The Baltimore Ravens were able to beat the Cleveland Browns 31-15. You know what time it is, it’s the good, the bad and the ugly from the game:
The Good:
The Baltimore Ravens took way too long to heat up, but when they did it was impressive. The Ravens finished the first half with two scores in the final two minutes. The first score came on a 39 yard pass to Mark Andrews. The Browns got the ball back and gifted the Ravens three straight incomplete passes and a punt. The Ravens followed it up with a well managed drive by Lamar Jackson that ended with an improbable touchdown pass to Andrews. When the Ravens woke up, they quickly took over the game. The Ravens picked up right where they left off when play resumed in the third quarter. They marched down the field and scored a touchdown to finish a 13 play drive. The Ravens took over the game and led 21-6.
Lamar Jackson ended up with a very impressive stat line. He had 238 passing yards and three touchdowns. Jackson also ran for 103 yards. With Jackson dominating against the Browns and the Seattle Seahawks getting blown out by the Arizona Cardinals, the MVP conversation has to be over. The Ravens had a very balanced attack as the accrued 481 total yards of offense. 238 through the air and 243 on the ground is about the most balanced offense you’ll ever see. Mark Ingram II and Gus Edwards both had over 50 rushing yards and Justice Hill made some big plays. The offense ended the game with five straight drives with seven plays or more and Justice Hill’s fourth quarter touchdown put the game away.
Defensively the Ravens were very impressive. Nick Chubb was dramatically slowed down. Baker Mayfield only had 192 yards through the air and the box score makes his day look better than it was. It was a rough day of work for the Oklahoma Sooners product, which is a good look for the defense. The defense started off slowly and struggled to cover the Browns’ talented receivers. Once the defense got going, it won most of the battles. There were some stand out performances in this one. Jimmy Smith and Chuck Clark played great in the secondary and L.J. Fort had a great game as a linebacker.