'Rusty' Lamar Jackson Grateful For New Ravens

Gratitude was the name of the game for Lamar Jackson after a potentially Pyrrhic victory for the Baltimore Ravens.

One down, 16 to go.

Lamar Jackson was far from perfect in his return to the Baltimore Ravens backfield but the fact he lasted to the end was enough to fulfill almost every version of Charm City fantasy football. A healthy Jackson helped the Ravens earn a 25-9 victory over the Houston Texans in his first donning of a purple-and-black jersey since missing the final month-plus of last season, including Baltimore's playoff cameo in Cincinnati.

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Jackson finished the game with a line of 17-of-22 for 169 yards and an interception to Stephen Nelson. The dual-threat also had plenty of opportunities to showcase his recovery from a sprained PCL, scrambling for 38 yards on six carries and standing as the team's top rusher after medical disaster struck fellow injury returner J.K. Dobbins.

After the game, Jackson acknowledged his return on X, formerly known as Twitter.

😩Rusty As🤬 But thank you God🙏🏾🙏🏾

— Lamar Jackson (@Lj_era8) September 10, 2023

"Rusty as," Jackson said, covering any harsh words with a mouth-censored, angry red face emoji. "But thank you, God."

The return to action was the latest landmark of Jackson's roller-coaster Ravens tenure. This year has been the most over the top yet, one that saw him work through a long-term contract dispute over the summer.

Baltimore (1-0) honored its commitment to Jackson by bringing in elite offensive talents to help him out: while Odell Beckham Jr. was mostly held in check (37 yards on a pair of receptions), Zay Flowers earned 78 yards while catching all but one his 10 targets. It allowed the Ravens' pregame loss of tight end Mark Andrews, one of Jackson's favorite targets.

Even with relatively modest results, Jackson gushed about his new assistants in his postgame interview with CBS' Aditi Kinkhabwala, praising them for paving a smoother path back from injury.

Lamar Jackson was gushing about his new @Ravens receiving corps after Sunday’s win.

🎤@AKinkhabwala | @Lj_era8 pic.twitter.com/UkzKOIOzgh

— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) September 10, 2023

"I've been out since November, but it felt great to be out here," Jackson said. "I love our receiver corps. Those guys are flying around, making things happen. I love our offensive line and backs. I feel like we played good with new guys, (especially) not playing in the preseason, being out of football for a long time like Odell and myself. I feel like it was pretty good."

Jackson and the Ravens will kick off divisional play next week, opening their six-game AFC North slate in Cincinnati (1 p.m. ET, CBS).