Lamar Jackson

Now he will be the next featured athlete on the most successful football video game of all time.  

The reigning MVP confirmed that his likeness would be on the cover of Madden NFL 21 on Tuesday in a video posted on the team's Twitter feed.  

The venerable video game franchise produced by EA Sports has sold over 130 million copies since its inception in 1988 and trails only the company's FIFA offering as the best-selling sports video game franchise ever.  

Jackson's 2019 MVP campaign and multi-faceted skillset – the kind that translates best to gaming and endears him to younger fans – made him a clear choice to be the series' next cover athlete.  

Legendary announcer John Madden, who the game is named after, was on the cover for its first dozen years, but ever since Tennessee Titans running back Eddie George appeared on Madden NFL 2001, the Madden cover has served as a time capsule of the hottest names in the sport, year-by-year.  

Some fans, however, have come to believe in a 'Madden curse', which dooms the cover athlete to a poor or injury-prone season the year that the game is released.  

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Daunte Culpepper had his passer rating drop nearly 15 points from the previous season while on the cover of Madden NFL 02, and Michael Vick started just four games for the Atlanta Falcons while gracing the cover of Madden NFL 04.  

Donovan McNabb missed seven games in 2005, Shaun Alexander's yards from scrimmage dropped by over 1,000 from 2005 to 2006, and Vince Young managed just nine touchdown passes to 17 interceptions in 2007 – and so the list continues.  

Jackson, however, does not buy into such a superstition, pointing out that the Kansas City Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes was on the cover of Madden 20 after his MVP campaign and went on to win the Super Bowl in February.  

“I'm not worried about a curse,” Jackson said. “Patrick Mahomes was on the front, he won [the Super Bowl] MVP, so I'll want that curse. I hope that's the curse.” 

Jackson, 23, is coming off an unprecedented season in which he passed for 36 touchdowns to just six interceptions and gained a quarterback-record 1,206 yards on the ground with seven rushing touchdowns.  

Former MVP Jackson became the fourth quarterback in the past 25 seasons to throw four interceptions targeting a single player – in this case, Mark Andrews – in a game after Eli Manning-Hakeem Nicks, Luke McCown-Mike Thomas and Mark Sanchez-Braylon Edwards.

He was also sacked twice on Sunday as he finished with 20-of-32 passing for 165 yards.

However, Jackson's throw for Andrews' touchdown gave the Ravens a 13-3 advantage and they saw out a 16-10 victory to go top of the AFC standings.

The win also ended a run of 41 consecutive games in which a quarterback to throw four interceptions lost the game. The last man to win after such a performance was Andy Dalton for the Cincinnati Bengals against the Ravens in 2013.

The Ravens became the only team in the Super Bowl era to score fewer than 17 points, have fewer than 325 yards in total and throw at least four more interceptions than their opponents and still win the game.

Harbaugh was full of admiration for the way Jackson did not allow himself to be overawed by his mistakes.

"Nobody gets flustered, and it starts with Lamar," he said. "Lamar wants those plays back and he's a massive competitor. Yet he doesn't let it take control of him. He's able to push it aside and he's able to go play the next series and give you great football.

"It's really a rare trait. To me, that's one of the things that makes him the quarterback that he is."

Jackson himself said: "I feel like those drives, when the interceptions came, we could've done something on those drives. We could've put points on the board.

"I just told my team, 'That's me. I owe y'all.'

"I mean, it's one game that it happened. They just made great plays on those interceptions. It wasn't like I was throwing it right to them."

The 8-3 Ravens are at the Pittsburgh Steelers next Sunday.

Bryant, a three-time Pro Bowler who led the NFL in receiving touchdowns in 2014, has not played a snap since the 2017 season.

He signed with the New Orleans Saints in November 2018 but suffered a torn Achilles in practice after just two days with the team.

The 31-year-old said this month on Twitter that he just wants "a chance" and it appears league MVP Jackson would have no issue with the Ravens handing him that opportunity.

"We've got a lot of great receivers on the team right now," Jackson said on Tuesday.

"It's up to the front office. I've been seeing Dez Bryant on Instagram and stuff like that, running his routes, competing against cornerbacks.

"He's looking pretty good on social media. If the front office likes him, we'll have to see when he gets here."

The Ravens are inexperienced at the receiver position. They drafted Marquise Brown in the first round and Miles Boykin in the third round of last year's draft and added the third-round selection of Devin Duvernay and the sixth-round pick of James Proche in 2020.

Jackson has been impressed with the effort that group is showing to this point in training camp.

"They're workaholics right now," Jackson added. "It's just the second day. We're just going to have to keep stacking."

Baltimore grabbed an early lead just four minutes into the action, with their punt on the opening drive of the game bouncing off the chest of Buccaneers returner Dee Delaney to gift the Ravens a redzone opportunity.

The Buccaneers defense held, forcing a Justin Tucker field goal, and they took the lead just five minutes later when Leonard Fournette punched in a one-yard touchdown run to cap off a 75-yard drive.

A Tampa Bay field goal would give them a 10-3 lead at halftime, but the Baltimore offense would figure things out in the second half as a five-yard touchdown pass from Lamar Jackson to Kenyan Drake tied the contest at 10-10.

After forcing a Buccaneers punt, the Ravens made it two touchdown drives in a row as Jackson was flushed out of the pocket and found rookie tight end Isaiah Likely along the back of the endzone in tight coverage.

They then made it three touchdown drives in a row when receiver Devin Duvernay was able to convert a third-and-one into a 15-yard touchdown run on a jet-sweep, widening the Ravens' lead to 24-13 with under seven minutes to play.

Tom Brady was able to lead the Buccaneers back into the redzone twice, and was rewarded with a consolation eight-yard touchdown pass to the returning Julio Jones with under a minute on the clock.

Neither quarterback ended up committing a turnover as Jackson completed 27 of his 38 passes for 238 yards and two touchdowns, while Brady was 26-of-44 for 325 yards and one score.

After star Ravens tight end Mark Andrews left with an injury, Likely led the Ravens in catches (six) and receiving yards (77), while Mike Evans caught six balls for 123 yards to lead the Buccaneers.

