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Here’s how The Baltimore Sun sports staff views the outcome of Sunday’s Week 12 game between the Ravens and Jets at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore: Brian Wacker, reporter Ravens 27, Jets 13: Even if Lamar Jackson isn’t fully healthy after hamstring, knee and ankle injuries have cropped up this season, and despite a struggling red zone offense, the Ravens have more than enough firepower on offense to handle the hapless Jets, who traded away their two best defensive players earlier this month. New York is also limited what it can do offensively, with former Raven Tyrod Taylor taking over for the benched Justin Fields in what’s already an anemic passing attack. Running back Breece Hall is a threat, but Baltimore’s defense is pointed in the right direction and Kyle Hamilton, among others, will help lay waste to any hope of an upset. Sam Cohn, reporter Ravens 40, Jets 13: The Ravens haven’t hung 40 points in a win since Week 2. Sunday could be their best and last chance, with a two-win Jets coming to town weeks after dealing away two of their best players and days after announcing a quarterback change. Playing back in Baltimore for the first time in a month with a healthy roster are both obvious pluses. New York ranks poorly in goal-to-go situations and worse than seven of nine teams the Ravens have already played at stopping teams in the red zone — a headlong hitch of Baltimore’s offense. Now a .500 team again, this would be the week to prove they can dominate. Mike Preston, columnist Ravens 30, Jets 6: Go ahead, pick a score. Any score. The Jets must be desperate for a win, which is why they have announced Tyrod Taylor as the starting quarterback. Taylor is 36, and that’s a great achievement considering he has played for seven teams since the Ravens selected him in the sixth round of the 2011 draft. But that tells you that Jets coach Aaron Glenn is in trouble because New York doesn’t have a quarterback for the future. I’m not sure if they have a coach for the future, either. The Ravens should win big, and if they don’t, it will be as big of a loss as the old Baltimore Colts losing to the New York Jets in Super Bowl III. Josh Tolentino, columnist Ravens 27, Jets 10: The Ravens should have more than enough to grind out their fifth straight win Sunday even with Jackson battling through several lower-body issues that have clearly limited his burst and willingness to run. His offensive line hasn’t helped much with the unit playing a detrimental role in the offense’s ongoing red zone woes. The Ravens haven’t asked Jackson to be superman lately, and they might not need any heroics against a Jets team that simply can’t score. New York arrives at this Week 12 matchup with one of the league’s least productive offenses and hasn’t shown any consistency (so much for a reborn Justin Fields, huh) to threaten a Ravens defense that has held five straight opponents under 20 points. Rookie Mike Green has gotten close to making impact plays … perhaps Sunday is the second-round draft pick’s breakout performance? It might be in ugly fashion again, but the Ravens should climb above .500 for the first time this season as they enter a critical stretch with two games in five days. C.J. Doon, editor Ravens 26, Jets 13: For the Ravens’ sake, this win shouldn’t be as difficult as last week’s. Lamar Jackson needs a break, so look for Baltimore to make the offense as easy as possible and keep him out of harm’s way. Perhaps we finally see Derrick Henry eclipse 30 carries for the first time in a Ravens uniform. Rushing for 200-plus yards would be a nice way to silence all the criticism of the offensive line. This will be an interesting litmus test for the Ravens’ trenches, with Jets tackles Olu Fashanu and Armand Membou going up against pass rushers Dre’Mont Jones and Mike Green and Ravens bookends Ronnie Stanley and Roger Rosengarten taking on Will McDonald IV and Jermaine Johnson. We’ll learn plenty from how the Ravens control the line of scrimmage here. Related Articles Ravens vs. Jets scouting report for Week 12: Who has the edge? How injuries have slowed down Ravens QB Lamar Jackson, impacted offense Ravens DE defends timing on game-winning rush vs. Browns’ Shedeur Sanders Soccer star Lionel Messi to play at M&T Bank Stadium in 2026 Ravens injury report: Kyle Hamilton, Roquan Smith return to practice Bennett Conlin, editor Ravens 31, Jets 14: The general public assumed that the Ravens would go on a run after their bye week. Well, congratulations to everyone, as Baltimore is a win over the Jets from moving over .500 for the first time this season. Baltimore should do what it can to limit Jackson’s rushing attempts and hits taken, as there are few scenarios in which the Ravens actually lose this game. The focus needs to be keeping Jackson out of harm’s