The Baltimore Ravens cruised past the New York Jets in their Week 1 opener, winning by a score of 24-9. Lamar Jackson threw for three touchdowns on the day, and their defense easily shut down old friend Joe Flacco and the Jets offense for much of the day.

Jackson's performance in the aftermath of his contract issues with the Ravens certainly drew some attention, and while Jackson ultimately didn't have to do much, he had one of the highlights of the game. Jackson connected with his new top target, Rashod Bateman, for a beautiful 55-yard bomb that effectively put the game to bed towards the end of the third quarter.

This big score allowed the Ravens to effectively cruise through the rest of the contest, and showed just how deadly this connection could be throughout the season. Bateman sprints by everyone in New York's secondary, and Jackson lays it right into Bateman's hands for the easy score. Bateman is open, yes, but Jackson's throw is right on the money, and Bateman doesn't have to do much here.

Much had been made about Jackson's receiving corps this offseason, especially after the Ravens traded away Marquise Brown to the Arizona Cardinals during the 2022 NFL Draft. But Jackson and his receiving corps proved that simply wouldn't be the case this season. Bateman had a solid game, but so did Devin Duvernay, who was the recipient of Jackson's other two touchdowns, and star tight end Mark Andrews as well.

There had been concern regarding Lamar Jackson and the Ravens offense all offseason long, but with a strong showing today, Jackson showed that all is well in Baltimore to start the 2022 season.