Baltimore Ravens beat Raiders: The good, the bad and the ugly

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - NOVEMBER 25: Cornerback Cyrus Jones #27 of the Baltimore Ravens returns a punt for a touchdown in the second quarter against the Oakland Raiders at M&T Bank Stadium on November 25, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - NOVEMBER 25: Cornerback Cyrus Jones #27 of the Baltimore Ravens returns a punt for a touchdown in the second quarter against the Oakland Raiders at M&T Bank Stadium on November 25, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /
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BALTIMORE, MARYLAND – NOVEMBER 25: Running Back Doug Martin #28 of the Oakland Raiders leaps for a touchdown in the first quarter against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on November 25, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND – NOVEMBER 25: Running Back Doug Martin #28 of the Oakland Raiders leaps for a touchdown in the first quarter against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on November 25, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /

The Bad:

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The game plan the Ravens came into this game didn’t make a ton of sense. Jackson seemed to go out of his way not to be a runner in the beginning of the game. The Ravens got away from the running game at times. It wasn’t working. Jackson forced a couple throws and threw two interceptions off tipped passes. Jackson had a good game, but he looked more like a rookie than an established star. The Ravens could have dominated this game, earlier if they got off to a faster start.

The Ravens defense allowed the Raiders to march down the field on the opening possession. The Raiders scored a deflating touchdown. The pass rush of the Ravens made almost no impact in this game until late in the second half. Carr had all day to throw the football most of the day. The Ravens got lucky on several plays where Carr either over threw his intended target, or the Raiders suffered a dropped pass. The worst defensive lapse was when the Ravens allowed Carr to drive down the field in the third quarter in six efficient plays.

The Ravens could have put the game away a lot sooner than they did. This game was closer than the final score indicated. Things swung the Ravens way, but the 2-8 Raiders really tested them. The Ravens outscored Oakland 21-7 in the second half, due to great halftime adjustments. A frustrating first half was the reason they had to change it up.