Lamar Jackson did not watch Beyonces Christmas Day halftime show despite the Baltimore Ravens quarterback declaring he would leave the locker room to do so.
On Wednesday, Jackson torched the Houston Texans as the Ravens secured a 31-2 blowout road victory. The two-time MVP completed 10 of 15 passes for 168 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 87 yards – including a 48-yard score.
Jackson was at his exhilarating best against the Texans, and it may be due to the 27-year-old holding back from watching Beyonce. The 32-time Grammy-winning pop superstar took the field at NRG Stadium in her hometown of Houston.
For the first time, Beyonce performed live renditions of tracks off her latest album, Cowboy Carter. She played all the hits, including Texas HoldEm, while she also welcomed a star-studded cast including the likes of Shaboozey and Post Malone.
Earlier this week, Jackson stirred up headlines when he declared his plans to watch Beyonce’s halftime performance in the second of two Netflix NFL contests on Christmas Day. He told reporters: I’m going to go out there and watch. [It will be my] first time seeing Beyonce perform, and it’s at our game – that’s dope. I’m going to go out and watch. Sorry [head John] Harbaugh, sorry. Sorry, fellas.
Jackson even admitted the score of the game would not impact his decision to watch the legendary 43-year-old, adding: No, I’m not even thinking about the lead. I was just thinking about just seeing Beyonce for the first time. Not saying it like that; no disrespect or [anything], because I know how people can take things.
But after Beyonces performance on Wednesday, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh admitted his quarterback didnt leave the locker room – and they could hear the pop star from there. While Harbaugh didnt tell Jackson to stay, he did check the quarterback wasn’t actually going to leave his teammates in the locker room at half time.
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Even without taking in Beyonce, Jackson surpassed Mike Vick to become the greatest rushing quarterback in NFL history. His MVP-calibre performance saw him pulled early in the fourth quarter, making room for journeyman quarterback Josh Johnson to get some action perhaps as a Christmas present.
Jacksons decision to not watch Beyonce will please ESPN First Take analyst and former Super Bowl Champion Shannon Sharpe, who hoped the quarterback was kidding. He ranted: Hopefully, Lamar was just joking and saying that tongue in cheek. I mean, Beyonce is worth seeing, trust me. Ive seen her in concert and the entire two hours is worth the price of admission.”
But I think Lamar understands that hes the leader of the team and the last thing that you want is him out there and you got the whole team watching the ballgame. Lets stay focused, youre very close to getting to where you need to be. Because at the end of the day, you want to be at the Super Bowl.
Jacksons 11-5 Ravens can clinch first place in the AFC North with a victory over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, Jan. 5.
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