Roquan Smith Draws Comparison to Ray Lewis for Dominant Performance
Ray Lewis fired up inside linebacker Roquan Smith just prior to the Ravens taking the field Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium. Then Smith went out and put on a performance that surely made the Hall of Famer proud.
In fact, on a day in which the Ravens celebrated their 30th season, Smith's effort in the Ravens' 41-17 win over the Cleveland Browns was reminiscent of the way Lewis dominated during his illustrious career in Baltimore.
"It was easily his greatest game as a Raven and stands well with the greatest performances of Ray Lewis' career," Filmstudy.com’s Ken McKusick wrote.
Comparing anyone to Lewis, arguably the greatest inside linebacker of all time, is almost unfair, but that's how good Smith was against the Browns.
Smith's final stat line: 15 tackles, including three for loss, two quarterback hits, and a 63-yard touchdown on a fumble recovery.
The three-time All-Pro earned a 91.9 grade from Pro Football Focus. It was the second-highest grade of Smith's eight-year career, topped only by his performance against the Denver Broncos in 2022, his first season with the Ravens.
Beyond the stats, Smith continues to fill an important role as a leader on the defense, as Lewis did back in the day.
"I can't say enough good things about Roquan in this game," "Locked on Ravens" podcast host Kevin Oestreicher said. "He was everywhere, he was flying around. And it's crazy to say this, but his impact went far beyond the box score, and his box score was unbelievable. That's the type of leader that you need on a defense. Roquan has given that to them, certainly as a vocal leader and a motivational leader, and he [also] leads by example on the field."
Lamar Jackson Already in MVP Form
Week 2 just concluded, but Lamar Jackson is already in midseason form, which for him is MVP form.
ESPN’s Jamison Hensley said Jackson is starting on a path to win his third MVP.
Jackson leads the league in touchdown passes (six), quarterback rating (136.6), QBR (83.6), adjusted yards gained per pass attempt (11.54), and total touchdowns (seven). He has rushed for 83 yards and a touchdown on eight carries (10.4 yards per carry).
"This marks the fifth time in the past 20 years that a quarterback has produced at least seven total touchdowns with no turnovers in the first two weeks, according to ESPN Research," Hensley wrote. "The previous four – Peyton Manning (2013), Patrick Mahomes (2018 and 2022) and Jackson (2019) – won NFL MVP that season."
Hensley noted that Jackson has more touchdowns so far this season than every team in the NFL except the Buffalo Bills and Detroit Lions, who each have eight.
"But Jackson is reaching the end zone this season in a different fashion," Hensley wrote. "This season, it seems like a touchdown could happen every time Jackson drops back to pass. He has been more explosive, with a league-leading four touchdown passes over 20 yards through two weeks. He had nine touchdown throws of 20 yards or longer last season."
Jackson's career numbers show why he is regarded as the best dual-threat quarterback in history. In addition to being the all-time rushing leader for a quarterback (6,256 yards), Jackson is also the all-time leader in passer rating (102.6).
Cam Newton Says Shedeur Sanders Would Have Benefited by Learning From Jackson
ESPN analyst and former NFL quarterback Cam Newton weighed in on the report that the Ravens intended to draft quarterback Shedeur Sanders in the fifth round before he informed them that he didn't want to be a backup to Jackson.
Newton said in hindsight it was the wrong decision for Sanders, who is No. 3 on the Browns' depth chart behind Joe Flacco and third-round pick Dillon Gabriel. He argued that Sanders would have benefited from being mentored by Jackson.
"If I'm Shedeur, you would ideally want to learn behind a guy like Lamar Jackson for this particular reason and this particular reason only: Not a lot of players can really cope with your star power, with your stardom," Newton said on “First Take.” "And let's really give credit where credit is due. At 28 years old, being a phenomenal athlete, the thing that I respect about a guy like Lamar Jackson the most [is] we've never heard him have any off-the-field issues.
"He's been a stand-up guy, and all of our opinions have always led to his on-field performance. Not a lot of people can relate to what Shedeur Sanders has been through in his whole life, and that right there serves even more to make him a better player, because it's the totality of the position. And I think Lamar Jackson would have been able to relate to him in many ways."
