Lamar Jackson made NFL rushing history, and the Baltimore Ravens are headed back into the playoffs on a full sprint.
Jackson became the first quarterback in NFL history to record multiple 1,000-yard rushing seasons Sunday as the Ravens clinched a wild-card berth with their fifth straight victory, a 38-3 route of the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Ravens (11-5) secured the No. 5 seed in the AFC and will play at the AFC South champion next weekend in the wild-card round of the playoffs. The winner of the AFC South — the Tennessee Titans or the Indianapolis Colts — will be determined later Sunday.
Jackson’s 97 yards rushing and record-setting performance was only part of Baltimore’s dominant rushing attack. The Ravens finished with 404 yards rushing behind J.K. Dobbins (160 yards rushing) and Gus Edwards (60).
Jackson, who also threw three touchdowns passes, became the second quarterback to win NFL MVP and reach the playoffs in his first three seasons in the league, joining Dan Marino. He now will seek his first postseason victory after consecutive one-and-done playoff appearances.
Jackson’s rushing milestone — as well as Baltimore’s playoff fate — was settled quickly Sunday at Paul Brown Stadium. Needing 92 yards to reach 1,000, Jackson reached the NFL record book with a 7-yard scramble to convert a third down with eight minutes left in the third quarter. He was pulled before the start of the fourth quarter.
The only other quarterback to surpass 1,000 yards rushing in a season was Michael Vick in 2006. Jackson has eclipsed 1,000 yards rushing in two of his first three NFL seasons, setting the single-season record for quarterbacks last season with 1,206 yards.
For quarterbacks, posting big back-to-back rushing seasons had proved elusive. Before Jackson, the previous two quarterbacks to rush for more than 900 yards in a season (Randall Cunningham and Vick) recorded less than 600 rushing yards the next season.
Jackson’s running also has jump-started Baltimore’s late-season surge to the postseason. He has averaged 86 rushing yards per game during the Ravens’ five-game winning streak.
