Baltimore Ravens star Lamar Jackson is the first NFL quarterback to rush 1,000 yards in consecutive seasons, and he makes a strong case for being the best double threat in league history already.
With blazing speed and astonishing elusiveness, Jackson reached 1,000 meters on Sunday in the third quarter of a 7-meter scramble against the Cincinnati Bengals. The reigning NFL MVP started Sunday’s game and needed 92 yards to reach the milestone.
Jackson is poised to become the second quarterback to win the NFL MVP and reach the playoffs in his first three seasons in the league, he joins Dan Marino. The Ravens can capture a wild card berth by beating Cincinnati or if the Colts lose on Sunday.
The only other quarterback to rush 1,000 yards in a season was Michael Vick in 2006. Jackson exceeded 1,000 yards in two of his first three NFL seasons, setting the quarterback’s single-season record last season with 1,206 yards.
For quarterbacks, it had proved difficult to book long consecutive rush seasons. Before Jackson, the previous two quarterbacks rushing for more than 800 yards in a season (Randall Cunningham and Vick) had less than 600 rushing yards in the following season.
Jackson’s running kickstarted the race from Baltimore to the postseason. Winning four consecutive games starting on Sunday, Jackson averaged 83.2 yards rushing.