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Jamison Hensley, ESPN Staff Writer
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Early in the second quarter of the season opener at Kansas City, Lamar Jackson, as he had done so many times against the Chiefs, dropped back and found a running lane. Jackson scrambled for 7 yards and then headed for the sideline around midfield.
Before going out of bounds, though, the reigning NFL Most Valuable Player surprisingly lowered his left shoulder and delivered a shot to Chiefs safety Jaylen Watson. Jackson, who has been known for avoiding big hits, initiated one this time.
“I think I’ve [gotten] hit like that before — going on the sideline [when] I’m about to step out and somebody hits me,” Jackson said. “So, it was like, ‘I’d rather hit you before you hit me.'”
Jackson’s 122 yards rushing were his most in four years and set an NFL record for most by a quarterback in a season opener. His 16 carries in the 27-20 loss were the second most by a quarterback 27 or older. Only former Los Angeles Rams quarterback Carson Wentz, who ran 17 times last season against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 17, ran more than Jackson, 27.
Only three quarterbacks 27 or older have run the ball more than 100 times in a season: Cam Newton, Josh Allen and Michael Vick. The most single-season rushing yards for quarterbacks 27 or older is 754 by Newton in 2017.
But, as Jackson has proved in his first six seasons, he’s not like other signal-callers.
“Dude changed the game,” said wide receiver Davante Adams, whose Las Vegas Raiders play at Baltimore on Sunday. “He’s the best, in my opinion, best ball carrier ever — no matter what position you want to talk about. I don’t think anybody’s as big of a threat carrying the football.”
Jackson has made changes as he’s gotten older. He didn’t feel as fast last season, which led to him dropping 15 pounds this offseason.
In his first game with his new weight, Jackson produced five runs of 10 yards or longer. It was tied for the most in Week 1 this year with running backs Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason.
“I felt great; I’m not going to lie to you,” Jackson said. “I believe, someone was like, ‘I don’t like his weight. He lost weight, and I don’t know how he’ll look out there, and those guys are huge,’ and I’m like, ‘At the end of the day, I’m a grown man, too.'”
Durability has always been a question with Jackson because he takes more hits by running with the ball. But he’s proved his style of play has staying power. He has run the ball far more than any quarterback has in his first six seasons — 875 rushing attempts– and his two significant injuries, a right ankle injury in 2021 and a sprained left knee in 2022, came when he was in the pocket.
Jackson sat out the Ravens’ practice on Monday but returned Wednesday to fully participate. He wasn’t listed on the injury report.
Can Jackson last if he is running the ball as much as he did in the season opener?
“I don’t know. I’m not trying to find out,” Jackson said. “We’ve got Derrick Henry, we’ve got Justice Hill — those guys. But I’m going to do whatever it takes to win, and in that type of game, sometimes you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do.”
Asked if there is a fine line between allowing Jackson to run to try to win games and protecting him, Ravens coach John Harbaugh didn’t let the reporter finish the question, saying, “We don’t live in that world of fine lines. We live in the world of competing — going out there and doing the best [that] you can.”
The Ravens didn’t plan for Jackson to run that much. There were only six designed runs. Jackson tied a career high with 10 scrambles for 75 yards.
“When he does tuck it and run and the play is over, you’re kind of like, ‘What did I just witness?'” Ravens wide receiver Nelson Agholor said. “He’s kind of like Houdini out there.”
In the opener, Jackson moved into third place for most rushing yards by a quarterback in NFL history. With 5,380 yards, he is 730 yards away from breaking Vick’s record. The difference is Jackson has averaged 61.8 yards rushing per game to Vick’s 42.7.
When it comes to Jackson’s running ability, Harbaugh remains impressed, but he’s not surprised anymore.
“I guess we’ve seen it so much, and it’s just been a gift to Baltimore and to the Ravens,” Harbaugh said. “But being in there with him every day, I recognize how much it means to him, how competitive he is, what kind of a fighter he is. I mean, this guy wants to win, he wants to make plays, he wants to lead his team.”