The Ravens improved to 2-1 with a 37-26 win over the New England Patriots on Sunday, in which Jackson threw four touchdown passes and rushed for 107 yards and a further score.

The fifth-year QB became only the second player in NFL history with at least four TD passes, 100 rushing yards and a rushing TD in a game after the Philadelphia Eagles' Randall Cunningham – also against the Patriots – in Week 9 of the 1990 season.

But Jackson also had three TD passes and 100 rushing yards in Week 2 against the Miami Dolphins.

Only seven other QBs (including Cunningham) have previously enjoyed such a performance, and none of them have done so more than once. Jackson has achieved that feat in consecutive games and four times across his career.

Surely a contender again this year, Jackson was the MVP in 2019 when he led the league in passing TDs (36), as he does now (10).

The failure to agree a new Ravens contract in the offseason would likely have made Jackson more determined to bounce back from an injury-hit 2021, but Harbaugh has never doubted his star man.

"No one has to tell me about Lamar Jackson," the Baltimore coach said.

"I believe in him. I love him. I just believed him the first day we drafted him, the first day we talked about drafting him. I felt like he could be everything he is.

"I just think it's a natural next step in terms of like finding his rhythm during the week, what he's looking at, how he studies defenses, how he breaks defenses down.

"It's not a lightbulb thing; it's an evolution of studying the game that you see quarterbacks go through."

Jackson offered his own take on his development, adding: "I'd just say [it is down to] maturity, just because of my age, just knowing the game of football just basically inside out.

"You've just got to stay locked in. That's probably the thing, just being locked in no matter what's going on during the game."

The Jets are on the long list of teams who look foolish for passing on Jackson, and one celebrity Gang Green fan tried to convince the franchise hierarchy the former Louisville quarterback was a better option than Darnold back in 2018.

Speaking on the Michael Kay Show on WEPN-FM 98.7 ESPN New York, Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm creator Larry David revealed he told then Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan to draft Jackson.

Maccagnan's response was not a positive one.

"I did call Mike Maccagnan before the 2018 draft and I recommended that he draft Lamar Jackson. I have a witness," David said.

"He kinda gave me the most condescending... he laughed at me. But, who can blame him?"

Darnold has a career record of 11-15 in his 26 games for the Jets. He has completed 59.9 per cent of his passes for 5,889 yards, 36 touchdowns and 28 interceptions, having missed much of the 2019 campaign due to a bout of mononucleosis.

Jackson, meanwhile, is 19-3 as a starter with the Ravens, who face the Tennessee Titans in the Divisional Round of the playoffs on Saturday. 

He threw for 3,127 yards, 36 touchdowns and just six interceptions in the regular season, while also breaking Michael Vick's single-season quarterback rushing record by running for 1,206 yards and seven touchdowns.

The Ravens are two wins away from the Super Bowl while the Jets are once again watching from home. David may be known for his comic genius, but perhaps Maccagnan should have taken him seriously.

Andy Reid's Chiefs were somewhere near their ruthless best in the NFL on Sunday, winning a sixth straight game to improve to 9-4, Patrick Mahomes completing 20 of 24 passes for 258 yards and two touchdowns in the rout.

It moved him third all-time in the most yards thrown by a Chiefs quarterback, above Alex Smith, with a total of 17,794 yards.

Running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire rushed for 37 yards and two touchdowns as the Chiefs looked formidable in defense and offense at Arrowhead Stadium.

A fumble on the first play from Josh Jacobs was clinically punished by Mike Hughes as the Chiefs had a dream start, and by half-time they led 35-3.

Curiously, they won and limited their opponents to exactly nine points for a third successive game, after previous successes against the Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos.

Tyreek Hill went through 1,000 yards receiving for the season as he took four catches for 76 yards to reach 1,030, for his fourth 1,000-yard season in the NFL.

Mahomes was masterful though, the quarterback ending a two-game run without a TD pass by posting a season-best pass completion rate of 83.3 per cent. He stretched his record run to 20 consecutive regular season wins in QB starts in November or later.

For the Raiders, it was more of the same against the Chiefs, having become accustomed to losses in this game. They have won just three of 18 games in the rivalry since Reid was appointed head coach of the Chiefs in 2013.

JACKSON DOWN, BROWNS BOOSTED

Star quarterback Lamar Jackson was carted out of the Ravens' clash with the Cleveland Browns, and it was a day to forget for Baltimore.

A 24-22 loss means they slipped to 8-5 for the season, while the Browns improved to 7-6, bolstering their Wild Card hopes.

Jackson, doubtful pre-game with an ankle sprain, managed only four of four passes for 17 yards before taking a hit and making way for Tyler Huntley (27 of 38 for 270 yards and one TD).

The Ravens, frontrunners in the AFC North, almost pulled off a stunning comeback against their divisional rivals, having trailed 24-6 at half-time, but it proved just beyond them.

Baker Mayfield went 22-of-32 for 190 yards and two touchdowns for the Browns.

NEWTON WOES PERSIST

Cam Newton has now lost 11 straight games as a Carolina Panthers starter and held himself largely culpable for the latest in that long line.

He also became the first quarterback in NFL history with a rushing touchdown in each of his first four games of a season, but Carolina's 29-21 loss to the Atlanta Falcons was a sickener for the former MVP.

He had 15 completions from 23 passes for 178 yards, splitting QB duties with PJ Walker, as turnovers and failed drives blighted the day for the Panthers.

Newton said: "Pretty much everything they did, we knew was coming. I've got to do a better job of protecting the football. I hold myself to a high standard to do those things and when it doesn't happen it's just inexcusable.

"We had such a great momentum for those drives and they were just drive killers, game killers in essence

"We were driving on both of those turnovers I had. To be optimistic, you see what we're capable of, but we've got to do it for ourselves."

In one of the highlights of the opening round of games, Mahomes threw for 337 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Kansas City Chiefs to a comeback win over the Cleveland Browns.

All eyes will be on Mahomes again in Week 2, and the Chiefs have an intriguing matchup against fellow quarterback Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens.

This battle between two of the past three MVPs has been one-sided in the past, though, as Stats Perform discovers in the most interesting facts from Sunday's biggest games.