way with a short week coming up. The running game, quick passes and defense should be plenty to pick up a win without needing Jackson’s heroics. Tim Schwartz, editor Ravens 28, Jets 10: Lamar Jackson is beat up and Baltimore barely got past the Browns last weekend, but this is the Jets we’re talking about. Jackson at half of his ability is enough for the Ravens to beat New York at home, though I wouldn’t be surprised if Tyrod Taylor looks better than Justin Fields has for the past few weeks. It’s a low bar, for sure, but Baltimore should be wary of the spark a new starter under center can bring. The Ravens’ defense needs to continue its roll since the Bengals and likely Joe Burrow await on Thanksgiving night. Patrice Sanders, FOX45 Morning News anchor Ravens 31, Jets 13: The Ravens have won four straight and finally got to .500. This is the week they go above .500. The Jets have only won two games. If Baltimore’s defense plays like it did last week, and the offense steps up its game, the Ravens should be able to pull out a win. Have a news tip? Contact sports editor Tim Schwartz at timschwartz@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/timschwartz13. View the full article

The formerly 1-5 Ravens swam furiously up from the ocean floor, reaching sea level at 5-5 to keep pace with the first-place Steelers. Their heads are “just above water,” coach John Harbaugh said. “We’re breathing.” Climbing back toward postseason relevance continues Sunday against the lowly Jets in the first of Baltimore’s three-game home stand. Who will have the advantage this weekend at M&T Bank Stadium? Ravens passing game vs. Jets pass defense Lamar Jackson did something last Sunday he’s never done. Usually, that sentence indicates some superhuman feat, something perhaps no quarterback has ever done. Not this time. In a win over the Browns, Jackson threw a pair of interceptions without a passing touchdown. Neither pick was entirely his fault, both skipping into the wrong hands. New York could be the perfect bounce-back opportunity. The Jets have not recorded an interception, the only NFL team with a goose egg on the leaderboard. They’re 27th in scoring and 20th in yards allowed per game (329.7). To make matters worse, the Jets traded away their top defensive lineman and top cornerback at the deadline, leaving an unimpressive defense on the verge of flatlining. EDGE: Ravens Jets passing game vs. Ravens pass defense Jets coach Aaron Glenn is willing to try anything to get his flailing club going offensively. Anything to inject life into the league’s least efficient passing attack (139.9 yards per game). This week, that means a change at quarterback. Glenn confirmed that he’s benching Justin Fields in favor of Tyrod Taylor, the 15-year veteran drafted by Baltimore in 2011. Ravens defensive coordinator Zach Orr said that he didn’t think it would be a “major difference.” In three games this season, Taylor has thrown three touchdown passes and three interceptions with a 62.3% completion rate. He’ll be tasked with facing a defense that is finally “playing to our potential,” safety Kyle Hamilton said. Since Week 8, the Ravens have one of the best defenses in football — which feels like déjà vu from a similar worst-to-first turnaround last year. Since Week 8, when they downed Chicago to kickstart this win streak, the Ravens have forced eight turnovers and sacked the quarterback seven times. They’ve allowed one passing touchdown in that stretch. Taylor has his hands full playing in Baltimore for the first time since 2016 with Buffalo. EDGE: Ravens Ravens running game vs. Jets run defense The rushing play that captured the hearts of Ravens fans this week didn’t feature lead back Derrick Henry. It was “Hurricane” — the Mark Andrews fake tush push that helped decide a win in Cleveland. That accounted for 35 of a collective 184-yard day. Henry contributed 103, his fourth best showing of the year. All told, the Ravens have one of the best rushing attacks in the NFL, even though it’s lacking familiar dominance in short-yardage or red zone situations. New York’s defense held up OK against the run last week in a loss to New England. Patriots running back TreVeyon Henderson scored three touchdowns (two on the ground) but ran for just 62 yards on 19 carries. The door is cracked open for Henry to have a big day. EDGE: Ravens Jets running game vs. Ravens run defense New York’s ground game ranks near the top of the NFL, even if it hasn’t produced wins. The Jets are third in yards per play (5.02) and fifth in yards per game (141.6). Much of that is a credit to the offensive line opening lanes for Breece Hall. But Hall has only rushed for two touchdowns this season, both against a porous Bengals defense in Week 8. The dual-threat Fields was also a key cog in opening up the ground game. He kept defenses honest with his 5.4 rushing