When the Baltimore Ravens selected quarterback Lamar Jackson with the final pick in the first round, you knew he meant a lot. Set up to be the eventual heir to starter Joe Flacco, Jackson got his first NFL touches this preseason. Check out every single play Jackson got against the Washington Redskins. Jackson would finish his game at halftime. He ended the game going 9-of-15 for 109 yards while adding 25 rushing yards and a touchdown on three runs.<doc-sep>The Ravens faced the Redskins for the final week of the preseason in a game where many players were fighting for a spot on the 53-man roster. Lamar Jackson received his first NFL start at quarterback for Baltimore. Jackson scored on a quarterback run after leading the offense on an impressive drive to start the night, including a shifty 28-yard run by undrafted running back De’Lance Turner. Jackson finished the night 9/15 for 109 yards, 25 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown. Josh Woodrum played the rest of the game, finishing 3/8 for 37 yards, one touchdown and one interception. The interception was not Woodrum’s fault, however, as the pass perfectly hit DeVier Posey in stride, but Posey was unable to bring it down and tossed it into the hands of a nearby defender. Bronson Kaufusi had a big night with eight tackles and 2.5 sacks from the edge. Kaufusi is entering his third year firmly on the roster bubble. A strong performance tonight may have helped his chances to make the team. Breshad Perriman did not have the game he needed tonight. Although he caught all three passes for 24 yards, Perriman failed to fight for a deep ball which was almost intercepted. He also missed a key block downfield on a Mark Andrews catch-and-run. Perriman’s mishaps plus his lack of special teams contributions does not bode well for his chances of making the final roster. Andrews had a big game with three receptions for 61 yards. The highlight of the night on offense was a 45-yard catch-and-run from Andrews. With Hayden Hurst sidelined to begin the season, Andrews will be expected to step up. Tight end Vince Mayle showed up with a touchdown as well. Mayle is fighting for the final tight end spot on the roster. The battle for returner failed to make any strides tonight. Janarion Grant and Tim White both received multiple opportunities, but neither jumped out. White did allow a ball to land inside the ten-yard line, however, when he could have easily fielded it for positive yardage. This is a race that could be lost rather than won by either player. Patrick Ricard continued his dominant preseason on the defensive line, forcing a fumble in this game and constantly penetrating the backfield. Both Robertson Daniel and Kai Nacua had interceptions. Nacua’s was particularly impressive as he snatched the ball from the receiver and returned it for a touchdown. Chris Wormley and Myles Humphrey each had a sack as well, bringing the total to four. Baltimore extended its preseason win streak to 13 now with a 30-20 win over Washington. Several tough decisions will be made now regarding the final 53-man roster over the next two days.<doc-sep>This right here is why rookie quarterback Lamar Jackson is such a threat. Not only did Jackson hit a perfect four passes on the opening drive of the game to march down the field, he showed off his legs as well. This one-yard run was exactly what makes Jackson so dangerous in the red zone. A fake handoff up the middle left Jackson absolutely wide open on the left side for an easy touchdown run. Teams will quickly have to defend against this if Jackson sees any playing time during the regular season. That could mean a linebacker or safety is forced to spy and mirror him. In that case, it effectively takes a defender out of the play if it were a run right up the middle. Either way it goes, Jackson showed NFL defenses that he’s a weapon in the red zone and needs special consideration on the ground.<doc-sep>We’re seeing Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson come into his own in these final two games. We’re also getting our first extended look at tight end Mark Andrews. While neither have been perfect this preseason, it’s flashes like this beautiful 45-yard connection that shows what both players are truly capable of. Andrews ran the route perfectly, pushing the safety deep and finding an obvious hole on the inside. Jackson threw it exactly where he had to, hitting Andrews in stride and allowing him to continue running. Andrews bounced off a would-be Washington Redskins tackler and picks up a bunch of extra yards. Andrews now has three receptions for 61 yards with plenty left in the first half. Jackson has led two scoring drives to put the Ravens up 10-7 and has gone 6-for-8 for 87 yards, along with two rushes for 11 yards and a touchdown on the ground. It might be a little soon, but this is a connection the Ravens were dreaming of when they selected both in the 2018 NFL draft.<doc-sep>
The Ravens preseason is now in the books. How did Lamar Jackson do in the fifth and final preseason game: Another preseason game, another Lamar Jackson rushing touchdown. Jackson was without a passing touchdown, but he showed the Ravens more of his ability to run the football into the end zone on a one yard bootleg. It was one of Jackson’s handful of highlights against the Washington Redskins. Jackson finished 9-15 passing for just over 100 yards. He ran for 25 yards as well. In addition to his touchdown, he also ran for a first down on a play other quarterbacks would have been sacked. Jackson orchestrated a touchdown drive to start the game and he looked very comfortable running the offense. Let’s get to the report card: LAMAR JACKSON QB, Ravens A Jackson looked better as a passer last week against the Miami Dolphins and that trend continued against Washington. One of the most impressive plays of the evening was when Jackson beamed a ball into Breshad Perriman’s hand on a hitch route. It was a tight window, and if the ball wasn’t rocketed in, on time, it would have been trouble. That was impressive because Jackson hadf struggled so mightily earlier this preseason with timing and accuracy. He made a perfect pass down the middle of the field to Mark Andrews which allowed Andrews to get yards after the catch. That was one of the biggest plays of the night. Jackson had a couple misfires, but he played well. Jackson made good decisions and avoided mistakes. The most exciting thing is that Jackson has gotten better with each preseason game. He made some throws against the Redskins that he wouldn’t have made at the beginning of preseason. At this point, Jackson just needs to show that he is learning, growing and developing as a pass first quarterback. Because Jackson got the job done mostly as a passer against the Redskins, he gets his second consecutive A. Robert Griffin III didn’t play in this game. By Saturday night, we’ll know what that means. Jackson got the start and he did a lot with it. This will probably be out last look at what Jackson can do until next August. One thing is sure, Jackson showed an incredible amount of progress since the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game earlier this month. In his fifth preseason performance, Jackson gave Baltimore reason to hope for the future.