After being sidelined for three games and more than a month by a hamstring injury, Lamar Jackson threw his first third-down pass into the dirt, well short of its intended target.
That was the start of a sluggish first half for the two-time MVP and Baltimore's offense on "Thursday Night Football" in Miami. Call it rust. Call it whatever you want. Whatever it was, it didn't last long.
Jackson threw four touchdown passes in his return, as the Ravens blew out the Dolphins, 28-6, at Hard Rock Stadium. The Ravens' leading man is back.
"I just wanted to get out there with my guys," Jackson said. "It's just great to be back, man, and get a dub."
It was just six days ago when the Ravens were 1-5 and questions were swirling about Jackson's health. After back-to-back wins following the bye, the Ravens can feel momentum building.
Much of that centers around the successful return of their quarterback, who finished 18-of-23 for 204 yards, no turnovers, and a 143.2 quarterback rating.
"I said, 'It's been a long journey, man,'" Head Coach John Harbaugh said. "It's been a hard road and not just the [last] 30 days, but even before that. I'm proud of him. I'm proud of the way he came out and played."
Harbaugh thought Jackson would come back hot after he had a laser-sharp practice on Tuesday. But Jackson said he did feel like it had been a while since he played in a game.
"I missed a pass to 'Bate' [Rashod Bateman] on the first drive, so it was going through my mind the whole game," Jackson said. "I just wanted to put points on the board. I didn't want to start off too slow. After that play happened, I was ready to go. It kind of ticked me off a little bit."
While he tossed two touchdowns, Jackson threw for just 89 yards in the first half. The Dolphins outgained the Ravens, 226-109, in yardage before halftime. That all changed in the second half with back-to-back touchdown drives.
"I just felt a little bit [more] comfortable, and our guys were just ready to score," Jackson said.
Jackson found his legs, literally, in the third quarter. A 13-yard scramble on third-and-6 got the drive going and was the first time that Jackson opened up and sprinted since injuring his hamstring. A shoestring tackle took him down, but Jackson said he would've run faster if he hadn't thought it was a defensive lineman chasing him.
"That was probably the key play of the whole game," Harbaugh said. "Because if not, you're back, you're kind of in that second-quarter mode still, and that's what Lamar can do, and that's what he did. Lamar had a great game."
Two completions to Isaiah Likely and a tush-push by Andrews put the Ravens at the goal line, and a nifty misdirection play-call left Charlie Kolar wide open for a 3-yard touchdown to break the game open.
After a Dolphins three-and-out, the Ravens sprinted back into the end zone in just four plays. Jackson made his best throw of the night, ripping a corner pocket shot to Zay Flowers deep down the sideline for a 39-yard gain.
On the next play, Jackson bought time maneuvering up in the pocket and found Bateman all alone for a 9-yard score.
Jackson's return helped ignite the Ravens' red-zone offense, which went 4-for-4, including a massive conversion on fourth down for its first score.
It also helped get the tight ends rolling, as Likely, Andrews, and Kolar combined for seven catches for 105 yards and three touchdowns.
A run game that was hit-or-miss in the first half wore down the Dolphins in the second half, as Derrick Henry rumbled for 119 rushing yards.
The Ravens played well offensively last week with Tyler "Snoop" Huntley at the helm. But with Jackson back, once it got rolling, the Ravens offense looked back to its old self during the second half.
After a 1-5 start, seeing No. 8 behind the wheel again increased belief that the Ravens can catch up.
"It's do or die, win or go home, and usually, we start off winning games," Jackson said. "We never [are] behind, but right now, we're behind, and we all have to step it up."
