As Lamar Jackson jogged off the field at M&T Bank Stadium late Sunday afternoon, a member of the Ravens’ staff directed him to a young girl in the stands near the team’s tunnel with a sign that read how she’d made a friendship bracelet for him. On the bracelet were the letters “G.O.A.T.” He gave her his wool hat in return.

In the locker room afterward, Jackson and running back Derrick Henry recounted plays from the game they’d just dominated, dissecting and laughing and embracing. In the adjacent hallway, coach John Harbaugh was greeted by longtime ESPN NFL reporter Sal Paolantonio, who cracked, “Who needs practice?”

Not Jackson, or at least not much of it.

Despite practicing just once during the week because of a sore knee and back, the Ravens’ quarterback dismantled a Broncos defense that ranks as one of the best in the league, completing 16 of 19 passes for 280 yards and three touchdowns to lead Baltimore to a 41-10 win. The early favorite to win a second straight and third overall NFL Most Valuable Player Award, he recorded the fourth perfect passer rating of his career to tie former Pittsburgh Steelers star Ben Roethlisberger for the most such games in NFL history.

“I knew what the assignment was,” Jackson said. “I definitely studied those guys.”

The victory improves the Ravens to 6-3 and importantly keeps them within a half-game of first place in the AFC North behind the Steelers, who are on a bye and will host Baltimore later this month.

The Ravens also have a quick turnaround this week, with a key divisional showdown against the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday night in Baltimore. But their latest victory also made a statement: The Ravens proved once again they have the best offense in the NFL with the league’s best player at the helm.

“He’s an awesome football player and ultimate quarterback,” wide receiver Nelson Agholor said. “I just love that he just goes out there and he just sees the game. He sees everybody, tries to find the best matchup, the best open player. He’s in full control of it. It’s like your ideal point guard in a basketball situation.

“I can’t comment on [his practicing just one day], but he’s special. He’s a special player and I think we all know that. He approaches the game a certain way to be the best version of him every time he steps on the field.”

When he’s at his best, so, too, are the Ravens — including this Sunday on both sides of the ball with what Harbaugh called the team’s most “complete” performance of the season to date.

“Our offense came to play as a group,” Harbaugh said. “We talked about [Jackson] preparing all week and he did a great job.”

Denver came into the week allowing the third-fewest points (15) and yards (282.6) per game, the fewest yards per play (4.4) and yards per pass (5.9) along with the highest blitz rate in the league, according to Next Gen Stats, and with the league’s most pressures, per Pro Football Focus. But Jackson, who has the highest success rate when blitzed, eviscerated them.

Baltimore scored on four of its first five possessions and seven straight, including going 70 yards in just two plays with 58 seconds left in the second quarter as wide receiver Zay Flowers found a wide-open patch of grass in the middle of the field, caught Jackson’s perfectly thrown pass, cut back and raced 53 yards for a touchdown that put the Ravens up 24-10 at the half.

Then the Ravens leaned on their NFL-best rushing attack and continued to pour it on.

Baltimore drove 70 yards in 10 plays on the opening series of the third quarter, with Derrick Henry (23 carries, 106 yards, 2 TDs) chewing up 42 of them on the ground, including a 6-yard scoring run. It was the 21st time that Henry had 100 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns in a game, tying him for third-most in NFL history, according to ESPN Stats and Information. The only running backs with more are Jim Brown (25) and LaDainian Tomlinson (25).

“It’s a big thing,” Harbaugh said when asked about the significance of the NFL’s leading rusher being able to salt away games in the second half. “We have been really good at running the ball for a long time, but he is different.

“He’s adding a dimension that we have not had before. You go back to Jamaal Lewis maybe. This is different.”

So, too, was the Ravens’ much-maligned defense, at least as the game wore on.

The Broncos had their chances early, but those slowly diminished as Baltimore pulled away.

Scoreless at the 6:21 mark of the first quarter and facing a fourth-and-1 from the Ravens’ 44-yard line, running back Javonte Williams took a toss right and was initially ruled to have picked up the necessary yard. But Harbaugh challenged the spot, replay overturned the call, the Ravens took possession and Henry powered in from 7 yards seven plays later.

Then, faced with a fourth-and-4 from Baltimore’s 33 on the Broncos’ next possession, rookie quarterback Bo Nix had plenty of time against the Ravens’ blitz, but his deep pass to a streaking and open Troy Franklin, who’d gotten behind cornerback Arthur Maulet up the left sideline, sailed harmlessly into the end zone. Again, the Ravens took advantage, driving into the red zone to set up a 33-yard field goal for Justin Tucker and a 10-0 lead.

Denver bounced back, with Nix leading an 11-play, 70-yard touchdown drive — capped by the quarterback incredibly catching a pass from receiver Courtland Sutton on a fake reverse on fourth down from the Ravens’ 2 over safety Marcus Williams. But the threat was short-lived, with Jackson and Flowers making magic.

The offense was just getting going.

After Henry’s third-quarter touchdown on the opening series of the second half, Denver went three-and-out on its next possession, and the Ravens marched 79 more yards in 10 plays, beginning with a screen pass to Henry that went for 27 yards and ending with an easy 3-yard touchdown pass to fullback Pat Ricard, who hauled in his first catch of the season for the score to extend the lead to 38-10.

Tucker tacked on another three points with a 37-yard kick early in the fourth.

In all, seven players caught a pass from Jackson, with Flowers’ five for 127 yards and two scores leading the way.

“It’s a pick-your-poison offense,” Jackson said. “Based on what the defense giving me, certain guys might have a day.

“All the great guys we have, it can be the tight ends one game, it might just be the running backs one game. You really never know.”

And for once, the Ravens’ defense didn’t allow an opponent to climb back or even stay in the game.

After Nix threw for 160 yards in the first half, he was held to just 63 on 7 of 13 passing in the second. He was also sacked three times over the final 30 minutes and Denver tallied just 90 total yards and was held to 2 of 6 on third down.

Though Nix still had some success, especially early, it was a marked turnaround from last week’s loss to the Browns in Cleveland, in which the Ravens allowed Jameis Winston to throw for 334 yards and three touchdowns in an embarrassing defeat.

Not this time.

Defensive back Ar’Darius Washington had an interception on the game’s second play when the pass bounced off Lil’Jordan Humphrey’s hands. Safety Kyle Hamilton had a team-team-high 10 tackles, including one for loss, and inside linebacker Trenton Simpson added nine, including two for loss along with a pass breakup and a sack. Outside linebacker Tavius Robinson had two sacks and Malik Harrison had one.

It was more than enough, especially for the league’s most dangerous offense.

“You look at our body of work and what we’ve done through nine games, we’ve done a good job of chasing balance in the air and on the ground,” Agholor said. “It starts with 8.

“[Jackson] is the ultimate dual-threat quarterback and he puts people in a bind with his arm, and then he’s accompanied by 22, who’s a dominant tailback, and Justice, who’s a very creative speed back and at the end of the day that creates a lot of openings over the middle. We chase balance. That’s what we do.”

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