Lamar Jackson's ascendancy brings the end of an era in Baltimore

Joe Flacco days as the Ravens’ starting quarterback are over, and his replacement promises an exciting future

Apparently, there will soon be no more debates in Baltimore about whether quarterback Joe Flacco is “elite” or not. Even though he has recovered from the hip injury that pressed first-round draft pick Lamar Jackson into starting action, the Ravens decided to stick with Jackson for Sunday’s 20-12 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The move probably means the end of Flacco’s time in Baltimore.

With the win, the Ravens improved their record to 4-1 with Jackson as the starter after beginning the season 4-5 under Flacco. With their 8-6 record, Baltimore remain alive in the postseason hunt, something that seemed unlikely as they struggled early in the season. Considering their current hot streak, Baltimore would have been foolish not to stick with Jackson, who not only is the clear quarterback of the future but is helping his team win games right now.

Already Jackson’s proven himself to be an effective running quarterback in his rookie season, although there remain doubts about whether he will ever evolve into an efficient passer. In the win over Tampa Bay, he threw for 131 yards on 14-for-23 passing and added 95 yards rushing for 226 total yards, nearly out-dueling the entire Buccaneers offense. He also nearly threw an interception, which would have been his fourth of the season (to go along with four passing touchdowns) and lost a fumble. Jackson is one of the most exciting players in the game, but the flipside of his ability to make big plays comes with accuracy issues and a tendency to make rookie mistakes.

Still, he has shown enough that the Ravens feel confident about moving on from a franchise legend. According to NFL Media’s Ian Rappaport, Jackson’s ascendancy means the end of Flacco’s 11-year career in Baltimore, mostly because the team is looking to take a $28.5m cap hit should they hold onto him. The Ravens will look to trade Flacco or possibly cut him and make him a free agent. The 33-year old should have plenty of suitors. Flacco has been a dependable quarterback for the Ravens, and was the MVP of Super Bowl XLVII, even if he never quite entered the upper echelon of signal-callers. There are enough teams desperate for a solid QB to ensure that we haven’t seen the last of Flacco, should he decide to stay in the league.

Right now, the Ravens aren’t thinking about Flacco’s future, they are looking firmly at their postseason chances. With their win over Tampa Bay, the Ravens had a chance to climb on top of the AFC North if the Pittsburgh Steelers had lost to the New England Patriots later that afternoon. Unfortunately for them, Tom Brady threw a backbreaking fourth-quarter interception that essentially sealed a 17-10 Steelers victory, ending a four-game losing streak for Pittsburgh while preventing the Patriots from clinching the AFC East. The win improved Pittsburgh’s record to 8-5-1, putting them back into the driver’s seat as far as winning their own division.

It was bad news for Baltimore, but the Ravens remain in the lead for the AFC’s second Wild Card spot. They have a tough road ahead of them, though. They may need to win out and they finish up the season with a road game against the strong Los Angeles Chargers next week followed by a home game between the suddenly competent Cleveland Browns. Congratulations Lamar Jackson, you have successfully won the starter’s job, but that doesn’t mean that things will get any easier from here on out.

MVP of the week

Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons. Ryan went 22-for-36, threw for 231 yards and scored three touchdowns (two from the air, one on the ground) during the 40-14 win over the Arizona Cardinals. The victory, unfortunately, came on a day when his team was eliminated from playoff contention. Ryan is having a fantastic individual season that has not translated to team success: the Falcons are 5-9 and needed a win over the dismal Cardinals to snap a five-game losing streak.

Stat of the week

402 pass attempts. That ends up being Aaron Rodgers’ NFL record of pass attempts without throwing an interception after it ended on Sunday when his attempt was tipped into the hands of safety Eddie Jackson during the Packers’ 24-17 loss to the Chicago Bears. It capped off what was something of a humiliating game for Rodgers, as perhaps best summarized in the following clip:

Did Khalil Mack help Bilal Nichols sack Rodgers with his back or with his, ahem, derriere? NFL would like to tell you it was his back, Deadspin is giving the credit to the other portion of his anatomy. In possibly more important matters, the Bears clinched the NFC North with their victory and the Packers were eliminated with that loss, ending their playoff streak at eight seasons.

Quote of the week

“Miracles do happen.” – Miami Dolphins left tackle Laremy Tunsil on his team’s playoff hopes.

The Dolphins did themselves no favors on Sunday with their embarrassing 41-17 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. They allowed the Vikings to pick up 202 yards, the most yards in a first quarter by any team this season, and 21 points in the first 15 minutes. The Dolphins were able to make a game of it in the third, but the Vikings eventually pulled ahead with a 17-point fourth quarter. Miami are now 7-7 and their fate isn’t entirely in their hands even if they win out. So, yes, it is indeed “miracle” or bust for Miami.

Video of the week

The New England Patriots are heading to the playoffs but they’re not the juggernaut they have been in past seasons. Their punt teams looks pretty good though. This incredible save on Ryan Allen’s punt downed Pittsburgh at the one-yard line.

Elsewhere around the league

-- It’s our sad duty to inform you that the Cleveland Browns may not actually be terrible this year. With their 17-16 win over the Broncos on Saturday, they snapped an 11-game losing streak against Denver. They are 6-7-1 this season, not something most teams would be proud about, but considering that they won a grand total of [checks notes] zero games last year, it’s a marked improvement.

-- The Los Angeles Rams have stumbled after they looked set for the Super Bowl for much of the regular season. Particularly alarming has been Jared Goff’s slide. He threw four interception in Week 14 against the Bears and there was some improvement against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday. But he still threw two picks in the Rams’ 30-23 loss.

-- The Dallas Cowboys had the chance to clinch the NFC East on Sunday. Instead, the Indianapolis Colts scored 23 unanswered points in a home victory. The Cowboys still could have clinched had Washington and Philadelphia both lost, but Washington’s 16-13 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Eagles’ win in LA ensured that they will have to wait until next week at least.

-- Washington’s win was pretty special for Josh Johnson. It was the 32-year-old quarterback’s first start since 2011 and his first win in his entire career as a starter. He admitted he was in a bit of a pain after the game: “I haven’t been hit in two years,” he said.

-- Like the Cowboys, the Seattle Seahawks also had a chance to clinch a postseason spot with a win over the San Francisco 49ers. The Niners have lost their last 10 against the Seahawks and probably should be actively tanking and … you can probably tell where this is going. Yes, the 49ers won out 26-23 thanks to an overtime field goal. In the end, the 49ers increased their record to 4-10, hurting their chances of sealing the No1 overall pick in next year’s draft, while the 8-6 Seahawks still have a 97% chance of making the playoffs. Victories don’t come much more pyrrhic.

- Besides the Packers and Falcons, the following teams were eliminated this weekend: the Buccaneers, Giants, Lions, Bengals and Broncos. The Browns are not technically eliminated despite the Steelers’ win over the Patriots, but their road to the wildcard would require a lot of things to happen, including the Colts and Titans tying in Week 17. Still, Browns fans should hang their “Still Not Technically Eliminated On December 16^th” banners with pride.