KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Coach John Harbaugh was asked who would be his No. 1 quarterback after each of Lamar Jackson's first three starts.
That streak stopped following the Baltimore Ravens' 27-24 overtime loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Perhaps there is no longer any question about whether Jackson or Joe Flacco should be the Ravens' starting quarterback.
Jackson produced his first game with multiple touchdown passes and recorded a higher passer rating (100.5) than Chiefs starter Patrick Mahomes. He also remained a threat with his legs, leading Baltimore with 71 yards rushing.
If not for Mahomes' unreal 48-yard completion on fourth-and-9 with 89 seconds remaining, the talk would be about how Jackson threw a 10-yard touchdown on fourth down and a 9-yard score on third down in one of the biggest regular-season wins of the Harbaugh era.
"I thought he was very poised," Harbaugh said. "He made plays -- passing game, running game. He's just such a competitor. Yes, very impressive."
Flacco, who injured his right hip on Nov. 4, is expected to be available for Sunday's game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He had his first full practice in a month on Friday, and he was cleared to suit up in a game later that day.
"He could play medically," Harbaugh said of Flacco being inactive for the fourth week in a row. "He just didn't have a chance to prepare enough."
Three weeks remain in the regular season and Flacco has more big-game experience than Jackson. Flacco is also the more proven downfield passer.
But this is more about a winning formula of complementary football than one player, albeit the most important one on the field. It would be difficult for Harbaugh to take the job away from Jackson when he has been the key in a dominant rushing attack, which helps the NFL's top-ranked defense stay rested.
Jackson has checked many of the boxes for a rookie first-round pick:
Could Jackson win in the NFL? He helped the Ravens to wins over the Cincinnati Bengals and Oakland Raiders at home.
Could he win on the road? Jackson went to Atlanta and beat the Falcons by double digits.
Can Jackson beat a top team? He brought Baltimore back from a couple of deficits (7-0 and 17-10) on Sunday, coming within a fourth-down stop in the fourth quarter that would've sealed a victory over the AFC's top team.
"We're a strong team. We can fight with anybody," Jackson said. "I know a lot of people doubted us to lose this game anyways, but it wasn't how they thought it was going to be. We just got to get better next week and move on."
Flacco isn't the only Ravens starting quarterback missing time lately. Jackson hurt his left ankle on a scramble, which sidelined him for the final two plays. X-rays came back negative, and Jackson didn't walk with a limp in the locker room.
This comes a week after Jackson sat out an eight-minute drive while being in concussion protocol in Atlanta. On Sunday, Jackson was so upset that he wouldn't be let back in the game that he threw his helmet to the ground on the sideline.
How badly did Jackson want to play?
"Very bad," Jackson said. "We're down three points, overtime. We're trying to win the game. I wanted to get out there and help my team win the game. I just couldn't do it."
The biggest knocks on Jackson are his efficiency as a passer and his turnovers. At Arrowhead Stadium, Jackson completed 13 of 24 passes for 147 yards. While there were some poor throws (he threw a ball in the grass while trying to hit Ty Montgomery for a swing pass), Jackson didn't receive great help from his targets (Chris Moore would've had a 42-yard touchdown catch if he competed harder for it in the end zone).
Jackson also fumbled for the sixth time as a starter, although this was hardly all his fault. An unblocked Justin Houston stripped Jackson from behind with 38 seconds left in relegation, but the Chiefs failed to convert it into any points.
Overall, Jackson has helped the Ravens (7-6) win three of their past four games, putting them within a half-game of the Pittsburgh Steelers for first place in the AFC North and moving them in a four-team race into the AFC's No. 6 seed (Baltimore currently owns the tiebreakers).
"That offense is going to be a problem," Chiefs outside linebacker Dee Ford said. "[Jackson's] a great athlete, but he knows how to execute the offense. You really have to be on one page as a defense. If you aren't, they will gas you."