yards per attempt. An age-36 Taylor won’t break out in space as effectively. Keying in on one rushing threat should be plenty to temper New York on the ground. Against the Browns last week, rookie Quinshon Judkins burned Baltimore in the first half but went nowhere on six carries after halftime. Baltimore is wreaking as much havoc up front as it has all season. EDGE: Ravens Ravens special teams vs. Jets special teams A pair of third-phase mistakes nearly cost the Ravens in Cleveland. Rookie LaJohntay Wester muffed a punt near the end zone. And special teams ace Jake Hummel jumped offsides to give the Browns a first down. Both blunders led to field goals, not touchdowns, thanks to an admirable effort from the Ravens’ defense. The Jets made Cleveland pay for special teams lapses, returning a pair of kicks back for touchdowns. Special teams is the one unit the Jets have been able to hang their hat on under first-year coordinator Chris Banjo. Punter Austin McNamara has the best average hang time in the league (4.76 seconds) and Nick Folk is the only full-time kicker who hasn’t missed a field goal or a extra point attempt. EDGE: Jets Ravens intangibles vs. Jets intangibles Related Articles Ravens vs. Jets staff picks: Who will win Sunday in Baltimore? How injuries have slowed down Ravens QB Lamar Jackson, impacted offense Ravens DE defends timing on game-winning rush vs. Browns’ Shedeur Sanders Soccer star Lionel Messi to play at M&T Bank Stadium in 2026 Ravens injury report: Kyle Hamilton, Roquan Smith return to practice It’s Week 12. Lamar Jackson has played in seven games. And he’s already matched his sack total from 2024. Opposing defenses have brought him down 23 times, marking what has been a troubling year for the Ravens’ offensive line and the slightly hurt quarterback. Detroit sacked Jackson seven times, Cleveland did it five. Each of those are tied for most and second most in a single game over his eight-year career. The Jets aren’t exactly the team to take advantage. They’re 25th in sack percentage per pass attempt, averaging 1.8 per game, while 10 of their 18 sacks were recorded in two games. So yes, Jackson and company have struggled to keep him on his feet, but the Jets aren’t likely to exacerbate that issue. EDGE: Ravens Prediction The Ravens haven’t hung 40 points in a win since Week 2. Sunday could be their best and last chance, with the two-win Jets coming to town weeks after dealing away two of their best players and days after announcing a quarterback change. Playing back in Baltimore for the first time in a month with a healthy roster are both obvious pluses. New York ranks poorly in goal-to-go situations and worse than seven of nine teams the Ravens have already played at stopping teams in the red zone — a headlong hitch of Baltimore’s offense. Now a .500 team again, this would be the week for the Ravens to prove they can dominate. Ravens 40, Jets 13 Have a news tip? Contact Sam Cohn at scohn@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/samdcohn.x.com. View the full article

Lamar Jackson winced and reached for his back Thursday afternoon in Owings Mills. He wasn’t hurt, just reliving the moment Vikings outside linebacker Dallas Turner crunched him to the Minnesota turf with the full weight of his hulking 6-foot-3, 247-pound frame two weeks ago. “God,” the Ravens quarterback said Thursday. “He got me. I wasn’t expecting that at all.” Even Superman has his weakness. In previous years, Jackson’s kryptonite has most often been opponents such as the Pittsburgh Steelers or Kansas City Chiefs. This season, it has been something far more capricious: injuries. Hamstring. Knee. Now his ankle. “I’m good,” Jackson said of his latest trauma after missing the previous day’s practice, later removing a heavy dose of tape from around his right ankle and foot. Asked if the spate of injuries has impeded his performance, he offered only, “If it just happened in the game probably. But if you was injured, took some time off and you’re able to come back, I doubt it.” Perhaps, though two-time NFL Most Valuable Player’s metrics paint a different picture with Jackson not as explosive as he has been in the previous chapters of a career that will one day land him a gold jacket and a bust in Canton, Ohio. Jackson’s 32.3 rushing yards per game are the fewest of his career and his 5.8 yards per carry the third-lowest. Per Pro Football Focus, his tackle avoidance rate of 17.9% along with his averages of 1.9 yards before contact and 1.5 yards against eight-man boxes are also the lowest rates compared to any of his first seven seasons in the NFL. He is still averaging 3.9 yards after first contact — a career-high — so it’s not as if the gas tank is nearing empty, but since suffering a hamstring injury against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 4, Jackson has averaged just 20 yards