Lamar Jackson and Bill Belichick chess match is appointment TV
This week’s Sunday Night Football matchup between Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens and Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots will be can’t-miss.
After winning the Super Bowl last season, the New England Patriots have started the season 8-0 and look like a serious threat to go 16-0 for the second time in Bill Belichick’s tenure as head coach. But on the other side of the coin, they’ve also yet to be truly tested, which makes their Week 9 tilt against the Baltimore Ravens especially intriguing.
The Ravens looks like a Super Bowl sleeper themselves. Lamar Jackson lifted the Ravens to the postseason last year when he took over for Joe Flacco as a mere rookie, and he’s blossomed in his first full season as a starter. Jackson has done a lot with very little around him in terms of pass-catching weapons, manufacturing plays with his arm and legs while showing his wisdom in consistently avoiding backbreaking errors.
His decision-making will be put to the test on Sunday by Belichick, who has owned the souls of Jackson’s 2018 NFL Draft classmates at quarterback. Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield were both embarrassed badly by the Patriots defense, directly giving up points on the board with ghastly turnovers and looking rattled both during and after their team’s losses.
There’s a clear difference, though, with Jackson. The Ravens are in a much better position in the standings than either the New York Jets or Cleveland Browns, and that’s because Jackson has been light years ahead of his draft classmates in terms of on-field production, leadership, maturity, football IQ, and that X-Factor that allows him to make big plays when his team needs it.
The Ravens are also fresh off a bye week, meaning Jackson has had time to prepare for the battle of his life against Belichick, who prides himself on flustering young quarterbacks. Jackson’s brilliant Week 7 performance lifted the Ravens above an excellent Seattle Seahawks team, which contains an MVP candidate of their own in former Super Bowl-winning quarterback Russell Wilson.
But Jackson beat him and could be the Patriots defense’s kryptonite. That’s because there isn’t a way to truly shut Jackson down. He showed last season that he can be a game manager, he’s shown this season that he can make big throws downfield, and he’s always been able to create something out of nothing with his improv skills and vision as a rusher.
Next. Smith-Schuster's stock is rising again. dark
Basically, Belichick might meet his match on Sunday night, as impressive as the Patriots defensive record is this season. No team is allowing fewer points per game, yards per game, or net yards per pass attempt than New England, who also lead the league with an insane 25 turnovers forced.
However, the Patriots also haven’t faced a guy like Jackson at quarterback. The former Heisman Trophy winner has a 96.4 QB Rating with a 576 rushing yards on nearly seven yards per carry. Jackson is the matchup nightmare who challenges even legendary coaches like Belichick, and this dynamic whenever the Ravens offense and Patriots defense take the field on Sunday will help make this game an instant classic.