Kansas City Chiefs @ Baltimore Ravens

The Chiefs will have few concerns about going on the road, boasting a 5-1 record against the Ravens in Baltimore all-time. They have also won each of the teams' past four meetings.

This dominance is reflected in Mahomes' record against Jackson, winning all three head-to-heads and averaging 378.7 passing yards per game to his opponent's 170.3.

Of course, Jackson is a greater threat across the ground than through the air, leading the Ravens in rushing yards against the Las Vegas Raiders last week for the 21st game of his career (including the postseason). In that time, no other QB has led his team in rushing in more than 12 games.

But even if Jackson can guide the Ravens into a lead, that brings no guarantee of victory. They gave up a 14-point lead for the first time in 99 games against the Raiders, while the Chiefs recovered from 12 points down at home to the Browns and actually have a 10-8 record after trailing by double digits since the start of 2018.

Dallas Cowboys @ Los Angeles Chargers

Another clash between two top QBs on Sunday sees Dak Prescott take the Cowboys to the Chargers having last week continued his impressive run even in defeat to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Due to injury, Prescott has only actually played six games since the start of last year, but he has passed for at least 400 yards in four of them – no other player has more than two such games in that span.

However, Dallas have lost a league-high three games while posting 450-plus total net yards since the beginning of 2020.

The Chargers have their own prolific passer, too, in Justin Herbert, who threw for 337 yards in a win against the Washington Football Team in Week 1, meaning he now has 4,673 passing yards through 16 career games – a tally only topped by Mahomes' 5,100 in his first 16 games.

Buffalo Bills @ Miami Dolphins

Josh Allen is another elite passer who would hope to be in MVP contention at the end of the year, but he was less impressive in the Bills' opening defeat to the Pittsburgh Steelers, completing only 30 of 51 passes.

While that was a career high for pass attempts, NFL teams are 4-20 when having a QB throw 50 or more since the start of last season.

Allen at least has fond memories of facing Miami. In the first of the sides' two meetings last year, he threw for career bests in yards (415) and TD passes (four), while the second clash saw the Bills score 56 points – a tally they have only ever topped once, also against the Dolphins in 1966.

Buffalo have five straight wins against Miami, although the Dolphins are in form with 10 wins in 13 games after 10 victories in their prior 33.

Elsewhere...

New Los Angeles Rams QB Matthew Stafford will fancy his chances against the Indianapolis Colts. His passer rating of 156.1 in Week 1 led the league, but Russell Wilson, against the Colts, was second with 152.3. Stafford threw three TD passes, including two of more than 50 yards – a feat only previously achieved once by a player in their first game with the team in the Super Bowl era (John Stofa for the Cincinnati Bengals in 1968).

Jameis Winston took a slightly less spectacular route to his five TD passes last time out, with 148 passing yards the fewest from a QB to throw five for five scores.

Meanwhile, first overall pick Trevor Lawrence threw for 332 yards, the most by a player on his debut since Cam Newton's 422 yards in 2011, but he also had three interceptions – something he never did in his 40 games at Clemson.

Each of the first-round rookie QBs will be aiming to build on feats of some manner, with 21-year-old Trey Lance the youngest player in the Super Bowl era to throw a touchdown on his first NFL pass.

Mac Jones, who this week faces Zach Wilson, threw for 281 yards – the most by a New England Patriots rookie on debut.

The Chiefs began their first steps towards an unprecedented three-peat with a 27-20 win over Baltimore on Thursday but had to hang on as the Ravens had a late touchdown overturned.

Worthy scored a touchdown the first time he got the ball in an NFL game with a 21-yard rush, before getting his second in the fourth quarter, a 35-yard catch from Mahomes.

The quarterback lauded Worthy's ability after the game, noting that his touchdowns were not his biggest contributions to the team during the win.

"Just having him out there, it just opens up stuff," Mahomes said. "You saw when he's out there, they're playing shell coverages.

"It's getting guys like [Travis Kelce] and it's getting guys like [Rashee Rice] open underneath, and that's what's so great about this offense is we're able to do all of that, and that's when we're at our best.

"He's so cool, calm and collected all the time. You never even see the excitement on him, but he goes out there and makes plays.

"Obviously, we want to continue to use him more and more, but I thought he had a great day today, making big plays and big moments."

Meanwhile, the Ravens were left frustrated by a late call from the officials as Isaiah Likely was denied a touchdown on the final play of the game.

He caught Lamar Jackson's pass, but it was ruled out by the slightest of margins after initially being given onfield, with replays showing his toe was just outside the line.

"You have to live with that call," Likely said, via the team's website.

"That's on me. I just have to get both feet in. I harp on myself to catch everything and make sure everybody puts us in the best possibility, so I take responsibility. Next time, I'm going to get my feet down."

Jackson, however, was not convinced by the final call.

"I thought it was a touchdown," Jackson said. "I still think it's a touchdown."

Jackson's contractual situation with the Ravens remains unresolved, after Baltimore opted against handing the 2019 MVP a new five-year contract in 2022, with the QB playing out the fifth-year option of his rookie deal in 2022.

The Ravens were previously public in their confidence that they would secure Jackson to a new long-term deal, but nothing has been forthcoming, with no talks taking place since last offseason.

Jackson is understood to want a fully guaranteed five-year contract – similar to the outlier deal handed to Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson – which the Ravens are not willing to meet, meaning one of the parties will need to budge to agree to a new deal.

The NFL's franchise tag window opened on Tuesday running until March 7, with the Ravens expected to place the tag on their QB to prevent Jackson from becoming an unrestricted free agent should they be unable to agree to a new deal in the next fortnight.

That scenario may lead to Jackson, who represents himself in negotiations without an agent, opting to skip Ravens' offseason workouts and training camp and only report to practice in the week prior to the regular season.

"Sure, he'll be behind, but it's still just football," Monken told reporters. "Sometimes we make this out to be way too much. We'll cater to what he knows and play."

Monken was speaking at his introductory press conference, having only been appointed to the role last week replacing Greg Roman.

The new offensive coordinator would naturally need time to build rapport with Jackson, which that hypothetical scenario would not afford him.

"I mean it's like any player, the more time you spend with them, the more comfortable they get with any system," Monken said. "That's more relationship, and that's part of it.

