Lamar Jackson, Ravens Beat Philip Rivers, Chargers Behind Stifling Defense

Quarterback Lamar Jackson threw for 204 yards and a touchdown and added 39 yards on the ground as the Baltimore Ravens upset the Los Angeles Chargers 22-10 on Saturday at the StubHub Center in Carson, California.

Tavon Young's 62-yard touchdown return following an Antonio Gates fumble with 1:31 left sealed the Ravens' win.

No player eclipsed 58 yards from scrimmage for the 11-4 Chargers, who lost for just the second time in 12 games.

The 9-6 Ravens have won five of their last six since Jackson took over as starting quarterback.

Rivers' MVP Stock Takes Major Hit vs. Stingy Ravens D

OddsShark listed Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers with the third-best odds in the league to win the NFL MVP award at 16-1 on December 12, but any slight hope that the 15-year veteran would get that honor likely evaporated on Saturday evening.

Rivers struggled all night as he went just 23-for-37 with 181 passing yards, zero touchdowns and two interceptions. In fairness to Rivers, it didn't help that linebacker Za'Darius Smith and the Ravens defense were in his face all night with eight quarterback hits and four sacks.

Granted, the Ravens defense is ranked second overall in DVOA (defense-adjusted value over average) and second against the pass, per Football Outsiders. They've also allowed just 6.2 yards per pass attempt, which is the NFL's best mark.

Still, the Bolts' offensive performance was disappointing. Only three teams have thrown for fewer yards against the Ravens this season, and Rivers threw for just 4.9 yards per attempt, which is well below Baltimore's average. The Ravens also allowed 19.6 points per game on the road entering the night, and the Chargers fell short of that mark by almost 10.

OddsShark also had an implied team total of 23.25 points before the game, so expectations were that they'd do better in a crucial home spot. That didn't happen, however, as Rivers' MVP odds have likely been erased.

Rivers likely wants to win a more important trophy, however, as the Lombardi has eluded him thus far. He'll have a chance to fix that this year, as the 11-4 Bolts are playoff-bound and could make a Super Bowl run.

If Rivers' remarkable overall performance this season continues into the playoffs, the Bolts have a good shot to make it to their first Super Bowl in 24 seasons. Through 15 weeks, Rivers ranked fifth in completion percentage, tied for third in passing touchdowns and second in adjusted passing yards per attempt.

A talented skill-position core and a fantastic defense led by safety Derwin James and edge-rushers Melvin Ingram and Joey Bosa should also help the Chargers make strong playoff impact.

Ravens' Ball-Control Offense Isn't Recipe for Playoff Success

A dominant defense in conjunction with a dominant rushing attack has made the Ravens an outlier in a league where the Seattle Seahawks stand as the NFL's only team with more runs than passes this season, per Sharp Football Stats.

Since Jackson got the starting role in Week 11, the Ravens have run the ball 64 percent of the time. To put that number into context, the Seahawks are second in run rate at 54 percent during that span. The NFL average is 42 percent.

That's certainly working right now, but a couple of issues with this strategy exist long term.

First, Jackson's weekly run totals aren't sustainable. The 2016 Heisman Trophy winner has rushed 16.5 times per game from Weeks 11 through 16. Those are numbers for a starting running back, and yet Jackson is being asked to throw 20-plus times per game as well.

Jackson proved in college that he's capable of carrying a massive dual-threat workload, but doing that in the pros would be unprecedented for a quarterback.

For context, other mobile quarterbacks in recent history haven't run nearly as much. Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton has never run more than 9.0 times per game in a season, and ex-Atlanta Falcons and Philadelphia Eagles signal-caller Michael Vick never eclipsed 8.3 carries per contest.

The ex-Louisville star is proving a lot of people wrong on a weekly basis, and it's possible Jackson is special enough to carry this burden. However, seeing him do this week after week is hard to envision.

Second, the Ravens defense is not invincible. They're arguably the best unit in the league right now, but they've also given up a few big offensive performances, including a 36-point outing against the Carolina Panthers. If Baltimore falls into a multiple-score hole, are the Ravens capable of climbing out of it?

That question is related to the current state of the Ravens' passing attack. Jackson absolutely has the potential to be a fantastic downfield passer and one of the NFL's most lethal weapons, but he's not there just yet. If he's down 14-0 or 21-3, can he bring his team back?

Of note, Jackson only has 19 passes of 15 or more yards this season (17 through Week 15 and two more on Saturday). Granted, he's only played six full games, but he doesn't yet have great chemistry with his pass-catching crew. One could argue he has the best rapport with tight end Mark Andrews, who hauled in a 68-yard touchdown, but generally speaking, the talented rookie is not looked at as a big-play, downfield threat.

Jackson has certainly proved he can throw the ball, and talk of NFL teams wanting him to try out at wide receiver at the NFL combine looks like the 2018 poster child for Freezing Cold Takes.

But right now, there isn't much evidence he's reached that level in his development just yet. Jackson has been sensational and looks like he'll be running the AFC North with Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield for 10-15 years, but as for this year, the Ravens might be in trouble if they fall behind in the playoffs against some of the AFC's high-powered offenses.

What's Next?

Baltimore will host the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, December 30, at 1 p.m. ET. The Ravens can still make the playoffs with a Week 17 loss, but a win will seal a postseason berth.

The Chargers will face the Denver Broncos on the road Sunday, December 30, at 4:25 p.m. L.A. has clinched a playoff berth but now faces an uphill climb to overtake the 11-3 Kansas City Chiefs for the AFC West title and the conference's No. 1 seed.