Jackson stars again as Ravens beat Texans

Lamar Jackson continued to build his MVP case as he threw four touchdowns

Lamar Jackson threw four touchdowns and had 308 total yards as the Baltimore Ravens beat the Houston Texans 41-7.

Baltimore moved to 8-2 and extended their lead over Houston (6-4) in the race for the top two seeds in the AFC with a dominant performance both offensively and defensively.

Houston’s woes began on the very first drive of the game as Deshaun Watson fumbled the ball at midfield as Matt Judon forced the ball free. However, Baltimore did not take advantage as Justin Tucker hit the right upright on a rare field goal miss.

Both teams played out a quiet first quarter as Watson had just 41 yards and Jackson was one of six for 12 yards through the air. However, Baltimore’s dual-threat superstar picked it up in the second quarter and didn’t look back.

The first scoring drive went 90 yards in 10 plays, and Jackson capped it with a 15-yard strike to Seth Roberts, the receiver’s first touchdown of the season.

After the Texans punted, Baltimore came right back and doubled their lead. Marquise Brown and Gus Edwards picked up big gains, but Jackson again managed the score as he fired to tight end Mark Andrews from 18 yards out.

Houston squandered the chance to narrow the deficit just before the half after Watson had driven them into field-goal range as Ka’imi Fairbairn missed right from 43 yards out, and the Ravens sealed the game as soon as the came out after half-time.

A 30-yard pass interference penalty gave the Ravens great field position as they opened the second half, and Jackson threw his third touchdown of the game when Mark Ingram was left wide open on the right sideline. He cut back to break one tackle, and rumbled in for a 25-yard score and to make it 21-0.

Mark Ingram scored two touchdowns – both through the air

Tucker blasted through two field goals to extend the lead to 27 – one after an electrifying 39-yard run from the elusive Jackson – before the quarterback threw his fourth score of the game early in the fourth quarter. Jackson again tossed to Ingram, and he juked a defender from 12 yards out before finding the end zone.

A Carlos Hyde 41-yard TD run ensured the Texans avoided being shut out, but Edwards responded for Baltimore by exploding for a 63-yard rushing score even after Robert Griffin III had come in to relieve Jackson.

Baltimore managed 263 rushing yards in total as they continued to dominate on the ground, and their defense came up with seven sacks in a dominating display.

The Ravens face a tough three-game stretch coming up as they visit the Rams, host the 49ers and visit the Bills, while Houston have three home games in a row against the Colts, Patriots and Broncos.