rushing per game and a 3.3 per-carry average, both more than a 50% decline from the first few weeks of the season. It, of course, also caused him to miss the next three games. There have been other, more tangible examples of his mortality, too. In last week’s win in Cleveland over the Browns, Jackson was sacked five times and ran just four times for only 10 yards. Two of those runs were kneel downs at the end of the 23-16 victory, with the two actual carries tying for the second-fewest of his career as a starter. He was also chased down twice by rookie inside linebacker Carson Schwesinger on the Ravens’ opening series, first on a read-option to the right in which Jackson appeared to have the angle but was dropped for a 1-yard loss, then on a 13-yard scramble up the middle when he was dropped at Cleveland’s 4-yard line. Two weeks before that, in a Thursday night game against the Miami Dolphins and in his first game back from the hamstring injury, he again was surprisingly corralled. Faced with a third-and-6 from the left hash on his own 36 early in the third quarter at Hard Rock Stadium, Jackson dropped back to pass and with Miami blitzing five, no one open and nothing but green grass in front of him, tucked the ball and quickly took off. Only one defender — cornerback Rasul Douglas — was on the left side of the field, but he was locked in tight man-to-man pass coverage. As Jackson raced upfield, the vastness appeared to provide a pathway to go the distance or at least a long way. Instead, linebacker Tyrel Dodson slipped away from right guard Daniel Faalele and tripped Jackson from behind, limiting him to a 13-yard gain. Jackson’s longest carry of this season is just 19 yards, which came in Week 1 against the Buffalo Bills. He had eight carries longer than that just last season. Browns defensive end Myles Garrett sacks Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson in a 23-16 Baltimore win. Jackson was sacked five times in the victory. (David Richard/AP) Former NFL running back Damien Harris, who spent four years with the New England Patriots and one with the Bills and is now an analyst for CBS Sports, said earlier this week that he believes Jackson is playing “scared” and “hesitant” as well as being “frustrated.” “When I talk about him playing timid, he wasn’t climbing the pocket today,” Harris said. “He wasn’t extending plays with his legs and letting his receivers uncover. We were sitting there asking each other ‘Why?’ There were lanes. There were opportunities for him to tuck and run. Is he still worried about the hamstring? Are there other things going on? “I don’t want to use this opportunity to bash Lamar. I just genuinely want to know what’s going on.” The reasons are myriad. In addition to Jackson running less often and not being as explosive as he has been in the past, he has faced eight-man fronts on 25% of his runs, the highest mark of his career. Some teams have also used a spy along with a heavy dose of pressure to keep Jackson in check. The Detroit Lions were one of them and consequently generated a whopping 30 pressures and sacked him seven times, matching his career high. Baltimore’s porous offensive line has also been problematic. The Ravens rank 26th in pass blocking and 10th in run blocking, per PFF, and Jackson has been pressured on 43% of his drop-backs and sacked on 12% of them, both career highs. Against the Browns, Myles Garrett continually bullied his way through them and sacked Jackson four times. Through 10 games, Jackson has been sacked 23 times, tying his total from all of last season. “God[dang],” Jackson said when informed of the total. “I’m gonna have to talk to my guys about that.” All of it has taken a toll, on the Ravens’ offense, which ranks 21st in yards and 28th in red zone scoring, and on its quarterback’s body. Related Articles Ravens DE defends timing on game-winning rush vs. Browns’ Shedeur Sanders Soccer star Lionel Messi to play at M&T Bank Stadium in 2026 Ravens injury report: Kyle Hamilton, Roquan Smith return to practice Ravens QB Lamar Jackson is full practice participant day after absence Staff picks for Week 12 of 2025 NFL season: Colts vs. Chiefs, Eagles vs. Cowboys and more When offensive coordinator Todd Monken was asked Thursday if Jackson’s injuries have affected his play-calling, he offered a blunt retort: “Nope.” Perhaps not, but it’s hard to say it hasn’t impacted the man executing the offense. Already, Jackson has missed three games because of injuries and practice each of the past two Wednesdays, the latter he acknowledged a potential new routine to allow his body a weekly rest day, something that is rare for quarterbacks. And as for if he feels the weight of facing all that pressure and taking all those hits? “It’s part of football,” he said. “Sometimes guys will get you; sometimes they won’t.” The same thing could be said about injuries. Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1. View the full article

