Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson want to make statement at AFC North

Over the past few years, games between Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Raven there are signature moments for two of the game’s top young midfielders.

In 2019, Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson scored the highlight of his MVP season with a 47-yard touchdown that featured a spin straight from a video game. Two years later, Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow ignited a dwindling Baltimore defense and set a franchise record with 525 yards of passing in a Bengals pass. Burrow’s 941 yards when sweeping Baltimore last season was the most passing yards by a single team in a single season in NFL history.

In what is expected to be a tight AFC North this season, Sunday’s game between the Ravens and Bengals (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC), both 2-2, could close a pretty big role in who will win the division.

And the likely winner will be determined by quarterback. Burrow is about to play the Super Bowl and Jackson is playing above his 2019 MVP level. With contract decisions for both midfielders being made, what happens on Sunday and the rest of the season could shape the future of the AFC North.

Bengals coach Zac Taylor said: “The back four was a key component of how our team went up. “For him to play at his best in the key moments, as he did, is very important.”

Burrow will be eligible for a contract extension next season. A slower start than Jackson to date, he is 16th in the league in Total QBR (49.4) and 17th in finish rate (64.1). He’s seventh in the league in passing yards (1,099) and sixth in touchdown passes (eight). He has also been fired 16 times, the third most in the NFL.

Jackson paused contract negotiations with the Ravens after the regular season began and is playing into his fifth-year pick. In essence, he is betting on himself, and an early return shows that it was a wise move. Jackson finished fifth in the QBR, was number one with 11 TD passes and was the only QB of the top 25 for dash speed, as his 316 yards put him ninth in the league. .

With Pittsburgh Steelers where is luc start? Kenny Pickett era and Cleveland Browns Haven’t seen anything yet Deshaun Watson bring their offense – he is currently serving 11 matches suspension for violating the league’s personal conduct policy following allegations of inappropriate behavior and sexual assault during massage sessions, Jackson and Burrow were the most prestigious quarterback pairing in the league. The eventual outcome of the AFC North could very well be down to how these two played, and that story will take shape on Sunday night.

BURROW’S FIRST GAME The match against Baltimore was memorable for all the wrong reasons.

As a rookie in 2020, #1 overall pick and former Heisman Trophy winner had the toughest match of his career. He posted a career-low 4.2 QBR Total, scoring games on a scale of 1 to 100, in a 27-3 shelling in Week 5.

Six weeks later, Burrow suffered a season-ending knee injury. After an active recovery period, he turned the situation into a footnote, as he returned in 21 as one of the NFL’s most effective quarterbacks, leading the league in percentage terms. Completion rate exceeded expectations, according to NFL Next Gen Stats.

The Bengals’ hopes as they drafted the Burrow quickly came true in February, when the team entered the Super Bowl for the first time since 1989 before losing 23-20 to Los Angeles Rams.

Some of his success can be attributed to the hardships he went through as a rookie.

“It’s an opportunity [for] He’s going to have a season to look back and learn the different styles you’ll see and the environments you’ll be in and the styles of play from defense,” Taylor said. To come back and have a great year, he’s obviously looking to build on that this year. “

Bengals run again Joe Mixon said the games against Baltimore showed Burrow’s ability to extend the game and make big throws. But Burrow’s poise was also shown in key moments.

“He would be that person,” Mixon said. “He’s going to have a murder mentality. If you look at him or if you see him in a gathering or see him on the big screen, he looks like he’s about to be discharged.”

In both games against Baltimore last year, Burrow starred. He engineered Cincinnati’s return in Week 7, the 416 yard throw and three touchdowns. Two months later, Burrow threw 525 yards in another victory over Raven. His 91.4 QBR total from that game is still a career-high number.

At the start of the season, Burrow said he didn’t care about the numbers as long as the team won. Through four games, the third-year quarterback’s performance has ranged from a four-earning opener in Week 1 loss to Pittsburgh to a steady performance in last week’s win. Miami Dolphins.

But there is a version of himself that he likes best.

“The one throws 530 yards,” said Burrow.

AS MUCH AS Burrow has helped transform Cincinnati, no one has changed Raven’s trajectory over the past decade more than Jackson.

Baltimore stuck to mediocrity after winning the Super Bowl in 2012. The Ravens were 44-45 (.494) from 2013 until Jackson took over quarterback starting midway through the 2018 season. .

When Jackson replaced Joe Flacco As a starter, Baltimore has been one of the best teams in the NFL and has one of the most blackout offenses. Jackson’s record as a starting midfielder (39-14) is second only Patrick Mahomes (53-14) of the active quarters since 2018.

“He’s the one who drives our team,” the Ravens finished tightly Mark Andrews speak.

Jackson used to even more one-man attack in 2022 than he did in his MVP season.

Jackson took 84% of the total yards for the league’s third-most scoring foul despite an up-front injury and a pounding attack. Baltimore started three different left tackles in the first four weeks, and Raven’s back runs had 251 yards of charge, placing 30th in the league.

Jackson’s big plays carried a team with the NFL’s 30th-ranked defense. His total of 13 touches is more than the other 28 fouls this season. Jackson made the longest run (79 yards) and second longest pass (75) this season.

“He’s very active,” said Jets coach Robert Saleh. “He’s very deserving of everything he asks for, if you ask me. But his arms, his legs, his mind, his toughness and endurance – you have to worry about it all.”

Although Jackson is averaging 8.54 yards per shot in his career, he has made significant strides in pitching, which has transformed Baltimore’s offense identity. Raven used to have the heaviest attack in the league, but Jackson backed off to get through 60% of the time.

Jackson is showing more patience, moving around to buy time instead of fighting for the lower court. He has also become more confident throwing in the window tighter and more effective at reading the defence.

“The hard thing for him is… he’s getting better,” Patriotic Safety Devin McCourty speak.

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LEAGUE SOURCE WORLD ESPN’s Adam Schefter in September that Jackson turned down an offer worth about 250 million dollars. Sources told Schefter that Jackson’s desire is for a fully guaranteed deal, similar to the record-breaking, $230 million, fully guaranteed deal the Browns delivered to Watson.

The two sides agreed to suspend contract negotiations until after the season. Without a contract extension, Jackson doesn’t have any guarantees beyond his $23.016 million base salary for this season. Still, Baltimore stuck with the idea of ​​Jackson as its franchise quarterback.

“I said from the start that it’s going to happen when the time comes, and when the time comes, it’s going to happen,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said before the season began. “So Lamar is playing midfield, he’s going to play midfield here for a long time.”

Cincinnati knows Burrow could be in line for a big payday in 2023, the first year he’s eligible to sign a contract extension. Team president Mike Brown is no stranger to paying premiums for quality quarterbacks. In 2005, Cincinnati gave Carson Palmer, the team’s previous No. 1 full-back against Burrow, a six-year, $119 million extension, making him one of the highest-paid players of the year. at that moment.

Before this year’s season started, Brown admitted his fondness for Burrow and that he knew a future paycheck would have to be written down soon.

“Right now, our most obvious, important issue will be with our back four,” Brown said in July. “It’s not quite ready or ripe yet, but it’s right under the tracks. We see the train coming.”