Football

Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson on who keeps him humble: 'The Lord'

By Jon Ackerman Dec 19, 2019
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is enjoying a breakout season, his first as an unquestioned starter in the NFL. After garnering just seven starts as a rookie in 2018, he’s led the Ravens to a 12-2 record so far this season — the best mark in the NFL and the best start in franchise history.

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It’s been a great season in Baltimore largely because Jackson is the league MVP frontrunner. He leads the NFL in TD passes (33) and adjusted QB rating (81.3) despite not throwing for a ton of yards. His 2,889 passing yards rank 19th in the league. But the mobile QB has added 1,103 rushing yards through 14 games, making him the eighth leading rusher in the NFL. Jackson has also added seven scores on the ground. He’s the first quarterback in NFL history to throw for at least 2,500 yards and rush for at least 950 yards.

All that has led to Jackson’s first Pro Bowl selection, which was announced by the league on Tuesday, and he was voted to be the AFC’s starting quarterback (unless he and the Ravens make it to the Super Bowl). On Wednesday, Jackson was asked by the media if there is something or someone that keeps him humble while he’s enjoying all this football success.

“The Lord,” he promptly responded. “I give Him all His praise, the glory, the honor, because of what I am. I could have been doing anything, it’s crazy. I’ll be thinking about it, talking to Him throughout the day, like, ‘Man, I appreciate You, I thank You.’ Because if you feel like you’re bigger than the Lord, that’s when all that success die, it goes away. You got to let Him know He’s the reason you [have had] that much success. So I appreciate that from Him. And I’ve got my family around me, my teammates, great teammates, coaching staff. We’ve just got to keep it going and let the Lord know He’s No. 1.”

Jackson also gave praise to God three years ago when accepting the Heisman Trophy following his sophomore season at the University of Louisville. He was the youngest player to ever receive college football’s top award.

“First and foremost, before I go further along in my speech, I want to thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,” Jackson said. “Without Him, none of us would be here right now.”

Jackson and the Ravens continue their remarkable season on Sunday in Cleveland, one of two teams to beat Baltimore this year (along with the Chiefs). The Ravens will then close out the regular season at home against Pittsburgh and aim to keep hold of the AFC’s No. 1 seed for the playoffs.

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