BALTIMORE — Lamar Jackson wasn’t playing Sunday, but the Baltimore Ravens still set an NFL record.
On Gus Edwards’ 9-yard run early in the second quarter, the Ravens surpassed the 1978 New England Patriots for most rushing yards in a single season. The Patriots ran for 3,165 yards that season, a record that stood for 41 years.
Needing 93 yards entering Sunday’s game, Baltimore kept it on the ground and totaled 89 yards rushing in the first quarter against the Pittsburgh Steelers and the NFL’s No. 11 run defense. The Ravens established the milestone on third-and-1 when Edwards powered his way up the middle.
The Ravens became the third team in league history to eclipse 3,000 yards rushing in a season on the strength of an unconventional offense. Using a deceptive run-option style, Jackson used his speed to beat teams to the edges and running back Mark Ingram II powered his way between the tackles.
Baltimore has run for more than 200 yards eight times this season, including four of its past six games.
In Week 15, Jackson broke Michael Vick’s single-season record for most rushing yards by a quarterback. In Week 16, Jackson and Ingram became the seventh pair of teammates to rush for 1,000 yards in the same season.
On Sunday, Baltimore didn’t play Jackson or Ingram because it had wrapped up the top seed in the AFC. That left Edwards and Robert Griffin III to finish off the Ravens’ record-setting run to history.
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