"There's a big part of that relationship from a quarterback, coordinator, playcaller, position coach where they're comfortable and there's a trust. And that's built over time."

Jackson's past two seasons have ended prematurely due to injuries, with the Ravens missing the playoffs in 2021 following a late slump, while they lost to the Cincinnati Bengals in the Wild Card round in 2022.

The Ravens QB threw a career-best 36 touchdowns with a 66.1 per cent completion rate in his MVP-winning 2019 season from 15 starts, but only managed 16 and 17 TDs from 12 and 12 starts in his past two seasons respectively.

"He's got an elite skill set," Monken said. "I think he's underrated as a passer in terms of his ability to make plays and throw it down the field."

The Kansas City Chiefs were the beneficiaries, coming up the field one last time to beat the Buffalo Bills, but Patrick Mahomes and Co. were not to make the Super Bowl.

That the Chiefs were stunned by the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Championship Game said a great deal for the strength in depth of the conference.

And that has been ratcheted up to another level over the course of the offseason, with Russell Wilson and Davante Adams among the notable names traded into the AFC.

The NFC may still have the defending Super Bowl champions, but there are no shortage of contenders here – including as many as four in one wild division out west.

The favourites

The Chiefs and the Bills would both have been hugely disheartened by the manner in which their seasons ended. Kansas City had the fortune that deserted Buffalo but were unable to make the most of their reprieve against the Bengals.

But that will merely make Mahomes and Josh Allen two of the more motivated superstars heading into the new season.

Mahomes is now without Tyreek Hill, yet the Chiefs' offensive line went from strength to strength as last season wore on, ranking third in pass protection win percentage by the year's end.

Meanwhile, Allen showed in that playoff blockbuster he can be every bit a match for Mahomes at his best. He threw nine touchdown passes across his two playoff games; no player had previously thrown more than seven while playing two games or fewer in a single postseason.

Allen will hope not to get the chance to better that record, this year targeting a run that goes far beyond the Divisional Round.

In the mix

The Bengals of course have to be considered after pushing the Los Angeles Rams all the way, while the Tennessee Titans actually matched the Chiefs for the best regular season record in the AFC despite Derrick Henry being limited to eight games, though the trade of receiver A.J. Brown to the Philadelphia Eagles may restrict their ceiling on offense and ability to compete this year.

Deshaun Watson's suspension will give the Cleveland Browns work to do just to make the playoffs, but they may well be a serious threat if they get there.

A conference packed with quarterback talent also includes former MVP Lamar Jackson, who is fit again and looking to set the Baltimore Ravens back on course after a difficult 2021 in which they finished bottom of the AFC North.

But if the Chiefs are the team to beat, perhaps one of their division rivals can cause an upset. Each of the Los Angeles Chargers, the Denver Broncos and the Las Vegas Raiders have reasons to be optimistic.

Four contenders in the wild, wild AFC West

The Chiefs have won the AFC West six years in a row, but there is no guarantee that will become seven. The scale of the challenge before Kansas City represents a big boost to their AFC rivals – and to the neutrals, licking their lips at a must-watch season-long tussle.

Justin Herbert has long looked like making the Chargers contenders, with just the 14th 5,000-yard passing season in league history helping his offense finish fourth in the league in yards per game (390.2) and fifth in total points scored (747) last season. Crucially, the Chargers have added defensive help in the form of Khalil Mack and J.C. Jackson now, too.

Yet their offseason work perhaps pales next to that of the Broncos and the Raiders.

Wilson left the Seattle Seahawks for Denver, who promptly handed him a huge contract, clearly feeling he and Nathaniel Hackett can be the QB-coach combo they have been missing to return them to the postseason.

Support for that belief comes from Wilson's performance in quarterback Efficiency Versus Expected (EVE), which measures a signal-caller's performance in expected passing situations against the league average. Despite playing only 14 games on a Seahawks team that finished in the NFC West cellar, Wilson was still 13th in EVE, just behind Tom Brady.

Meanwhile, Adams has reunited with former Fresno State team-mate Derek Carr on the Raiders, with Stats Perform's positional rankings subsequently considering Las Vegas to have the most talented skill players in the NFL.

The Chiefs will undoubtedly now be made to work for the division after years of dominance. 

Lamar out to right last year's wrongs

With half of the conference potentially in contention for a Super Bowl run, there is perhaps no true sleeper pick, but the Ravens will expect to go from worst to first in their division.

Much will depend on a return to form for dual-threat superstar Jackson.

Baltimore were firmly on course for the playoffs at the time of the ankle injury that kept Jackson out of the run-in in 2021, collapsing thereafter. However, it had already been by far the QB's worst season as a regular starter.

After 3,127 passing yards and 36 passing TDs and 1,206 rushing yards and seven rushing TDs in his MVP season of 2019, Jackson had regressed slightly in 2020 and struggled further last year both through the air and on the ground.

In 12 games, Jackson threw just 16 TDs to 13 interceptions, while his 767 rushing yards saw him finish second among QBs to Jalen Hurts – a category he had dominated in the previous two campaigns.

Everything the Ravens do when they are good goes through Jackson, so his performance level will make or break their season.

Can Tua turn his fortunes around?

With the wealth of talent at the top of the AFC, there must also be some dregs at the bottom. The Miami Dolphins might fear they belong instead to that category.

The Dolphins made their own big move this offseason, taking elite receiver Hill out of the AFC West to give Tua Tagovailoa little excuse in his third season.

Hill got open on 82.7 per cent of his targets last season, with those skills of separation sure to come in useful when attempting to link up with a passer in Tagovailoa who threw to an open target just 73.8 per cent of the time.

The Dolphins are not expecting Tagovailoa to be Mahomes, but they need him to be much better than he has been thus far for this project to work.

While it is tough to dole out grades for players who have not even hit the practice field for their new teams, it is possible to assess the totality of a franchise's moves in a draft and determine who has been impacted, positively and negatively, by those player selections.

In a draft dominated by a historic level of talent at the position, it is the classes of teams that made changes at quarterback that will likely have the most significant influence on the league.

