Lamar Jackson throws four TDs in dominant return from injury to lead Ravens to big win over Dolphins

By Ben Morse, CNN

(CNN) — Lamar Jackson made an emphatic return to NFL action on Thursday Night Football, throwing four touchdown passes to lead his Baltimore Ravens to a 28-6 win over the Miami Dolphins.

Jackson had missed the past three Ravens games with a hamstring injury, with Baltimore struggling in his absence.

But with the two-time NFL MVP back in the lineup, the Ravens looked much more like themselves, piling up 338 yards of offense, 229 coming in the second half.

Jackson connected on touchdown passes to Rashod Bateman, Charlie Kolar and twice to Mark Andrews.

And while he didn’t look as explosive when he chose to run the ball, the 28-year-old’s return seemed to open up the running game in general, with the team racking up 150 yards on the ground, including 119 for Derrick Henry on 19 carries.

“It’s awesome,” Jackson afterwards. “It’s great to be back and get a dub.”

It was the Dolphins, coming off a big win last week against the Atlanta Falcons, who took the lead in the first quarter with a field goal before Jackson capitalized on a fumble by Tahj Washington, connecting with Andrews for their first touchdown of the game.

Baltimore extended its lead in the second quarter with Andrews’ second touchdown reception of the game, capping off an eight-play, 75-yard scoring drive.

A Miami field goal just before halftime did reduce the deficit but the Dolphins failed to make any further inroads on offense after halftime, with Baltimore adding 14 points in the third quarter to ease to victory.

“I just felt a little comfortable and our guys were ready to score,” Jackson – who finished with 204 yards on 18-of-23 passing – said. “Shoutout to the offensive line. They did great.

“All phases, all skill positions, and our running backs, those guys were just locked in and wanted to put points on the board because we only scored twice in the first half.”

In what was Jackson’s first action since September 28, he continued his excellent record against the Dolphins. The Florida native now has 1,405 passing yards, 18 passing touchdowns, one interception and a 142.9 passer rating in five starts against Miami, the highest by any single player (minimum 100 attempts) vs. a single opponent in history, per NFL Research.

His return to the field is timely for Baltimore which has now won two in a row to keep its season alive, improving to 3-5 on the year.

The Ravens still face an uphill battle to make it to the postseason, but with Jackson back at the helm, that journey seems a little easier.

According to the NFL, only four teams since the 1970 merger have made the playoffs after starting a season 1-5. But, since 1990, 21 teams have made the postseason with a 3-5 opening.

For the Dolphins, it was another crushing defeat as they slip to 2-7 and the pressure ramps back up on head coach Mike McDaniel after their big win over Atlanta last time out.

Like many of their games this season, the loss to the Ravens was punctuated by self-inflicted errors – Washington’s first-quarter fumble gave excellent field position to Baltimore, a false start by Larry Borom on fourth-and-1 ended a promising drive, Riley Patterson missed a close field goal and Malik Washington also fumbled in the fourth quarter.

Miami produced its best performance of the season in Week 8 against the Falcons but Thursday’s outing will do nothing to quiet the talk around McDaniel’s future.

The-CNN-Wire
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