Lamar Jackson has broken Michael Vick’s NFL record for the most career rushing yards by a quarterback – but already made it clear his ultimate goal is to deliver a Super Bowl to Baltimore.
Jackson put on a Christmas Day show as he led the Ravens in impressive fashion against the Houston Texans in a game screened live to a huge audience on Netflix. The Ravens raced into a 31-2 lead by the end of the third quarter, and Jackson’s 87 rushing yards on four carries – including a 48-yard touchdown run – saw him surpass Vick’s long-standing benchmark.
Vick, largely credited with changing the quarterback position with his dual-threat style, registered 6,109 rushing yards over the course of his career. Jackson’s fourth carry of the Christmas Day game moved him to 6,110.
Jackson entered the 2024 season needing 852 yards to overtake Vick, who was recently named head coach of Norfolk State, and the idea of breaking the record was already put to him way back in August. However, Jackson made it clear that while he would love the accolade, his ultimate goal was Super Bowl victory.
“I’m trying to get a Super Bowl,” Jackson said on “The Lounge” podcast. “If that record comes, so be it. But that’s not my goal. If it happens, I’m going to cherish it. Hopefully the record [wouldn’t] be broken for a long time from now, but it’s not my goal.”
At this stage, Jackson is certainly in a position to achieve that goal. The Ravens looked extremely impressive against the Texans and are now 11-5 with the postseason on the horizon.
Jackson has seen his role change, with the arrival of Derrick Henry meaning he will not be the team’s leading rusher for the first season since he took over as Week 1 starter in 2019. His average carries per game have also drastically reduced since new offensive coordinator Todd Monken took over at the start of last season.
However, he has no issue with his role changing as long as the Ravens win games, stating ahead of the season: “That’s how I always approached it. Before, we had a run-heavy offense. We had a lot of read-options going on. Now we’re throwing the ball down the field.
” Then we got Derrick Henry, a back that can go for 2,000 yards in a season. So, I probably won’t need to use my legs as much.
“Like I always say, if I get a lane, I’m trying to score. I’m not trying to run and go out of bounds to fall. If I have a chance to go, I’m going to go.”
Score is exactly what Jackson did in the third quarter, taking off for a big touchdown run to all but end the Texans’ hopes of mounting a comeback. The Ravens conclude their regular season schedule against AFC North rivals the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, Jan. 5.
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