The debate hasn’t exactly died down. In the days following the Ravens’ fourth straight win, highlighted by a final defensive stand Sunday against Cleveland, Browns players and some national talking heads have argued that defensive end Dre’Mont Jones jumped early and into the neutral zone on the game-sealing play. On fourth-and-5, with rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders replacing injured starter Dillon Gabriel and making his NFL debut, Jones exploded out of his stance, whipped past Wyatt Teller’s outside shoulder and forced Sanders into an off-balance incompletion. Game over. Teller and Cleveland’s offensive line unsuccessfully pleaded to officials that Jones was in the neutral zone. The sequence sparked reactions across social media. ESPN’s Mike Greenberg posted on X: “Were the Ravens not blatantly offsides on that fourth down?? #Browns” NFL analyst Emmanuel Acho quoted Greenberg’s post: “Correct, Ravens jumped on the last play. Refs missed it.” Jones insists he executed perfect timing in a critical moment. “I was trying to get a feel for his cadence just based on how his demeanor was throughout the game and how he was saying it,” Jones told The Baltimore Sun on Thursday evening, settling in front of his locker while taking a sip from his post-practice mixed-berries smoothie. “So, I knew it was coming up and I got a great jump start. You know what I mean? Plain and simple.” Jones said he began tracking Sanders’ rhythm as soon as the rookie entered in the second half, paying close attention to his slight pause before the snap from center Ethan Pocic. By the Browns’ final offensive play, he felt almost certain of what was coming. “This is how I look at it … offensive tackles and guards move early all the time and that don’t get called,” Jones said. “So it’s the same type of bang-bang situation. It was really close. It looked good to me.” Teller’s postgame explanation added fuel to the debate. The veteran guard told reporters Cleveland’s offensive line heard Sanders’ cadence only “two or three times” before he entered, indicating a sense of unfamiliarity played a role in the breakdown. Jones, a seventh-year pass rusher whom general manager Eric DeCosta acquired at the trade deadline earlier in the month, wasn’t moved. “That’s their problem,” Jones said. “If they don’t want to put their people in to get meaningful reps in, that’s on them. It sucks for Sanders, but that’s the reality.” Like most of the second half, Sanders was unsettled by Zach Orr’s pressure calls and his hurried throw toward tight end David Njoku never stood a chance. Linebacker Roquan Smith blanketed Njoku and knocked the pass attempt away, sealing the 23-16 victory. “No extra momentum,” Jones said of Sanders replacing Gabriel. “The momentum was already there. ‘Ro’ did a good job of bringing us together and relaying the message that everything is the same. You want to go out there and just kill. I thought the defense played great.” Sanders finished 4-for-16 for 47 yards with one interception. He was sacked twice and hit three times over 28 snaps in his debut. Jones, 28, delivered three pressures and two quarterback hits across 23 pass-rush snaps against the Browns. Since joining the Ravens 2 1/2 weeks ago, he already leads the team with 26 total pressures this season. Defensive lineman Travis Jones ranks second with 23, followed by outside linebackers Kyle Van Noy (17) and rookie Mike Green (14). For Jones, the final play carried extra weight because it happened in his native Cleveland with his parents Schontina Jones and Sanderline Williams and many of his childhood friends in attendance at Huntington Bank Stadium. “I was lit,” he said. “Being back home and having basically a game-winning play, that felt good. I feel great [in Baltimore]. The guys in the locker room are good people. Only been here for two weeks, still getting to know more people. But five straight games [holding opponents] under 20 points — that’s an elite stat. [Stuff] like that, you appreciate.” Related Articles How injuries have slowed down Ravens QB Lamar Jackson, impacted offense Soccer star Lionel Messi to play at M&T Bank Stadium in 2026 Ravens injury report: Kyle Hamilton, Roquan Smith return to practice Ravens QB Lamar Jackson is full practice participant day after absence Staff picks for Week 12 of 2025 NFL season: Colts vs. Chiefs, Eagles vs. Cowboys and more The Ravens reportedly wanted to select Sanders in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL draft, but Sanders communicated he didn’t want them to select him. The Ravens drafted offensive tackle Carson Vinson instead with pick No. 141, while Sanders was taken by the Browns three picks later at No. 144. The final play of Sanders’ NFL debut remains a sticking point as the popular rookie quarterback prepares for his first career start Sunday against the Raiders. Meanwhile, as the Ravens aspire to reach five straight wins Sunday versus the Jets at M&T Bank Stadium, Jones’ view hasn’t changed. “It looked good to me,” he said. “I was happy to make that game-winning play.” Have a news tip? Contact Josh Tolentino at jtolentino@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200, x.com/JCTSports and instagram.com/JCTSports. View the full article