After five quarterbacks went in the first round, we use Stats Perform data to determine the winners and losers from a draft that should go on to be remembered as one of the most important in NFL history.

Winners

Chicago Bears fans

Who knows whether the Justin Fields-era in Chicago will be a success? The weight of history surrounding Bears quarterbacks suggests it has a very good chance of being a failure.

But by trading up to land the Ohio State quarterback instead of committing to a year of purgatory with Andy Dalton, the Bears ensured they should be significantly more watchable in 2021, assuming post-draft talk about wanting to sit Fields behind Dalton proves false.

Fields is an exciting downfield thrower who averaged 10.10 air yards per attempt in the 2020 college season. It is an imperfect comparison given the difference in the level of competition but the two Bears starters in 2019, Mitchell Trubisky (7.94) and Nick Foles (7.92), each averaged under eight air yards per attempt.

And Fields was accurate when he pushed the ball downfield. On throws of 15 air yards or more, 76.47 per cent were well thrown, compared to 71.43 for Lawrence, 69.41 for Wilson and 67.39 for 15th overall pick Mac Jones.

His aggressive style should mesh well with number one receiver Allen Robinson, who was fifth in the NFL with 908 of his receiving yards coming at the point of reception.

Fields will also have the benefit of improved protection from a nasty offensive tackle in the form of second-round pick Teven Jenkins.

Jenkins allowed a pressure rate of 2.9 per cent in 2020, third among tackles with at least 100 pass protection snaps. The top tackle in that regard was Larry Borom of Missouri (1.8%), whom Chicago drafted in the fifth round.

Chicago also further helped Fields' cause by drafting Virginia Tech running back Khalil Herbert, who was second in the Power 5 in yards per carry (7.63) among running backs with at least 100 carries and Dazz Newsome, the North Carolina wideout who was 11th in burn percentage (71) among receivers with at least 25 slot targets. 

The Bears have been a chore to watch in recent years. It isn't clear whether the move up for Fields will work and it is debatable whether general manager Ryan Pace should have been allowed to make it given his track record, but there is finally reason for a passionate fanbase to be genuinely excited about their team.

Zach Wilson

Wilson going second overall to the Jets was no secret, but New York did an excellent job of taking steps to ensure concerns over his one season of elite production against non-Power 5 opposition do not prove prescient by surrounding him with talent.

A trade up for guard Alijah Vera-Tucker raised eyebrows but his pressure rate allowed of 1.3 per cent when playing left guard for USC in 2019 was the best in the Power 5 and suggests he can lock down that spot for the next decade for the Jets.

Wide receiver Elijah Moore brings inside-out versatility and should have gone in the first round. Instead, the Ole Miss star went 34th overall to the Jets, adding a wideout who led the FBS in receiving yards per game (149.1) last season to an intriguing group that includes Denzel Mims, Corey Davis and Jamison Crowder.

Third-round running back Michael Carter will give offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur a versatile skill set to utilise.

The North Carolina back led Power 5 runners with 100 carries or more in yards per carry (7.98) and yards before contact per rush (5.36) in 2020.

As a receiver, Carter was eighth among those Power 5 backs, who also had a minimum of 10 targets, in burn yards per target (10.86).

Carter should, therefore, be able to have a substantial impact in the zone-running scheme the Jets will employ in 2021 and influence the passing game significantly.

Growing pains are to be expected in Wilson's rookie season in New York but this was a draft in which the Jets went to great lengths to make his adaptation to the pros as smooth as possible.

Lamar Jackson

Every year, the Baltimore Ravens do an excellent job of letting the draft board come to them and reaping the rewards.

In 2020, they stole linebacker Patrick Queen in the back end of the first round. This year they grabbed arguably the most well-refined receiver in the draft, Minnesota's Rashod Bateman, with the 27th overall pick.

A truncated 2020 season in which he played just five games following a bout of coronavirus may not have helped Bateman's stock, but his 2019 tape showed a receiver who can develop into a number one target for Lamar Jackson.

Bateman can excel at all levels of the field and his downfield upside shone through in 2019, when he was open on 70.8 per cent of his targets in 2019 with an average depth of target of 16.2 yards.

His burn yards per target average of 16.15 was sixth among all Power 5 receivers with at least 50 targets two seasons ago, with Henry Ruggs III and Chris Olave the only players in the same group to produce a superior big-play percentage to Bateman's 50.4.

Big plays in the passing game have not been consistent for the Ravens. Jackson (25) had fewer passing plays of 25 yards or more than Teddy Bridgewater (27) and Drew Lock (28) in 2020.

Bateman has the talent to greatly increase that tally of explosive plays while the addition of Tylan Wallace, who was eighth among Power 5 receivers with a minimum of 50 targets last season with a burn yards per route average of 4.33, should further boost Jackson's hopes of bouncing back as a passer in 2021.

Having also addressed the interior of the offensive line by drafting Ben Cleveland, whose pressure rate allowed of 2.7 per cent was seventh among Power 5 guards last season, in the third round, Jackson goes into 2021 in an excellent position to take the passing game to levels that escaped the 2019 MVP in 2020.

In the coming season, Jackson will have much better weapons and should have improved protection. If the Ravens' offense falls short again in the playoffs in 2021, he won't have much room for excuses.

Losers

Ben Roethlisberger

Pittsburgh lost left tackle Alejandro Villanueva and the versatile Matt Feiler in free agency but did nothing to fill either of the voids left by that duo until the third round when they picked up athletic Illinois guard Kendrick Green. Tackle Dan Moore was picked in the fourth round.

Instead, they spent their first two picks on a running back and a tight end in Alabama's Najee Harris and Pat Freiermuth of Penn State, stacking the offense with further weapons for Ben Roethlisberger in what will likely be his last season in the NFL.

But, beyond running back, weapons were not the need for the Steelers. Harris is an upgrade in the backfield but he averaged only 2.14 yards after contact per rush last season, below the Power 5 average of 2.21, and typically the offensive line has just as much of an impact on running game production as the back.

A failure to prioritise the trenches could result in Harris struggling to evade defenders that the O-Line has allowed into the backfield. More worryingly for Roethlisberger, the lack of a dependable replacement at left tackle could leave a quarterback who missed 14 games as recently as 2019 open to punishment from opposing pass rushers.

