Baltimore Ravens win vs. Seattle Seahawks: Take-home points

Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens defense led the team to an impressive 30-16 win over Seattle Seahawks. Here are some important points to note.

Let there be no misunderstanding about it, the Ravens 30-16 road win over the Seattle Seahawks was enormous. It moved the team to 5-2 on the season and a 2.5-game lead in the AFC North as they head into their bye week. It gave them a confidence-building win over a champion contender. And it showed that the defense is indeed moving in the right direction.

Also, it put the rest of the league officially on notice that the team’s precocious young quarterback is a handful. For anybody. In any field. Under any conditions.
Let’s take a quick look back at some interesting things from Sunday’s game.

• Lamar Jackson wanted this game, so he went out and took it. We’ve seen his all-consuming competitiveness show up before, particularly in the fourth quarter of that playoff loss last season and in two games against the Chiefs when he showed a maniacal passion to do everything in his power to avoid a loss. This was different. This was a clear burn in his play to seize a victory.

The conditions were poor, the crowd was intense and one of the NFL’s biggest stars, playing at the very top of his game, was his counterpart on the other sidelines. But when the game was at its tightest, and every snap on either side was met with tension, Jackson put the team on his back and took this game. Dropped passes, penalties, a tough Seattle defense — he took on all comers.

And he won. Bravo, young man.

• Marcus Peters, come on down! Acquired on Tuesday, the ball-hawk corner made his debut for the Ravens one for the memory books with a huge pick-six off Russell Wilson. Turnovers are what the Ravens need from Peters. Marlon Humphrey, who also scored today with a nifty scoop-and-score fumble return, is the top cover guy, and Earl Thomas can help if Peters gets beaten on double moves by being aggressive. They need his turnovers to get the offense more possessions.

Good start, right?

• Though he did make the big play, Humphrey didn’t seem to dominate as much in coverage as we’ve become accustomed, but there was a good quarterback and some talented receivers on the other team. Dependable tight end Mark Andrews also dropped several easy passes. I’d think most Ravens observers would raise an eyebrow if they were told the team would beat Seattle on the road with subpar performances from those two.

• Brandon Williams and Michael Pierce did an excellent job up front against a very good running attack. They also each got a little pressure on the passer. Holding Chris Carson to 65 yards on 21 carries is good work.

• Mark Ingram and Gus Edwards ran with purpose in the second half and helped the Ravens take control of the clock and the game. It is a fantastic blend of power and speed on the field when either of them are paired with Jackson. I’m looking forward to seeing where this offense eventually goes when they can also pull out packages with Marquise Brown and Justice Hill on the field at the same time with Miles Boykin. They will become a headache to any defensive coordinator they face.

• This defense really seems to be rounding into shape, and it was good seeing rookie Jaylon Ferguson and an emerging Tyus Bowser making plays. If this defense continues to improve, this team can compete. With anybody.

• If you doubt Lamar Jackson, that’s your business. Judge him by his humble passing stats today. Claim that he’s a running back who won’t last playing this style, or that defenses are going to figure him out. All of that is your right.

But watch the man play, and allow yourself to enjoy watching someone who believes in his abilities and yearns to win. Michael Jordan was like that. So was Ray Lewis. Who knows if Jackson will ever become that kind of iconic figure, but that’s what he burns to be, and I’m here for the show.