In the Baltimore Ravens’ 31-2 Christmas Day thrashing of the Houston Texans, Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson ran the ball four times for 87 yards and a touchdown, which allowed him to set the record for career rushing yards by a quarterback (6,110), formerly held by Michael Vick at 6,109.

At the same time, Jackson put more energy into another certainty — that he is enjoying one of the most remarkable seasons by a pure quarterback in the history of professional football. Jackson didn’t need to do a lot throwing the ball — he completed 10 of 15 passes for 168 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions, and a passer rating of 143.9 — but when you take Jackson’s season in total when he’s throwing the ball, it’s hard to argue.

This season, Jackson has completed 300 of 442 passes (67.9%) for 3,955 yards (a league-best 8.9 yards per attempt), 39 touchdowns (a league-best 8.8% touchdown rate), four interceptions*, and a league-best passer rating of 121.6. Jared Goff of the Detroit Lions ranks second with a passer rating of 112.2, and to put Jackson’s season into historical context, he now has the second-highest passer rating in a season behind only Aaron Rodgers’ 122.5 in 2011, when Rodgers may have put together the single greatest season any quarterback has ever enjoyed.

The misunderstanding of Jackson’s abilities because he’s a mobile quarterback has always been an issue, and continues unabated. He’s been a top-tier pocket passer for years, but analysts (even highly-respected analysts) continue to gloss over that fact, because that’s what analysts tend to do with quarterbacks who can run.

This season when throwing from the pocket, Jackson has completed 264 of 370 attempts for 3,321 yards, 28 touchdowns, four interceptions*, and a league-best passer rating of 119.6. But here’s the thing —Jackson is just as deadly when he’s scrambling outside the pocket. In those instances, he’s completed 36 of 73 passes for 635 yards, 11 touchdowns, no interceptions, and a passer rating of 119.0. Only Matthew Stafford of the Los Angeles Rams (123.4) has a higher passer rating this season when throwing outside the pocket.

This creates nightmares for enemy defenses, because there really isn’t one way to stop him.

By the way, the asterisk adhered to Jackson’s four interceptions is there because not one of those picks was Jackson’s fault. Three dropped out of the hands of his receivers, and the fourth was due to a miscommunication on a route between Jackson and receiver Rashod Bateman.

Against the Texans, 12 of Jackson’s 15 passes came from the pocket, but the pocket movement was frequently unbelievable. Jackson’s 67-yard pass to tight end Mark Andrews with 3:10 left in the first half was just such a play. Jackson worked though a blitz that running back Derrick Henry didn’t pick up a first, rolled around until Andrews came open on the scramble drill, and threw his usual dart to the right guy.

Two plays later, Jackson put the dagger in with a nine-yard touchdown to tight end Isaiah Likely, and this was all about what Jackson was able to do outside the pocket. And it’s important to note that throughout the extended timing of the play, Jackson never once put his eyes down with a notion to run.

When a quarterback is playing at this level no matter the circumstance, it’s tough to do more than just tip your cap.

“Yes, the receivers and tight ends and running backs, everyone is doing a great job at keeping their eyes on me, making defenders miss when I’m going scramble drill, because I’m not just a tuck-and-run quarterback,” Jackson said postgame of those two plays. “I’m going to keep my eyes downfield, but if the defense does a great job at covering, I just do what I do.”

Oh yeah… that’s where the running comes in. Like the 48-yard designed run touchdown Jackson pulled off with 13:30 left in the third quarter. Jackson faked to Derrick Henry out of full-house Pistol, pretty much the entire Texans defense followed Henry and fell for the banana in the tailpipe, and Jackson was able to sprint away to the end zone.

By the way, that Texans defense Jackson tormented in all possible ways came into Week 17 as the NFL’s best per DVOA metrics.

“Sometimes I just shake my head and say, ‘That was really a great play. That was a great play,’” Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said postgame of his quarterback. “I’ve seen a lot of great plays from Lamar Jackson. I told him I was proud of him. I’m not just proud of him just because he makes great plays. I’m proud of him for all the things that go into making great plays and also for all the things he’s overcome along the way. I put his mom in the same category; what they’ve overcome together, all the narratives and all that kind of stuff, it’s quite a remarkable story. It’s historic, but the story’s still being written, and there’s a lot more to accomplish.”

The story is still being written, but what Lamar Jackson is doing as a pure thrower of the football is worthy of your attention. Because it is indeed historic, and it may be quite a while before we see a season like it again.