Soccer fans in Baltimore got excited Thursday. Major League Soccer announced D.C. United and Inter Miami CF will play at the Ravens’ M&T Bank Stadium on March 7, 2026. 38-year-old Lionel Messi will headline the game for Miami in what will be his fourth season with the club. D.C. United said in a press release it hopes to expand soccer viewership across the DMV and in Baltimore. “M&T Bank Stadium gives us the opportunity to welcome even more supporters and share what makes D.C. United special with our neighbors to the north,” said Danita Johnson, D.C. United president of business operations. “Our fans drive everything we do, and we’re looking forward to creating another memorable experience for them during a landmark season.” Perhaps the greatest soccer player ever, Messi will be in his 23rd season and currently leads MLS in goals (29) and assists (19). Inter Miami currently awaits a conference semifinals matchup against Cincinnati and claimed the Leagues Cup in Messi’s 2023 debut season with the club. Have a news tip? Contact Michael Howes at mhowes@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/Mikephowes. Related Articles No. 9 Maryland women’s basketball routs Bethune-Cookman, 95-49 How injuries have slowed down Ravens QB Lamar Jackson, impacted offense Ravens DE defends timing on game-winning rush vs. Browns’ Shedeur Sanders Ravens injury report: Kyle Hamilton, Roquan Smith return to practice Trinity Rodman’s free agency puts focus on the NWSL’s salary cap View the full article

After eight players missed Ravens practice Wednesday, including quarterback Lamar Jackson, safety Kyle Hamilton and linebacker Roquan Smith, only two were absent Thursday. Wide receiver Rashod Bateman (ankle) and cornerback Keyon Martin (ribs) were sidelined for the second consecutive day, but Jackson (ankle), Hamilton (groin/shoulder), Smith (hamstring), left tackle Ronnie Stanley (illness), tight end Isaiah Likely (calf) and guard Andrew Vorhees (foot) all returned to the practice field Thursday. Hamilton, Smith, Likely and Vorhees were listed as limited participants on the penultimate injury report of the week, while Jackson and Stanley participated in full. Marlon Humphrey, who was a limited participant Wednesday with a finger injury, and Justice Hill, who practiced in full Wednesday with a toe injury, were both listed as full participants Thursday. The cornerback and running back were sidelined for last week’s win over the Cleveland Browns but appear to be trending in the right direction to play the New York Jets on Sunday. Bateman’s ankle sprain came on what looked like a hip-drop tackle, which the NFL in 2024 made illegal, in Baltimore’s win over the Minnesota Vikings two weeks ago and hasn’t practiced since. Coach John Harbaugh said then that the wide receiver “is going to be OK” before he also missed the Browns game. Martin, a reserve defensive back but key special teamer, has yet to return to the field since a chest injury kept him overnight in a Cleveland hospital Sunday. Harbaugh said earlier this week “it didn’t turn out to be a serious thing.” Humphrey’s absence Sunday was the veteran cornerback’s second missed game this season and first with a finger injury that required surgery. Jackson and Hamilton are both seemingly dealing with lingering ailments. Jackson was sacked five times against the Browns, and this week was his second consecutive Wednesday he was held out of practice. He went on to participate fully the rest of last week. The quarterback said Thursday he feels “good” and added he’ll “probably” continue taking one or two practices off each week. Hamilton wasn’t on last week’s injury report but appeared to take a hard hit to his right arm in Cleveland and could be seen grabbing it over the following few plays. This isn’t Smith’s first time appearing on the injury report with a hamstring injury. He missed two games earlier this season with the same designation, although it’s unclear whether it’s the same hamstring this time six weeks later. The Ravens’ matchup with the Jets on Sunday is their first of a three-game home stand that also includes bouts with the Cincinnati Bengals and AFC North-leading Steelers, who lead Baltimore by just one game. Neither of the Ravens’ next two opponents have a winning record, while Pittsburgh will face the Chicago Bears and Buffalo Bills, both 7-3, before coming to Baltimore. For the