Lamar Jackson tied an NFL record for perfection on Sunday, and he’s well on his way to his third NFL MVP award in a seven-year career.

(Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images)

Passer rating is an imperfect indicator of quarterback performance even at its best — it’s an antiquated formula that does not adjust for opponent or situation. But if there have been just 87 games in pro football history in which a quarterback has amassed the highest possible passer rating of 158.3 with at least 10 passing attempts in a game, and you’re not only one of them, but you’ve done it four times in your career… well, that’s a pretty good indicator that you have the NFL by the tail.

Such is life for Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens.

In Baltimore’s 41-10 Sunday win over the Denver Broncos, Jackson put up that best possible rating for the fourth time in his career, matching Ben Roethlisberger for the all-time lead. He completed 16 of 19 passes for 280 yards, three touchdowns, no interceptions, and 14.7 yards per attempt.

By the way, in Baltimore’s 41-31 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on October 21. Jackson had a passer rating of 158.1, so this was almost the record-breaker.

Receiver Zay Flowers, who caught five of his six targets for 127 yards and two touchdowns, in-broke the Broncos’ defense to death (111 yards and both touchdowns were off in-breaking routes) summed up Jackson’s performance with one word:

“Lamarvelous.”

Few would argue, especially as Jackson did all of this against what had been a carnivorous Denver defense that ranked fifth overall in DVOA, and fifth against the pass.

Head coach John Harbaugh wanted to point to the men up front, and for good reason. Against one of the most blitz-heavy defenses in the NFL, and a defense that had been a quarterback pressure factory all season long, Jackson was pressured on just five of his dropbacks. This was mitigated by Denver’s desire to drop more defenders into coverage and try to use their rushes to contain Jackson in the pocket, but still.

“Yes, Lamar played really good,” Harbaugh said. “I believe it’s his fourth perfect passer rating, and I believe that’s an NFL record – isn’t it? Tied for the NFL record, okay. I’m betting on Lamar at some point to break it. I thought he played great, but also, the team around him – the pass protection – that’s a really good pass rush team [and] a real aggressive defense [and] a really highly-ranked defense. Our offense came to play as a group.”

It was all the more impressive as Jackson practiced just once this week because he was dealing with back and knee injuries.

“I just knew what the assignment was,” Jackson said postgame. “I definitely studied those guys. Getting with [quarterbacks] Coach Tee [Martin] and just putting in extra work, just because I wasn’t out there. [I was] just watching practice and studying film on those guys – that pretty much helped.”

Jackson was humble about the day, but others in the Ravens organization were eager to sing his praises.

Safety Kyle Hamilton: “I just feel like [Jackson] is playing point guard out there. He’s not always looking for his shot. He’s trying to get other guys involved. Obviously, it helps when [No.] 22 [Derrick Henry] is running the ball and [No.] 43 [Justice Hill] is doing his thing, and the O-line is playing well and everything, but I think he’s facilitating at a high level right now. At the same time, it’s kind of funny; he could be hurting the defense on the ground too if he really wanted to, which I don’t think he does. I think it only comes out when it needs to, but I think he can sit back there all day and affect the game just as much as he can running the ball.”

Jackson ran the ball just three times in the game; he’s more inclined these days to leave the ground game to Henry and others in Baltimore’s “pick your poison” offense.

Which Henry explained adeptly.

“He’s dangerous with his arm, and I think he showed that today,” Henry said of his quarterback. “If you want to take away him running the ball, [he’ll] go over your head and throw it. If he has to run it, he’ll do that as well. Hats off to him. He’s an engine that makes this thing go – ‘MV3.’

“I think it’s just credit to the offensive line for protecting ‘L’, and ‘L’ finding the open guys and receivers getting open. The receivers, tight ends [and] everybody just does a great job. If they want to take away the run, those guys did a great job of getting open and opening it up for everybody. Zay Flowers did a great job, and he’s so dynamic when he has the ball in his hands. You just assume he’s going to score, and it’s going to be a big play every time. Him and ‘L’ did a great job today, [and the] receivers [and] tight ends. Credit to them for us to be complementary and for us to do both.”

The Ravens are now 6-3 on the season, and whether their lagging defense lets them fight for a Super Bowl berth is an open question. But what can no longer be in question is Lamar Jackson’s value to his team, and how specific that value is as a pure passer.

And quite possibly the NFL’s Most Valuable Player for the third time in his seven-year career.

If that isn’t “Lamarvelous,” I don’t know what is.