Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) looks to pass against Detroit Lions during the first half at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Md. on Monday, Sept. 22, 2025. Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Ravens' Lamar Jackson Falls Short in MVP Candidate Showdown

Originally posted on Baltimore Ravens on SI
By Henry Brown | Last updated Sep 23, 2025 7:00 AM ET

All of the history and numbers seemed to point to the Baltimore Ravens holding the line in keeping the Detroit Lions at bay for their primetime Week 3 matchup.

The underdog Lions were set to visit Baltimore, where the Ravens had bounced back to look more like their usual contending selves in a reset win in the prior week. They'd owned the Lions since moving to the eastern shore, taking six of the seven matchups that the two teams had lined up for over their joint 30 year history.

Ravens star quarterback Lamar Jackson entered the week's final game with a 24-2 record against the NFC as a starter, and he'd never had any problem with Lions' counterpart Jared Goff before. He'd never taken a loss to his fellow first round-draftee was with the Los Angeles Rams in going a perfect 3-0, but the nationally-televised showdown just became another instance of his Ravens folding with all eyes on them.

The Lions killed the Ravens on the ground, scoring multiple 95+ yard scoring drives against a team that had yet to relent such a feat of distance even once since 2001. Detroit couldn't have been less intimidated of Baltimore's linebackers and ground defenders, with Jahmir Gibbs and David Montgomery blowing through holes all night long to combine for 218 yards and four touchdowns in the 38-30 win.

They made a mockery of the Ravens' once-acclaimed defense, but Goff did plenty damage of his own through the Lions' aerial attack. He went 20/28 on completions in throwing for a score of his own, repeatedly finding Amon-Ra St. Brown downfield whenever his team needed to apply momentum.

Peter Casey-Imagn Images

Despite finishing at fifth on last season's MVP ballot, Goff isn't regarded as highly as the top-tier, game-changing quarterbacks like the sort that Jackson's regularly lumped in with. But anyone who watched tonight will attest to the Lions' quarterback delivering all of the right strikes in a deserved win, while Jackson spent more time on his heels than ever.

He accounted for three times as many passing touchdowns as Detroit's side, but took seven sacks and looked completely flattened against the Lions pass-rush. His questionable offensive line simply could not contain Jack Campbell, Al-Quadin Muhammad and the rest of the Lions linebackers, and his own insistence on holding the ball to keep backfield scrambles going bit the Ravens in the tail.

Football is not a typical head-to-head sport, with players of equal positions never sharing the field as offenses and defenses swap out. This makes direct comparisons difficult, and box score watchers should know this: Goff's numbers on paper look more impressive, and so does a win, but the team around him did good work to make Jackson uncomfortable while the Lions' man pulled his own weight.

Yet again, the Ravens have more long meeting and self-reflection waiting for them in the week ahead.

This article first appeared on Baltimore Ravens on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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