Roethlisberger completed 50.7 per cent of his passes when under pressure in 2020, the fifth-worst number of all quarterbacks with at least 100 attempts. If this is to be his swansong, the Steelers are not setting him up for a successful one.

Trevor Lawrence

Ok, so Trevor Lawrence is a winner. He's the number one overall pick and is set to be paid millions to take his talents to the highest level.

But, in terms of the situation he is going into in Jacksonville, the Jaguars did little to help him.

With the 25th pick, they passed up the chance to boost their pass-catching options in favour of drafting his Clemson team-mate, running back Travis Etienne, following a 2020 season in which undrafted rookie James Robinson finished the year sixth in yards after contact per attempt (2.34). 

Simply put, Etienne was the definition of an unnecessary luxury pick.

Tyson Campbell was a decent value pick at 33rd overall in the second round but Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke, who developed a reputation during his time running the San Francisco 49ers for taking ill-advised risks on players with bad injury histories, picked a safety in Andre Cisco who tore his ACL in September and offensive tackle Walker Little, who has not played a game since 2019, when he featured in just one before suffering a knee injury.

The only pass-catching additions came in the form of a 29-year-old tight end, Luke Farrell, in the fifth round and wide receiver Jalen Camp in the sixth. 

Between D.J. Chark, Marvin Jones and Laviska Shenault, Lawrence does have reasonable weapons, but the Jags did not do much to add to his arsenal.

NFC West run defenses

Teams trying to stop the 49ers' ground game have had a hard time since Kyle Shanahan became head coach in 2017.

Their 224 rushes of 10 yards or more are tied sixth in the NFL in that time, and that tally looks set to increase after San Francisco drafted a franchise quarterback in Trey Lance who boasts a devastating mix of speed and power in the open field.

Lance's 14 touchdowns in 2019 were bettered by just four quarterbacks across the FBS and FCS, his rushing average of 6.5 yards fifth among signal-callers with at least 100 rushes.

San Francisco then added further to their ground game by picking Trey Sermon in the third round and Elijah Mitchell in the sixth.

In the Power 5 and Group of Five, just four running backs with a minimum of 100 attempts had a better yards per carry average than Sermon's 7.50 last season.

Burst to the second level is a key trait for Sermon, who was fourth in average yards before contact per attempt with 4.85.

The electric Mitchell, meanwhile, averaged the third-most yards after contact per attempt, putting up 3.23 per rush, a rate beaten by Javonte Williams (4.59) and Jaret Patterson (3.25).

Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson Jr. are each free agents in 2022 but, by drafting Lance, Sermon and Mitchell, the Niners ensured their run game is about to get more diverse and potentially more destructive.

For the three NFC West teams that face them twice a year, that is simply terrible news.

Jackson was named NFL MVP for the second time in the 2023 season, having previously claimed the award in 2019.

He recorded career-high figures for passes attempted (457), completed (307) and passing yards (3,678), also throwing for 24 touchdowns and totalling 821 rushing yards.

However, he was unable to lead Baltimore to Super Bowl LVIII as John Harbaugh's team were beaten by the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game.

Jackson was criticised for his performance in that contest and has a 2-4 postseason record, but he is shutting out any noise surrounding his big-game displays ahead of the new season.

"I mean, I'm motivating myself because I know what I want to do, at the end of the day," he told reporters.

"Those guys have their time. I really don't care what the criticism is or what the critics say because at the end of the day, I just came off a season-ending injury the year before and we made it all the way to the AFC Championship Game in a new system. 

"So, it's nothing to be down on myself, my team-mates or anything like that because we made it far, further than other years. We haven't been to the AFC in a long time…

"We've just got to keep going. We criticise ourselves more than anyone else. So, what people say on the outside, that's just their take. 

"They can believe what they want to believe, but we know what we want, we know what we're striving for."

Not since reaching Super Bowl XXVII had the Bills featured in the AFC title decider, but second-seeded Buffalo ended that 27-year drought after downing the Ravens on Saturday.

The Bills used a 14-0 third quarter to progress in the NFL playoffs as the Ravens – seeded fifth – were held scoreless in the second half in windy Buffalo.

Bills quarterback Josh Allen finished 23-of-37 passing for 206 yards, a touchdown and no interceptions, while he was sacked twice.

Ravens star Lamar Jackson was 14 of 24 for 162 yards, no touchdowns and an interception before he was ruled out with concussion against the Bills.

The Ravens were made to pay for their inefficient kicking in the opening quarter, which saw Justin Tucker miss two field goals.

Tucker was 11-of-11 on field-goal attempts inside 50 yards in his postseason career, but he was 0-2 on such field goals against Buffalo.

Buffalo's Tyler Bass also missed a field goal, but he managed to convert a 28-yard attempt to give the Bills a 3-0 lead at the end of the opening quarter.

Tucker made no mistake from 34 yards to level the scores at half-time before the Bills took control in the third quarter.

Allen threw a three-yard pass to star team-mate Stefon Diggs with less than 10 minutes to play and Taron Johnson all but ended Baltimore's hopes with a dazzling 101-yard interception return during the closing stages of the period.

Reigning MVP Jackson was ruled out of the fourth quarter due to concussion after taking a hit from Bills defensive end Trent Murphy on the final play of the third period.

Turning point – Bills pull away in third

The Bills and Ravens could not be separated until the game was blown open in the third quarter.

Allen and Diggs combined for the showdown's first TD before Johnson's electric run essentially sealed Baltimore's fate in front of 6,700 fans amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Johnson matches record

Buffalo's Johnson tied the record for longest intercepted return touchdown in a playoff game, according to NFL Research. Green Bay Packers defensive end George Teague also returned an interception 101 yards for a TD against the Detroit Lions in 1993.

Per Stats Perform, the Bills-Ravens game became the first postseason game where there were three missed field goals in the first half since the 1992 AFC Championship Game between the Bills and Denver Broncos.

What's next?

Super Bowl champions the Kansas City Chiefs or Cleveland Browns are next up for the Bills in the AFC Championship Game on January 24.

The Ravens, meanwhile, will have a busy offseason following back-to-back exits in the Divisional Round.

