The Baltimore Ravens moved to 6-2 with a 37-20 beatdown over Tom Brady, Bill Belichick, and the previously undefeated New England Patriots.
The Baltimore Ravens moved to 6-2 with a 37-20 beatdown over Tom Brady, Bill Belichick, and the previously undefeated New England Patriots.
The Ravens led from start to finish after striking early on a drive that appeared to be ending in a Justin Tucker field goal. A neutral zone infraction extended the Ravens drive, and quarterback Lamar Jackson rushed for a touchdown on the very next play. It was just the start the Ravens needed against the Patriots and set the tone for the contest.
The top takeaway is the continued success of Jackson. He has firmly inserted himself into the MVP conversation with back-to-back strong performances this time baffling the greatest defensive mind in the NFL. Jackson finished 17-23 for 163-yards and touchdown pass and added 16 carries for 61-yards with a pair of rushing touchdowns. So in full, 224 total yards and three touchdowns. Stop coming up for reasons he’s not great if you still inexplicably remain on the hater train. You’re wrong.
The rest of the run game pulled their weight too adding 142-yards a touchdown from Gus Edwards. Big props to the Ravens offensive line, a unit that has continued to improve throughout the season for dominating the New England defensive front we had heard so much about in the first eight weeks of the season.
In the receiving game, Nick Boyle added his first career touchdown, one of five catches for 27-yards on the day for him. He was also instrumental in the success of the running game as he often is and continues to grow as a pass-catching option. Marquise Brown returned to the lineup and had three catches for 48 yards. The Ravens desperately need him to remain dynamic on offense.
The only down note for the Ravens on offense was a Mark Ingram fumble inside the Baltimore 20 that set up the Patriots in prime shape. Cyrus Jones added a fumble in the return game which gave the Patriots a short field at the twenty leading to their first touchdown of the game. The Ravens have Super Bowl aspirations and they have to clean up the fumbles to get there.
Defensive takeaways gotta start out with Marlon Humphrey. He continues to make massive game-changing plays and his scoop and score extended the Ravens lead to 24-13 early in the second half with the Patriots threatening to take the lead. The Patriots had incredible momentum going and were walking right down the field before the Humphrey restored order. Hell, the Pats drove again for a touchdown on the next drive. That play was HUGE.
How about Matt Judon last night? He was a menace throughout registering four QB hits despite not collecting a sack. He made a ton of money for himself last night on the grand stage making Brady uncomfortable throughout the night. The pass rush, in general, had one of their better performances of the year notching two sacks and 10 quarterback hits.
Welcome back Patrick Onwuasor, who took the field for the first time since missing the last two contests. “Peanut” finished with eight tackles, a sack, a tackle for loss, and a quarterback hit. Also back for the Ravens on defense was Jimmy Smith who looked solid for a guy who hasn’t played since Week One. Two big pieces to have back in the puzzle for Wink Martindale.
As far as the downside on defense Marcus Peters was picked on a good bit by Brady as Julian Edelman and Mohamed Sanu each made a few plays against the newest Raven. Peters will bounce back from this performance but with Marlon Humphrey ascending the elite corner ranks, folks will be staying away from him and Peters play will be important in deciding where the Ravens ultimately end up this year.
The coaching staff gets another glowing review. John Harbaugh made a huge decision in a 24-20 game after those back to back dominant drives from the Patriots to go for it on fourth and four from the 38. Jackson threw a dime on an out route to Willie Snead to extend the drive and five plays later, Boyle extended the lead to 30-20. Greg Roman, Wink Martindale, and Harbaugh deserve all the praise they are receiving this morning. The outclassed one of the best coaching staffs in the NFL.
All in all, this was a huge win for the Ravens. The Steelers won to get to 4-4 on the year but still trail the Ravens by two games in the AFC North. It will be important for the Ravens to remain focused as they head to Cincinnati next week to take on the winless Bengals.
But for today, it feels damn good to be a member of the #RavensFlock.