The numbers are simply astounding: Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson has thrown 27 touchdown passes and only 3 interceptions this season and leads the NFL in touchdown passes, passing yards (3,053), touchdown percentage (7.9 percent), yards per passing attempt (10.08), and quarterback passer rating (117.9). all while compiling the highest completion percentage (67.3) of his outstanding career.
Oh, and Lamar Jackson, never really heralded in NFL circles for his ability from the pocket, also scares the daylights out of defenses with his incredible speed, quickness, and ability to gash defenses with his legs (he has 3 rushing touchdowns and 599 yards on the ground this season).
"Great quarterback who can make every throw with that arm of his and he beats you with his legs," safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson said. "Love the challenge. Love the way the man competes."
Coordinator Vic Fangio oversees the NFL's No. 1-ranked defense, one that has faced all kinds of offenses and a variety of quarterbacks this season. The Eagles have improved steadily on defense and in this seven-game winning streak they have played lights-out football.
Sunday is the biggest test of all, starting with Lamar Jackson.
"Just getting better and better at everything that he was already really good at," Fangio said. "Without giving a long dissertation about him, I just think he's a very special player.
"Their whole offense is dynamite. They run it great. They throw it great. They've got good receivers. They've got the best group of receivers there that they've had in a really long time. Two really good tight ends. Their line is blocking good. It's no accident they have the No. 1 offense in the league."
What do the Eagles do to slow Jackson just enough to win a huge football game at M&T Bank Stadium? They have a plan in place, they have confidence in what they've put together as a unit, and they are excited to get to work against Jackson, the lead playmaker, and running back Derrick Henry, the bulldozer who is just behind Philadelphia's Saquon Barkley among league rushing leaders.
"Any time you play a quarterback like Lamar and, really, there is no quarterback like Lamar, it's the mobility aspect," linebacker Nakobe Dean said. "His ability to run and to elude and to escape and the things he does, it just hasn't been seen in this league.
"Man, you get excited about a game like this. You play football and you want to go against the best in the world and you're talking about the No. 1 offense in the NFL, in the world, right now. You get excited about games like this. You want to play in games like this. You want to play against the best. I'm excited for this opportunity to go out there and play the game that we love."
Henry is a beast, no doubt about it, and the Ravens have plenty of other weapons at wide receiver and tight end, as Fangio said. But it all starts with the quarterback who has won a pair of NFL Most Valuable Player Awards in his six seasons.
And Jackson is a handful. Maybe more than that.
"He is a blur out there," linebacker Zack Baun said. "We have to be at our best. Our absolute best. That's what makes it fun. That's what makes it the challenge that it is."
