The Baltimore Ravens just got their biggest win of the season against the Seattle Seahawks. Let’s break this down the very good, the bad and the ugly:
The Good:
The Baltimore Ravens had one of the most inspiring efforts in franchise history. They made a big win happen with heart and an incredible energy about them. Lamar Jackson was in full superstar mode in this game. There were a few moments in this game, where Jackson simply took over. The Ravens needed some clutch moments from their quarterback and that’s what they got. From a fourth and goal run for the go ahead touchdown, to a big third down run that got the Ravens out of trouble, he did it. Jackson struggled a bit as a passer but he made a couple of huge throws. He had a 50 yard bomb to start the game and he found a couple of third down conversions with his arm. Don’t get fooled by the low passing numbers, Jackson had a great game. He did what he always does: whatever the team needs.
The Ravens running game took over this game. Jackson had over 100 yards on the ground and averaged 10 yards per carry. Mark Ingram and Gus Edwards had some big runs of their own and got the Ravens a bit over 70 yards combined. The Ravens had a nine minute, 13 play drive in the fourth quarter. In one of the toughest places to play, when it was at it’s loudest, and they finished this thing. Here’s the thing though, Seattle won the time of possession margin and the Ravens still won in dominant fashion. The defense deserves a ton of credit. Let’s talk about it.
This was the best game Don Martindale ever had as the Ravens defensive coordinator (and that’s a high bar. Martindale was aggressive in this game. He found a way to get pressure on Wilson with stunts, blitzes and creativity. This is the freedom he has now that Marcus Peters is a Raven.
The Ravens were able to lock down receivers and allow the front seven to do some serious damage. Wilson made some magic happen, but he couldn’t lift the Seahawks past the Ravens. Peters had a pick six that changed the entire complexion of the game. Wilson had his first rough game of the season. An MVP candidate struggled in front of his home crowd. He only had 241 yards and completed just about half of his passes. This was a huge win for the Ravens and the defense did a lot of the heavy lifting.