The Baltimore Ravens wrapped up a blowout win over the Cleveland Browns to kick off the 2020 season. Here’s the good, bad and ugly from the win.
The Good:
Lamar Jackson is an unbelievably good quarterback. Going into the fourth quarter Lamar Jackson’s stat line was a thing of absolute beauty. Jackson was 18-22 passing for 252 yards and three touchdowns. He played a masterful game. Jackson’s last-minute drive of the first half displayed how on top of things he has become as he entered the third year of his NFL career. Jackson made the right call on a regular basis. A quarterback who doesn’t always get enough credit for what he can do as a passer passed the ball incredibly. His ball placement was amazing. His accuracy took strides from last season and his mastery of the game was some straight-up Peyton Manning stuff.
Mark Andrews and Marquise Brown had incredible performances and they looked even better than they did a year ago. Marquise Brown had his second straight season opener with over 100 receiving yards. Andrews had two touchdown grabs, one which was truly spectacular. The Ravens have two superstars for their MVP quarterback.
The rookies got off to a fast start. Tyre Phillips was very solid in his debut at right guard. J.K. Dobbins had two touchdown runs and looked like the best running back the purple and black had. Devin Duvernay got a fist down grab and a good kickoff return.
The good debut wasn’t just for the rookies on offense. Patrick Queen had a sack and a forced fumble. He looked fairly solid in his first game in the NFL and as a blitzing linebacker, he is a really good weapon.
Calais Campbell‘s impact was felt early and often. He had three tipped passes. The first Browns drive was thwarted by a Campbell tip that led to a Marlon Humphrey interception. The defense only gave up six points. There are things to clean up. That being said the Ravens showed off in this game. They were dominant. The Ravens looked just as impressive if not more than the Kansas City Chiefs did in the NFL kickoff game. A Super Bowl is a realistic goal for Baltimore and this was the start you expect from a Super Bowl team.