Dolphins-Bills game will win the AFC East. And now the Dolphins are faced with a potentially significant injury. Linebacker Bradley Chubb – with his team trailing by 30 points – had to be carted off with 3:05 left after hurting his knee.
Serenaded with periodic 'MVP!' Chants from the home crowd passed Jackson 18 of 21.
Lamar Jackson celebrates after beating the Miami Dolphins to take first place in the AFC
Jackson also had a perfect passer rating of 158.3 against Miami in 2019.
He joins Tom Brady (vs. Detroit) as the only quarterbacks with two perfect ratings against the same team, with at least 20 attempts.
“He played a perfect football game as far as the passing game goes,” Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said.
What's more is that Jackson's performances put the Ravens through a grueling December that includes games against the Rams, Jaguars, 49ers and Dolphins.
Jackson threw for 321 yards and five touchdowns in a 56-19 thrashing of the Dolphins on Sunday
'I don't know if I've seen a more impressive performance in a match. I'm not sure I've seen a more impressive performance in any season so far,” added Harbaugh, whose team will have a first-round bye before hosting its postseason opener.
'We obviously have a lot more to do. We still have a lot of work to do, but this is a mature football team.”
For the Dolphins defense, it was two offensive stars in receiver Jaylen Waddle (ankle) and running back Raheem Mostert (knee, ankle).