Quarterback Lamar Jackson marked his return from injury by throwing four touchdown passes to help the Baltimore Ravens beat the Miami Dolphins 28-6.
Jackson sustained a hamstring injury in the 37-20 defeat at the Kansas City Chiefs on 28 September and sat out three games.
The 28-year-old, who has twice been named the NFL’s Most Valuable Player, completed 18 of 23 passes for 204 yards with no interceptions.
“He’s a two-time MVP for a reason,” tight end Mark Andrews said.
“With [number] 8 leading the charge, we’re a dangerous team.”
Baltimore (3-5) have won successive games and are bidding to become just the fifth team in NFL history to reach the play-offs after losing five of their opening six matches.
Meanwhile, Miami (2-7) have lost four of their past five.
The Ravens put on a strong defensive showing at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, restricting the hosts to just two field goals.
Jackson admitted after the game that he felt “a little bit rusty” on the first play but he soon settled into a rhythm.
He found Andrews with two of his touchdown passes in the first half before picking out Charlie Kolar to round-off an 11-play, 68-yard drive in the third quarter. He threw his final touchdown pass to Rashod Bateman.
“Whenever you’re away from the game, you miss it,” said Ravens’ running back Derrick Henry whose 119 yards across 19 carries saw him become the 17th player in NFL history to go past the 12,000-yard career rushing mark.
“It was even better that, when he [Jackson] came back, it was in his hometown. So, it probably gave him a little more juice.”