Jets, just one player didn’t participate in their practice Thursday: reserve running back Kene Nwangwu (hamstring). Defensive end Will McDonald IV, who leads the team with seven sacks this season, was limited with a quadriceps injury that kept him out of practice Wednesday. Defensive tackle Harrison Phillips (foot) was also limited. Have a news tip? Contact Taylor Lyons at tlyons@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/TaylorJLyons. Related Articles How injuries have slowed down Ravens QB Lamar Jackson, impacted offense Ravens DE defends timing on game-winning rush vs. Browns’ Shedeur Sanders Soccer star Lionel Messi to play at M&T Bank Stadium in 2026 Ravens QB Lamar Jackson is full practice participant day after absence Staff picks for Week 12 of 2025 NFL season: Colts vs. Chiefs, Eagles vs. Cowboys and more View the full article

Like last week, Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson missed a Wednesday practice and was back on the field a day later. The team listed Jackson with an ankle injury. Coach John Harbaugh called his absence the “same type of situation” as last week, which was knee soreness that lingered after a win in Minnesota. “It is Week 12, guys play. It’s the physical nature of the sport. Some guys don’t practice on Wednesday. We’ll try to get everybody available for Sunday that we can, and we’ll see as the week goes on, who becomes available.” Jackson’s return to practice is a positive sign for his availability Sunday afternoon against the New York Jets. Baltimore’s two-time Most Valuable Player missed three games for a hamstring injury earlier this season but has been relatively healthy since. The pair of practice absences has not kept him from suiting up by the weekend. Harbaugh said that “it wasn’t in his best interest to practice” on Wednesday. And by Thursday afternoon, Jackson appeared to take the field without issue. This article will be updated. Have a news tip? Contact Sam Cohn at scohn@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/samdcohn.x.com. Related Articles Staff picks for Week 12 of 2025 NFL season: Colts vs. Chiefs, Eagles vs. Cowboys and more The Baltimore Sun’s Ravens midseason report card: Grades through 10 games The origin story of Ravens’ ‘hurricane’ play call that helped beat Browns Ravens injury report: Several starters missing at Wednesday’s practice Ravens QB Lamar Jackson misses Wednesday’s practice with new injury View the full article

Baltimore Sun staff writers and FOX45’s Patrice Sanders pick every game of the NFL season. Here’s who they have winning in Week 12: Buffalo Bills vs. Houston Texans (Thursday, 8:15 p.m.) Brian Wacker (11-4 last week, 112-50-1 overall): Bills Sam Cohn (10-5 last week, 112-50-1 overall): Bills Mike Preston (10-5 last week, 108-54-1 overall): Bills Josh Tolentino (11-4 last week, 111-451-1 overall): Bills C.J. Doon (10-5 last week, 102-60-1 overall): Bills Bennett Conlin (11-4 last week, 106-56-1 overall): Bills Tim Schwartz (9-6 last week, 98-64-1 overall): Bills Patrice Sanders (10-5 last week, 101-59-1 overall): Bills Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Chicago Bears (Sunday, 1 p.m.) Wacker: Bears Cohn: Bears Preston: Steelers Tolentino: Bears Doon: Bears Conlin: Bears Schwartz: Bears Sanders: Bears New England Patriots vs. Cincinnati Bengals (Sunday, 1 p.m.) Wacker: Patriots Cohn: Patriots Preston: Patriots Tolentino: Patriots Doon: Patriots Conlin: Patriots Schwartz: Patriots Sanders: Patriots New York Giants vs. Detroit Lions (Sunday, 1 p.m.) Wacker: Lions Cohn: Lions Preston: Lions Tolentino: Lions Doon: Lions Conlin: Lions Schwartz: Lions Sanders: Lions Minnesota Vikings vs. Green Bay Packers (Sunday, 1 p.m.) Wacker: Packers Cohn: Packers Preston: Packers Tolentino: Packers Doon: Packers Conlin: Packers Schwartz: Packers Sanders: Packers Indianapolis Colts vs. Kansas City Chiefs (Sunday, 1 p.m.) Wacker: Chiefs Cohn: Colts Preston: Chiefs Tolentino: Chiefs Doon: Chiefs Conlin: Chiefs Schwartz: Colts Sanders: Chiefs Seattle Seahawks vs. Tennessee Titans (Sunday, 1 p.m.) Wacker: Seahawks Cohn: Seahawks Preston: Seahawks Tolentino: Seahawks Doon: Seahawks Conlin: Seahawks Schwartz: Seahawks Sanders: Seahawks Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Arizona Cardinals (Sunday, 4:05 p.m.) Wacker: Jaguars Cohn: Jaguars Preston: Jaguars Tolentino: Jaguars Doon: Cardinals Conlin: Jaguars Schwartz: Jaguars Sanders: Jaguars Cleveland Browns vs. Las Vegas Raiders (Sunday, 4:05 p.m.) Wacker: Raiders Cohn: Raiders Preston: Browns Tolentino: Browns Doon: Raiders Conlin: Browns Schwartz: Raiders Sanders: Raiders Philadelphia Eagles vs. Dallas Cowboys (Sunday, 4:25 p.m.) Wacker: Eagles Cohn: Eagles Preston: Eagles Tolentino: Eagles Doon: Cowboys Conlin: Cowboys Schwartz: Eagles Sanders: Eagles Atlanta Falcons vs. New Orleans Saints (Sunday, 4:25 p.m.) Wacker: Falcons Cohn: Saints Preston: Falcons Tolentino: Saints Doon: Falcons Conlin: Saints Schwartz: Falcons Sanders: Falcons Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Los Angeles Rams (Sunday, 8:20 p.m.) Wacker: Rams Cohn: Rams Preston: Rams Tolentino: Rams Doon: Rams Conlin: Rams Schwartz: Rams Sanders: Rams Carolina Panthers vs. San Francisco 49ers (Monday, 8:15 p.m.) Wacker: 49ers Cohn: 49ers Preston: 49ers Tolentino: 49ers Doon: 49ers Conlin: 49ers Schwartz: 49ers Sanders: 49ers View the full article

