The Baltimore Ravens beat the Cleveland Browns 47-42. This is the good, bad, and the ugly. Let’s start with the good:
The Baltimore Ravens got the win, and it was about as thrilling of one as you could get. There’s obviously a great amount of good from this game. The score is a good place to start. This is a Ravens team that struggled to put up 24 points a few weeks ago and now they nearly dropped 50 in a prime time game. The last play of the game gave the Ravens a silly two points with the million lateral causing safety; the score should have been 45-42.
Lamar Jackson is amazing. Jackson had to make most of the early action happen with his legs. After the Browns scored on an all to easy opening drive, Jackson and the offense were put on notice. The Ravens would have to put up points to win this game and Jackson was tasked with providing for his team.
Jackson used his legs multiple times in the Ravens’ responding scoring drive and got in the end zone. Jackson picked up 124 yards on nine rushing attempts. This was the lifeblood of the offense. When the Ravens needed a play, Jackson took off and did his thing. This was a Jackson special.
Jackson wasn’t perfect as a passer, though he only had 17 passing attempts in the game. Jackson completed 11 passes for 163 yards. When he found Mark Andrews down the field (completely not how they drew it up) it sparked a crucial scoring drive. When he found Marquise Brown (who we’ll talk about later) for the amazing fourth-down magic after the two-minute warning, there are not enough words to praise that play enough.
The way you have to look at Jackson in this game is as the magic maker. When the Ravens needed it he got them where they needed to go. Jackson being sidelined for vague reasons we’ll just call cramps was certainly unique. Coming back and saving the day, that was special.
Okay, there were other players in this game. It didn’t always feel like it, but there were. First, we have to give props to Trace McSorley. That man was put into a really pressure-cooked situation. He kept the one drive we remember most alive, keeping the Ravens in the game and in the playoff hunt.
I don’t care if he’s a backup or not, picking up a first down in that spot with a pass to Willie Snead, is huge, That deserves some respect. It’s really unfortunate that he got hurt and may be out for the year. My thoughts certainly go out to him for that.
J.K. Dobbins, we see you. Dobbins had some very impressive runs. In particular, Dobbins had runs that showed off his core strength and his leg power. Dobbins isn’t messing around when he’s got the ball and he’s looking more and more like a star in the making.
Dobbins picked up 53 yards. Gus Edwards picked up 49 yards like a man no Cleveland Brown wanted to tackle. Edwards picked up seven yards per attempt. Dobbins picked up just over four. The Ravens running backs totaled 102 yards on the ground combined.
The yards aren’t the story. What is the story is however the clip they were operating at. Jackson averaged 13.8 yards per run. The Ravens’ run game was more efficient than the short passing game of Bill Walsh’s west coast offense with the old-school San Francisco 49ers. The run game was art.
Mark Andrews had a big game as well. He had five catches for 78 yards. Just about all five of those catches were critical plays in this game. There is no mistaking the go-to target in this offense. Speaking of being clutch, Justin Tucker is the man. There will never be a kicker as good at his job as he is.