The best thing I took away from a 15-minute conversation with Lamar Jackson in training camp this past summer had nothing to do with anything he said. It was what others said. To him. As I interviewed him.

This was in late July. Joe Flacco was the Baltimore Ravens’ undisputed starter, and their coaches were intent on making sure everyone knew that. But as Jackson and I were standing in the hallway outside the locker room, I could not believe how many of his older, veteran teammates playfully busted his chops while they walked by. At least five of them, probably more.

It was a quick comment here, a smirk there, all with the unspoken insinuation — don’t say too much, rook. And by the amused look on Jackson’s face, he was in on the joke.

View photos Lamar Jackson will make his seventh start of the season on Sunday, a game in which the Ravens can clinch the AFC North title. (Getty Images) More

These guys really like him, I noted to myself.

It led me to ask Jackson how many rookies he was hanging out with, and he named 11 of them.

Another good sign, I thought to myself.

If all of this sounds goofy, I get it. You kind of have to hang around NFL locker rooms for a while to understand the brotherhood aspect of it, and how much it matters. But take my word for it, when it comes to the quarterback, it helps if he’s likable. In this league, where being the QB also means being a leader, players tend to play harder for guys under center they like and/or respect, even if it’s subconsciously. This is one of many areas where Jackson is already ahead of the game.

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“Lamar hates to lose,” rookie tight end Mark Andrews said. “He’s a guy that’s … you know, you’re down, you can rely on him, he’s going to do everything he can to win – whether it’s running the ball for fourth-and-inches or what not. He’s a guy that’s going to make the play.”

Jackson turns 22 in January, so it’s hard to expect him to lead men with wives and kids. But in the absence of veteran experience, his combination of likability and talent has been enough to lift the Ravens to the cusp of the postseason.

Since Jackson took over for Flacco a month ago due to injury, the Ravens are 5-1, with the only loss coming to the AFC-leading Kansas City Chiefs, who are 11-4. And with a win Sunday against the Cleveland Browns, the Ravens can clinch their first AFC North title since 2012, which was the season the Ravens won the Super Bowl under Flacco.

Over the past six weeks, the Ravens’ offense has morphed into a ground-and-pound juggernaut, a team averaging nearly 250 rushing yards per game since Week 11. They’re content on hitting opponents over the head with the run game and letting their top-ranked defense rest until it’s their turn to beat a team over the head some more.

A big reason for this strategic shift is their excellent defense, but it also speaks to Jackson’s strengths and weaknesses as a quarterback. Jackson, the 2016 Heisman Trophy winner, is an electric runner, perhaps the most dynamic at quarterback the league has seen since prime Michael Vick. This allows the Ravens to pair their varied run game with a ton of play-action, zone reads and run-pass options, all to take advantage of defenses’ need to account for Jackson as an athlete.

“The Ravens have done a lot of good things this year in the last couple of games, mixing in play-action off of runs and looks that they have used previously in the game,” said Browns linebacker Joe Schobert, who will try to stop Jackson on Sunday. “It all comes down to eyes … the way they have run their offense the last couple of games, it could be up the A gaps, it could be up a nose tackle, it could be up the linebackers and it could be the D ends, corners or safeties.”

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