Jackson Tops Bridgewater in Shortened Battle of Former Louisville QBs

DENVER - We might not have gotten a full showing of the long-awaited 'Louisville Bowl', but we were at least treated to a half.

In a matchup pitting former Cardinals quarterbacks Lamar Jackson and Teddy Bridgewater against each other, Jackson's Ravens walked into Mile High Stadium against Bridgewater's Broncos, and captured a decisive 23-7 victory.

Bridgewater was harassed by the Baltimore defense, going just 7-of-16 passing for 65 yards and a touchdown, and getting knocked out of the game because of it. After taking a hard shot on their final drive of the half, Bridgewater would later be ruled out with a concussion and not play the second half.

Jackson also felt the fury of Denver's defense, but still made several plays through the air to help give Baltimore the win. He was 22-for-37 passing for 316 yards and a touchdown, while also rushing for 28 yards. It was only his second ever 300-yard passing game, and the first since week one at Miami in 2019.

It was far from an exciting first quarter, as both teams combined for seven straight punts to open up the game. In fact, both teams combined to post just 141 total yards of offense in the opening quarter, while going 2-for-8 on third down.

The second quarter was a little bit more exciting. Just two plays in, the Broncos struck first, as Bridgewater threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to tight end Noah Fant. The Ravens then immediately responded with a scoring drive of their own, capped off with an 11-yard rush from running back Latavius Murray.

On their next drive, Jackson and wide receiver Marquise 'Hollywood' Brown connected for one of the more impressive plays of the game. With the ball at midfield, Jackson uncorked a bomb that sailed close to 60 yards through the air, with Brown laying out for a 49-yard touchdown.

HOLLYWOOD LAYS OUT. #RavensFlock @primetime_jet

📺: #BALvsDEN on CBS
📱: NFL app pic.twitter.com/ywaEDFnT3U
— NFL (@NFL) October 3, 2021

Throw in a 40-yard field goal by Justin Tucker in the final seconds of the half, and the Ravens went into the locker room with a 17-7 lead. They held a 227-129 yardage advantage at the half, with Denver being forced to punt on their final three drives of the half - including two three-and-outs.

With Drew Lock taking over in the second half, the Denver offense did not get going until their final drive when the game was well decided. He was 12-for-19 passing for 113 yards and an interception, the Broncos had 125 second half yards, and none of their five drives of the half ended in points.

Baltimore was not perfect either in the second half, by they did enough to keep Denver at bay. Justin Tucker added a pair of field goals in the fourth quarter to pad their lead, one from 48 yards out in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter, then a 20-yarder just after the two minute warning.

Jackson is without a doubt the greatest player in Louisville football history, setting 42 school and 12 ACC records from 2015 to 2017. He amassed 13,175 passing & rushing yards and 119 total touchdowns in just 38 games, including 5,114 yards and 51 touchdowns in 2016 when he became Louisville's first ever Heisman Trophy winner.

Bridgewater was no slouch either. In 39 career games from 2011 to 2013, he completed 68.4% of his passes for 9,817 yards and 72 touchdowns to just 24 interceptions. He led the Cardinals to a 30-9 record, including wins in the Sugar Bowl over Florida during his sophomore year, and in the Russell Athletic Bowl against Miami as a junior.

(Photo of Lamar Jackson: Ron Chenoy - USA TODAY Sports)

You can follow Louisville Report for future coverage by liking us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram:

Facebook - @LouisvilleOnSI
Twitter - @LouisvilleOnSI
Instagram - @louisville_report

You can also follow Deputy Editor Matthew McGavic at @Matt_McGavic on Twitter