Tennessee had won three of the previous four meetings between the teams – including a 28-12 triumph in the postseason last year – and looked on course to prevail again when they moved 10-0 ahead in the first quarter. 

Ryan Tannehill capped a 10-play, 70-yard drive with a touchdown pass to A.J. Brown that opened the scoring, with the Titans adding a Stephen Gostkowski field goal that came after a Jackson interception. 

However, the Ravens regrouped after a sluggish start and, crucially, shut down the threat of Titans running back Derrick Henry. 

A Justin Tucker field goal provided their first points before Jackson made amends for his earlier turnover with a stunning 48-yard touchdown run. 

J.K. Dobbins went in from close range to give Baltimore the lead for the first time and while a Gostkowski field goal cut the deficit to four points, the Titans were simply never able to get closer. 

Baltimore restricted Henry – the NFL's leading rusher in the 2020 season – to a mere 40 yards on 18 carries, while Tennessee managed only 12 first downs in total on offense. 

Tucker's second field goal of the contest opened up a seven-point cushion and the Ravens emphatically ended a late drive from their opponents when Marcus Peters intercepted a tipped Tannehill pass.

Turning point – Jackson shows his value

Baltimore's quarterback could no doubt feel the pressure when he was picked off early, considering his 0-2 career record in the postseason.

Yet Jackson displayed just why he is the reigning NFL MVP with his touchdown before half-time, the second-longest rushing score by a QB in playoff history. 

Henry stifled, Ravens run free 

'King' Henry had 2,027 yards in the regular season, including three games where he topped 200 yards or more, yet was completely locked up here. Such was his lack of impact, Tennessee opted not to even go for it in a fourth-and-short situation in the fourth quarter when trailing. 

In contrast, the Ravens had 236 yards on the ground as a team. Dobbins scored for the seventh game in a row but it was Jackson who contributed the most, going for 136 yards on 16 carries. 

What's next? 

The Ravens - who were 6-5 at one stage in early December - will wait to see where they travel next, depending on the result of the game between Pittsburgh and Cleveland later on Sunday. Still, they will face a daunting trip no matter what, either taking on the Kansas City Chiefs or the Buffalo Bills in the next round.  

As for Tennessee, there will be a horrible feeling of history repeating. They had won the AFC South for the first time since 2008 – a campaign that ended with a 13-10 defeat to Baltimore in the playoffs. 

There was no better man for the job, given Tucker's renowned accuracy, and the 31-year-old came through for his team, breaking the 42-42 tie to seal a 47-42 victory.

From 55 yards, and faced with a tricky wind, Tucker made no mistake. Two seconds remained on the clock.

His moment came after reigning MVP and star team-mate Lamar Jackson, who missed most of the final quarter having exited the field due to cramps, inspired the drive.

The Ravens (8-5) had let their lead slip with Jackson off the field, going from 34-20 ahead to 35-34 down before the nail-biting conclusion.

"The wind was definitely whipping around in there going towards the Dawg Pound end, pretty consistent right to left and of course left to right the other way," Tucker said.

"I'm not trying to talk about how hard the kick was, to make it seem like it was way sweet or anything.

"But the field was chewed up by that point of the game, so it was about getting studs in the ground with my plant and seeing the ball spotted, which is much easier when you have Morgan Cox throwing it back there and Sam Koch spotting it quickly and efficiently.

"The ball kicks itself when everything is working the way we expect it.

"The ball was trailing right to left pretty significantly throughout the flight path, so I was glad it stayed and we were able to make the play to win the game."

Tucker is the most accurate kicker in the history of the NFL, of all those to have played 20 games or more.

He boasts a 90.9 per cent success rate over his career, making 298 of 328 attempts.

From 50 yards or more, his accuracy dips to 70.5 per cent, landing 43 of 61 shots from such a distance.

The three-time Pro Bowler gave an insight into the mentality of the kicker.

"There’s a lot of emotion, a lot of feeling, that goes into any field goal but especially one that is going to be the difference in the game," he said in a post-game news conference.

"Your feelings are unimportant. You have to focus on the action of kicking the ball, not the consequence."

The game was the first in NFL history in which both teams rushed for four-plus touchdowns, per Stats Perform.

Tucker said he felt "way more nervous now after the fact", having spoken about the moment when the game hinged on him and heard others discuss what it meant.

"What the world saw on Monday Night Football is a Ravens team that played with faith and guts - faith in each other, faith in God and faith in ourselves," Tucker added.

"I'm a pretty emotional kind of person and wear my emotions on my sleeve, except for when there's two minutes left in a football game – I don't have the time or the energy for that.

"I don't think anybody really needs me to be emotional – they need me to be poised, stoic.

"They're my team-mates, and everyone in the organisation needs me to do my job in that moment."

The three-time Pro Bowler was confirmed as the Ravens' newest addition on Thursday on a one-year deal, having been available as a free agent since leaving the Los Angeles Rams, last appearing at Super Bowl LVI.

Beckham missed the whole of the 2022 campaign after a lengthy rehabilitation for an ACL tear sustained in that Super Bowl victory with the Rams.

The 30-year-old was introduced as a Raven in a press conference alongside general manager Eric DeCosta and head coach John Harbaugh.

And conversation unsurprisingly turned to quarterback Jackson, who has requested a trade but had the non-exclusive franchise tag placed on him and has not yet resolved his future.

"I didn't get any assurances for anything," Beckham said. "Life's uncertain. We don't know what's going to happen tomorrow or the next day; we only know what's happened in the past.

"To me, it's about the possibility of that [playing with Jackson]. My thoughts would be that he would be here.

"I know that these two want him to be here. At the end of the day, it's going to be up to them."

GM DeCosta remains optimistic, adding: "Lamar is in our plans. We're hopeful to still get a long-term deal. He's the right player for this team."

Beckham has 7,367 receiving yards and 56 touchdowns in 96 career NFL games and will join a Baltimore team who finished 10-7 in 2022, losing to the Cincinnati Bengals in an AFC Wild Card game.

On having the chance to play again, Beckham said: "I'm excited but also very determined and hungry. Through the smiles, there's still this [feeling] that I really want this badly."

