Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh knew the answer he would get from his star quarterback, Lamar Jackson, to a question Harbaugh didn't really need to ask.

It was a moment in last week's win over the Kansas Chiefs that highlighted how much regard Harbaugh has for Jackson, and the impact Jackson has on opponents.

It's something the Detroit Lions will face in Sunday's game at Ford Field.

Against the Chiefs, the Ravens faced a critical fourth-down situation late in Sunday's game with the Kansas City Chiefs, and Harbaugh wanted Jackson's input on what to do.

It was Ravens' ball, fourth and one at their 41-yard line, with 1:05 left. The Ravens held a 36-35 lead.

A first down would clinch a win for a Ravens team that had lost three straight to the Chiefs.

Come up short, the Chiefs would take over in position to drive for a winning field goal.

A punt, another option, would put the Ravens' defense in the precarious position of trying to stop the NFL's best offense, led by Patrick Mahomes, the NFL's best quarterback.

The outcome could impact the Ravens' season as either a playoff team or being home for the postseason.

"Go for it?" Harbaugh asked Jackson.

"Hell yeah," Jackson replied.

Jackson took the center snap and knifed through the front wall of the Chiefs' defense behind a surge from his offensive line to get the game-clinching first down.

"I got to get this first down, no matter what," Jackson told reporters after the game. "I've got to jump, dive through a defender. My offensive line did a good job of pushing them back.

"It feels good ... feels good to get that monkey off our back (three losses to KC).

"Got to move on to Detroit now. We didn't win the Super Bowl yet. It's just one game, and we've got to stay focused."

Jackson's sideline strategy chat with Harbaugh and his comments after the game – including "on to Detroit" – show how Jackson is as aware of his priorities as he is of opposing defenses.

Jackson hadn't changed out of his uniform and was already referring to Sunday's game against the Detroit Lions.

The Ravens have a 1-1 won-loss record, with an overtime loss to the Raiders in the opener. They've made the playoffs nine times in Harbaugh's 13 seasons as coach, including the last three years in a row.

It has been a challenging season for the Ravens because of injuries.

They lost three running backs for the season before the start of the regular season -- J.K. Dobbins, Gus Edwards (knees) and Justice Hill (Achilles).

Cornerback Marcus Peters also went out for the season with a knee injury, and left tackle Ronnie Stanley will be out for what could be an extended period with an ankle injury sustained in the opening-game loss to the Raiders.

Only two games into his fourth season, Jackson already ranks among the NFL's elite quarterbacks. He is not a classic passer – yet – but he showed the potential to become that in 2019, his first full season as a starter. He threw 36 TD passes against six interceptions.

Also in 2019 Jackson ran for 1,206 yards and followed that up with 1,005 in 2020.

Jackson might better both of those marks this because of injuries that have hit the Ravens hard at running back and the offensive line. He already has 193 yards in the first two games.

Head coach Dan Campbell is concerned about the Ravens' overall running game, not just Jackson. The Ravens signed veteran running back Latavius Murray to help fill the gap created by injuries.

"Our safeties are going to be a huge part of this game for us to have success," Campbell said at his midweek press conference. "They have to be ready, and they have to be ready to fill.

"It does start with that quarterback. Keeping him away from the open field ... let's find a way to force him to hand off."