Lamar Jackson threw for 107 yards and two touchdowns, as well as rushing for 94 yards and a score to lead the Baltimore Ravens to victory over the Dallas Cowboys having missed their defeat to the Pittsburgh Steelers due to coronavirus.
Wednesday 9 December 2020 12:41, UK
Lamar Jackson admits it felt like he missed an entire season as he was forced to quarantine for 10 days after testing positive for the coronavirus.
The Baltimore Ravens made his return to action in Tuesday night's victory over the Dallas Cowboys, having missed out on the Week 12 defeat to the Pittsburgh Steelers, during which Robert Griffin III started under center.
Jackson finished 12 of 17 for 107 yards, two touchdowns and one interception, as well as rushing for 94 yards and a score from 13 carries to help Baltimore snap a three-game losing streak.
"I had a little flu, I still can't really taste and smell but I'm good. I wouldn't wish that on anybody," he said.
"I was sleeping most of the time but when I was up I would be studying film for the Cowboys knowing I couldn't play Pittsburgh. When I found out I had it I was ticked off because it was a big game.
"I was just going through a lot of emotions. Why the heck did it have to come now? It is what it is. I feel like my guys fought in that game, but I'm here now, we've just got to keep rocking."
There was a renewed energy to Jackson against the Cowboys as he became the first quarterback in NFL history to reach 5,000 yards passing and 2,500 yards rushing in the first three seasons of his career.
It marked one of his more pleasing performances of the season on the back of successive losses against the Tennessee Titans and New England Patriots, and a turnover-stricken day against the Steelers at the beginning of November.
"It felt like I didn't play for a whole season," he added. "I was like, 'It feels good to be back with my guys.' Even in practice, walking into the locker room and stuff, I was like, 'Man, I couldn't wait to see you, your faces.'
"It was like two weeks that I didn't see those guys. I couldn't wait to get out there and perform for those guys, because I know how much it would mean for us to win games."
Jackson's influence upon his return came as little surprise to head coach John Harbaugh, who praised his quarterback for the preparation he put in for the Cowboys behind-the-scenes while battling the virus.
"Well, the one thing you do know about Lamar, you're going to get everything he's got - that's really all you can ask for," said Harbaugh. "He's going to give you whatever he has, and it turned out that he had a lot tonight. That was good to see. I don't think you could predict that.
"He came out to practice. He looked good in practice. He was strong and healthy. I'm just impressed by the fact that he was on top of the game plan so well. He'd been studying, obviously, through the whole time he was away, and he played a great football game."
The Ravens were dealt a blow in the build-up to the game when wide receiver Dez Bryant announced he had tested positive for COVID-19 just 30 minutes before kickoff.
Having initially tweeted suggesting his 2020 season was over, the former Cowboy has since distanced himself from those comments.
Bryant had taken to Twitter to question whether the game should have proceeded in light of his diagnosis.
