Lamar Jackson's AFC Player of the Week award a rare feat vs. Patriots

The New England Patriots are notoriously great at making their opponents play "left-handed," meaning they rarely let the other team's star beat them.

But that's exactly what went down Sunday night, as Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson sliced and diced the vaunted Patriots defense en route to a 37-20 Baltimore win.

How good was Jackson? He was named the AFC Offensive Player of the Week on Wednesday after accounting for three total touchdowns Sunday.

It's the second time this season Jackson has earned the award, but the fact that he earned it against the Patriots is much more impressive.

Consider this: Before Jackson's feat, it had been two full years since a player won AFC or NFC Offensive Player of the Week in a game against the Patriots.

That player was Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith, who threw for 368 yards and four touchdowns in Kansas City's 42-27 rout of New England in the 2017 season opener.

Prior to Smith? Over the last five seasons, only three other players have earned AFC or NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors versus New England:

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-- C.J. Anderson, running back, Denver Broncos (2015, Week 12)
-- Ryan Fitzpatrick, quarterback, New York Jets (2015, Week 16)
-- Jamaal Charles, running back, Chiefs (2014, Week 4)

That's four players total over half a decade, which is a testament to head coach Bill Belichick's defensive philosophy of bottling up the opposing team's stars.

Jackson couldn't be contained Sunday night while handing the Patriots their first loss of the season, but you'd best believe Belichick took note of how to avoid that happening again.

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