Lamar Jackson Conquers Nick Wright's 'Mahomes Mountain'
Lamar Jackson has reached the mountain top. The top of Nick Wright's "Mahomes Mountain," that is.
For those unfamiliar, "Mahomes Mountain" is the title of FOX Sports 1 personality Nick Wright's quarterback tiers. He places starting quarterbacks into seven tiers that are stacked in the shape of a pyramid.
The top tier always has just one quarterback. This week it's Jackson, who knocked Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes down to Tier 2.
Wright has been doing the weekly rankings for several years, and Mahomes is almost always No. 1, hence the title. Not to take away from Mahomes' greatness, but it has to be noted that Wright is a Kansas City native and unabashed Chiefs fan.
He's also been a vocal critic of Jackson.
For example, in Wright's rankings ahead of the 2024 season, he had Jackson in Tier 4 (which was technically Tier 3, as Wright had Tier 2 empty because "no one deserves to be within spitting distance of the namesake of the mountain"). Despite coming off his second MVP season, Jackson landed in the same tier as then-rookie Caleb Williams of the Chicago Bears, who had yet to play in an NFL game.
Obviously, the rankings aren't to be taken too seriously, as Wright is known for his provocative takes. Even his decision to replace Mahomes at the top with Jackson this week comes with an ulterior motive.
"The greatest quarterback I've ever seen turns 30 tomorrow," Wright said of Mahomes. "What could I get him? Here's what I can get Patrick Mahomes. A hefty dose of motivation. For the first time in quite some time, Patrick is not at the top of the mountain. Top of the mountain is Lamar.
"Guess who you have coming to Kansas City [in Week 4]? The guy ahead of you on the mountain, with a chance to reclaim your spot and remind everyone who the hell you are."
Marlon Humphrey Comments on Botched Interception
Safety Kyle Hamilton said he nearly vomited when he looked up at the scoreboard in the fourth quarter of the Week 1 loss in Buffalo and saw that the Bills had nearly 400 passing yards.
Cornerback Marlon Humphrey said he felt sick during the Ravens' win over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, but it had nothing to do with the performance of the defense, which bounced back in a big way.
Humphrey's nausea was the result of having the ball bounce off his hands and into the hands of Browns wide receiver Cedric Tilman in the end zone for a touchdown. The touchdown brought the Browns within two scores before Baltimore poured on 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter.
"As a team, it was a good day at the office. As an individual, it just got stained," Humphrey said on “The Marlon Humphrey Show.” "Looking back on it, it looked like I was playing for the other team. The ball, I see it, I see it. But something must have caught my eye. … Not going to lie, I was actually sick."
Humphrey, who had a career-high six interceptions last season, noted that it would've been his 20th career pick, which would have moved him into a fourth-place tie on the Ravens' all-time list.
Aeneas Peebles Makes Rookie Team of the Week Again
Sixth-round defensive tackle Aeneas Peebles has been quietly effective in his first two NFL regular-season games.
Peebles, who played 12 snaps against the Bills and 22 against the Browns, was named to Pro Football Focus’ Rookie Team of the Week for the second week in a row. He earned a 71.6 grade in Week 2.
"Peebles made this list last week almost strictly based on his pass rushing. But, his outing in Week 2 was more balanced, as he recorded 65.0-plus PFF grades as both a pass rusher and run defender," PFF's Jim Wyman wrote. "He secured a 14.3% pass-rush win rate, including a pressure, while adding a run stop."
Lions Sign Malik Cunningham to Their Practice Squad
The Detroit Lions, who will face the Ravens next on "Monday Night Football" at M&T Bank Stadium, signed former Ravens wide receiver Malik Cunningham to their practice squad.
It's logical to assume that Cunningham was picked up by Detroit to simulate Jackson in practice. Cunningham played quarterback in college but converted to wide receiver during the 2024 preseason with the Ravens, who had signed him off the New England Patriots' practice squad in December 2023.
Cunningham spent the 2024 season on the Ravens' practice squad and was waived last month when Baltimore finalized its 53-man roster. Cunningham had a tryout with the Lions earlier this month.
"In terms of athleticism, Cunningham might be the best option to try and replicate Jackson," Ebony Bird’s Connor Burke wrote. "Like Jackson, Cunningham played his college career at Louisville and was a dynamic dual-threat quarterback for four seasons. The two were even teammates in 2017 before Jackson was drafted by the Ravens in 2018.
"They could also look to get insight from Cunningham on the intricacies of the Ravens' offense to help game-plan for their matchup."
In the most recent meeting between the Ravens and Lions in 2023, Jackson completed 21 of 27 passes for 357 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions, in addition to rushing for 36 yards and a touchdown in a 38-6 win.
