It was ugly, but the Baltimore Ravens snuck out of a Brazil with a victory in Week 3. They defeated the Dallas Cowboys, 34-31, winning on a walk-off field goal by Tyler Loop.
While it’s a win, it wasn’t a great win. The defense was horrendous in the late stages once again, and the offense sputtered. Thankfully, Lamar Jackson and Zay Flowers were there to make the splash play the team desperately needed with seven seconds to go.
Here are five winners and three losers from the win.
Winners and losers from the Baltimore Ravens’ Week 3 win
Winner: Lamar Jackson
Where would this team be without Lamar Jackson? Jackson is the lifeblood of this group, and it feels like you can always trust him to pull a rabbit out of a hat and save the day. He did it again on Sunday.
Jackson’s stats weren’t anything crazy—15-for-20, 185 passing yards, 2 passing touchdowns, and 50 rushing yards are light for a Jackson game. However, it wasn’t the numbers. It was the efficiency; it was the ability to pull the team out of a slump when they needed it.
Early in the first quarter, the Ravens found themselves down 10-0 and couldn’t move the ball for the life of them. A 21-yard run by the two-time MVP on the team’s third drive woke them up and got the blood flowing.
When the offensive line couldn’t block, Jackson used his legs to extend plays. When it looked like the game was going to overtime with all the momentum in Dallas’ favor, Jackson rifled one to Zay Flowers to set up a Tyler Loop game-winning field goal.
On and off the field, Jackson’s leadership goes a long way.
Winner: Tyler Loop
Speaking of Tyler Loop, that’s how you change an entire fanbase’s mind. After the preseason, everyone seemed to be against Loop, and competition was brought in ahead of the regular season. He had to earn confidence back, and he’s earning it every step of the way.
The 56-yard field goal as time expired was the biggest kick of Loop’s career. He conquered the two woes that have plagued him since he entered the NFL: distance and clutch time.
Loop is now 2-for-2 from 50-plus yards away, nailing kicks from 56 and 57 yards. His booming leg that he showcased at Arizona is being put on full display.
And that kick to beat the Cowboys may be the first step in overcoming the pressure of playing in front of an NFL crowd.
Loser: Marlon Humphrey
Marlon Humphrey was burnt toast all game long.
I get it, it’s tough going up against this Cowboys offense, and to his credit, some of the plays he allowed were good defense, just better offense. It’s insanely hard to break up passes when Dak Prescott is locked in, and CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens are doing the things that make them so great.
Unfortunately, Humphrey was playing catch-up on some big plays in the fourth quarter. He and the defense did a good job of limiting those explosives most of the game, but when the big moments came calling, the secondary faltered. Notably, Lamb beat Humphrey badly on a 49-yard completion that gave the Cowboys life.
Humphrey knows they have to be better, and he admitted that postgame.
“Myself, giving up some explosive passes there in the fourth,” Humphrey said. “We didn’t play to the standard we wanted…Whether it’s offense, defense, or special teams, we can’t have all three sides be flat in the fourth quarter.”
Winner: Vega Ioane
Vega Ioane had some bad moments, particularly in the run game, but he may have had the best game of his young career. His pass blocking looked much improved.
The reason he’s a winner here isn’t solely because of those efforts, though. It’s the fact that he stepped up as Baltimore’s center after both Jovaughn Gwyn and Ethan Pocic were carted off the field.
And he looked…good. His snaps were on target, the protection held up, and he checked the mental box. Answering the bell when called upon is a very encouraging sign for where his career is headed.
In his postgame press conference, Jesse Minter gave Ioane major props.
“Whatever it takes for the team to be successful, I think that was [Ioane’s] mindset,” Minter said. “Credit to Vega for being ready and executing down the stretch.”
Winner: Trenton Simpson
Trenton Simpson keeps balling, man. You want a player who flies to the football and makes plays? Just find #32.
With Teddye Buchanan available, the pressure was rising on Simpson to take another step and keep firing on all cylinders. He did just that. He wasn’t challenged by Buchanan for reps, as Buchanan saw three snaps in his return from an ACL tear, but Simpson made it clear he should remain the go-to starting linebacker.
Simpson finished the evening with 7 total tackles, 2 tackles for loss, and a fumble recovery. He had some lapses in coverage and found himself out of position at times. However, he has a knack for being the first to the ball carrier, and against the run, he’s been the man.
Loser: Chidobe Awuzie
Chidobe Awuzie barely played in the first two weeks of the season. The low usage rate had Minter focusing on finding ways to get Awuzie on the field, and he did in Brazil. It still wasn’t a lot, though.
Overall, Awuzie only played 15 snaps. He wasn’t perfect, and he may have needed to be. He gave up a crucial third-down completion to Lamb, which allowed the Cowboys to get into comfortable field goal range.
And if Awuzie could only get 15 snaps with an abysmal Humphrey game, is there ever going to be a real chance for him to get on the field consistently? Unless Minter makes drastic changes, probably not.
Loser: Baltimore’s center position
Obviously you can’t control injuries. Jovaughn Gwyn and Ethan Pocic leaving the game was awful, and although Ioane stepped up under pressure, he can’t be the starting center. At least, probably not.
That puts the Ravens in a very tough spot. Minter didn’t provide updates on the injuries, but Gwyn left with an ankle injury, and Pocic’s knee injury looked pretty bad. If either is long-term, what’s the plan?
You have depth at guard with Andrew Vorhees and Emery Jones Jr., so theoretically, you could plug Ioane at center for the time being. That might not be the right move, though—Ioane is a guard with All-Pro potential.
Simply put, Baltimore might have a hard decision that’ll make fans glad they’re not in the front office.
Winner: Keondre Jackson
Keondre Jackson always flashes on special teams. It’s his thing. He did it again this past Sunday, dashing through the Dallas line and blocking a 59-yard field goal attempt by Brandon Aubrey. In the grand scheme of things, that made the difference.
Jackson’s a winner for another subtle reason, too. The Ravens’ safety play has been questionable, to say the least, and in particular, it was Jaylinn Hawkins struggling again versus the Cowboys. The defense also had moments where they couldn’t make a tackle to save their life. But Jackson has shown he can be a trusted tackler in kick and punt coverages.
Could this be an opportunity for Jackson to get snaps on defense? The coaching staff should really think about it.
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