He has reportedly signed a $15million deal worth up to $18m, with a base salary of $1.165m in 2023 to fit under the Ravens' salary-cap restrictions.

Rookie quarterback Joe Burrow claimed his first win as the Cincinnati Bengals overcame the Jacksonville Jaguars 33-25, while the Carolina Panthers caused an upset, beating the Arizona Cardinals 31-21. 

Both the New Orleans Saints and Baltimore Ravens rebounded from Week 3 reverses, but Los Angeles Chargers passer Justin Herbert came up short as he became the latest rookie QB to lose to a team led by Tom Brady. 

Elsewhere, in a battle between two previously winless teams, it was the Minnesota Vikings who triumphed, dropping the Houston Texans to 0-4.

BECKHAM OUTSHINES DAK WITH BIG DAY

Dallas knew all about Beckham's brilliance - it was against the Cowboys when he performed his astonishing one-handed touchdown grab as a rookie with the New York Giants - yet they failed to stop Cleveland's receiver grabbing two first-half touchdowns - one thrown by fellow wideout Jarvis Landry. 

The Browns were 41-14 up by the end of the third quarter but the Cowboys, who rallied from 29-10 down to beat the Atlanta Falcons in Week 2, came roaring back thanks to Dak Prescott, who had 502 passing yards and four touchdown throws. 

However, Beckham scored on a 50-yard end-around run to seal Cleveland's 49-38 win, with Dallas' nemesis going off for 154 yards from scrimmage and three scores.

SEAHAWKS SURVIVE MIAMI TEST

Seven teams began Week 4 with a perfect 3-0 record and Seattle became the first to go 4-0, securing a 31-23 win over the Miami Dolphins. 

Russell Wilson threw for 360 yards and two touchdowns - giving him 16 already for the season - while running back Chris Carson also found the end zone twice and the Seahawks defense picked off a couple of Ryan Fitzpatrick passes. 

Fellow preseason Super Bowl favourites New Orleans and Baltimore got back on track, the Saints triumphing 35-29 over the Lions while the Ravens defeated the Washington Football Team 31-17, during which Lamar Jackson becoming the quickest in NFL history to reach 5,000 career passing yards and 2,000 yards rushing.

BURROW GETS FIRST W, HERBERT COMES CLOSE TO UPSTAGING BRADY

First overall pick Burrow led the Bengals to their first victory of the 2020 campaign, though it was Joe Mixon's 181 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns that really made the difference against the Jaguars. 

Herbert, another opening-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, looked on course for his maiden NFL win too, the Chargers racing into a 24-7 lead thanks in part to a Brady pick-six. 

However, Brady, whose teams had won their previous 10 straight games against rookie QBs, would end the high-scoring contest with five touchdown passes, Tampa Bay triumphing 38-31. 

Week 4 scores:

Seattle Seahawks 31-23 Miami Dolphins
Cincinnati Bengals 33-25 Jacksonville Jaguars
Minnesota Vikings 31-23 Houston Texans
Cleveland Browns 49-38 Dallas Cowboys
Baltimore Ravens 31-17 Washington Football Team
New Orleans Saints 35-29 Detroit Lions
Carolina Panthers 31-21 Arizona Cardinals
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 38-31 Los Angeles Chargers

Quarterback Murray turned his back on an MLB career to declare for last year's NFL Draft and the Arizona Cardinals made him the first overall pick.

He had over 4,000 yards of total offense – 3,722 of those coming through the air – and on Saturday in Miami he was named Offensive Rookie of the Year ahead of Josh Jacobs, A.J. Brown and Miles Sanders.

Later that evening Baltimore Ravens quarterback Jackson was named MVP by unanimous vote, succeeding Kansas City Chiefs signal caller Mahomes, with both men winning the NFL's most prestigious individual prize in their second years in the league.

Asked about the possibility of elevating his game to those heights in his second year as a professional, Murray said: "Those two are obviously different for a reason, they've always been good players.

"Taking their games to the next level that next season, I think they probably went back at it and worked hard.

"They've got great team-mates around them, great coaches. It's a team game.

"Those two are obviously very different guys and for me personally I feel like I can be at that level.

"This being my first year, I think it's possible to make that step and that's what we're striving for. I think that's what everyone's striving for – to be the best."

Murray defied the doubters who thought that, at 5ft 10ins, he was too small to be a successful NFL quarterback.

"Everybody sets out individual goals," Murray said of his rookie season.

"I knew if I played well enough... that [award] is not obviously the [main] goal, but just doing my part on the field, leading my guys to wins and trying to play as best as I can that I would be in a good position to do so, with a lot of help around me, [from] God, my parents, team-mates and coaches.

"I'm standing here right now with it so, yeah, it was a goal of mine."

Reigning MVP Jackson led the Ravens to a vital victory against the Cleveland Browns on Monday despite suffering from cramp.

The 23-year-old had to head to the locker room, in which time Baltimore surrendered the lead he had built, before returning to edge the Browns 47-42 in a tense finish.

Jackson threw 11-of-17 for 163 yards and a touchdown but truly sparkled when rushing, adding a further 124 yards and two TDs on nine carries.

It was the first time since Week 8 in 2019 the rapid Ravens superstar had two rushing scores in a game, marking a return to his outstanding MVP form.

The miserable 1-12 Jaguars have the unenviable task of facing Jackson next on Sunday, and head coach Doug Marrone has struggled to simulate the experience of facing such a speedy QB.

"In order to simulate him, you'd have to go out there and get, truly, an Olympic sprinter," said Marrone, who joked back-up QB Jake Luton has been working on his sprints for practice.

"I think everyone has a difficult time doing that. We'll take a good look at that and get someone doing that with a little bit more speed at times when we need to do that.

"He's got a good arm and he can throw, but the speed of him on the field...

"He always looks like the fastest guy on the field, and that's a credit to him. A three or four-yard gain turns into a 16-yard gain the other day."

Jackson, who has thrown for 18 TDs this year and rushed for six more, has Baltimore at 8-5 heading into the Jacksonville game, third in the AFC North.

The Ravens have work to do to return to the playoffs, where Jackson is yet to win a game in his NFL career.