Baltimore Ravens beat Arizona Cardinals: The good, bad and ugly
This week’s win vs. the Arizona Cardinals wasn’t always pretty, but it did give the Baltimore Ravens a 2-0 record. Here’s the best and worst from the game:
The good:
While this was far from a perfect performance from the Baltimore Ravens, there was plenty to be happy about. Obviously, getting another win is great, and a 2-0 start to the season is huge for the team’s post-season hopes.
The props once again go to the offense, which is still a weird statement. The tight ends remain dominant, especially Mark Andrews. Andrews became the first Baltimore Ravens tight end to top 100-yards receiving in consecutive weeks. Hayden Hurst is also finding himself a niche as a solid no.2 tight end for the team. With the way Andrews is playing right now, he may just be the best tight end in all of football.
Lamar Jackson has continued to throw the football well, passing his single-season passing touchdowns from last year (six) in less than six quarters in 2019. Jackson’s biggest strength, and perceived “weakness” by the media, was his running ability. While he avoided doing that much vs. the Miami Dolphins, his 120 rushing yards against the Arizona Cardinals reminded us all of what he can do on the ground.
Jackson became the first player in NFL history to pass for 250+ yards and rush for 120+ yards in a regular season game. Not too shabby.
For anyone who wasn’t sure, Marquise Brown is for real people; he’s no one-week wonder. Brown reeled in a ridiculous catch of 45-yards to put the Ravens in position to win the game vs. the Cardinals. His skills as a receiver in general, not just a deep-threat, were on display all day long and he looked terrific. The Baltimore Ravens have finally found themselves a true no.1 wide receiver.
Finally, Justin Tucker is still good. Now then, on to the bad…