Let’s preface this by saying the Ravens’ four-game winning streak has come against Chicago, Miami, Minnesota and Cleveland, which have a combined record of 15 wins and 24 losses. It hasn’t exactly been a grueling schedule since the Ravens started off 1-5, but imagine if they had lost. So, now they are 5-5 and one game behind the Steelers (6-4) for the AFC North lead. They still face Pittsburgh and Cincinnati (3-7) twice. But it’s hard to evaluate the Ravens in the past four games because they have faced two second-year quarterbacks in Chicago’s Caleb Williams and Minnesota’s J.J. McCarthy, another guy in Miami who is way past his prime in Tua Tagovailoa, and those two Towers of Power in Cleveland, rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders, who probably won’t be remembered as the next Bernie Kosar. It won’t get any harder with the New York Jets (2-8) coming to town Sunday with quarterback Tyrod Taylor, and we probably won’t find out about the Ravens as legitimate contenders until they host the New England Patriots (9-2) on Dec. 21, followed by the Green Bay Packers (6-3) and Pittsburgh. We’re still learning about the Ravens, and today The Baltimore Sun unveils its midseason report card unpacking what we know so far. Quarterback It’s evident that Lamar Jackson has slowed down. It might be a result of him being injured and missing three games, or possibly not being willing to run as much now that he has played eight seasons. Regardless, his decision making is slower and he has caught from behind several times. Jackson has competed 68% of his passes for 206 yards per game with 15 touchdowns and has a passer rating of 115.5. But we’re used to seeing the old Jackson, and he set the standard pretty high in previous years. It remains to be seen if he can return to his old form, but he’ll need to step up his game in the postseason — if the Ravens make it there. Grade: C Running backs Top running back and future Hall of Famer Derrick Henry has had his moments, but he hasn’t been as successful as a year ago. Henry has rushed 156 times for 807 yards and seven touchdowns, but he has been hesitant at the line of scrimmage. The Ravens need to get him the ball more often going forward, with his foot planted in the ground. No. 2 running back Keaton Mitchell has been used sparingly, rushing 21 times for 124 yards, but the Ravens needs to use him more often, especially in the second halves of games. Justice Hill has 18 carries for 93 yards, and he has been an asset as far as pass blocking, but the Ravens have become predictable when he enters the game. Grade: C+ Offensive line A year ago, the Ravens were the best run blocking unit in the NFL, but this group hasn’t been nearly as dominant. The Ravens are currently ranked No. 4 in rushing offense, averaging 142 yards per game, but they have been ineffective inside the red zone, especially on first down. The pass blocking has been ineffective, and the Ravens have allowed 30 sacks this season for nearly 200 lost yards. The linemen haven’t been successful staying on blocks, and they get shed quickly. While guards Daniel Faalele and Andrew Vorhees have struggled, so has right tackle Roger Rosengarten and even center Tyler Linderbaum. Left tackle Ronnie Stanley has been solid, but it remains to be seen if he can play the entire season with lower leg injuries. It might be time for the Ravens to use Corey Bullock at guard or rookie Emery Jones Jr. at tackle or guard. Teams, though, don’t like to shuffle linemen during the season because a lot of the position is based on timing. Grade: C- Related Articles The origin story of Ravens’ ‘hurricane’ play call that helped beat Browns Ravens injury report: Several starters missing at Wednesday’s practice Ravens QB Lamar Jackson misses Wednesday’s practice with new injury Ravens reset: Now back to .500, team readies for a playoff push Watch Episode 12 of the BMore Football Podcast with The Baltimore Sun’s Mike Preston and Jerry Coleman presented by Rice Law Receivers It will be interesting to see how this group pans out in the second half of the season. Pass protection has been a problem, but it’s only part of the reason the Ravens haven’t been successful throwing the ball down the field. It could be the competition because the Ravens haven’t played a top team since they lost to the Rams, 17-3, on Oct. 12. The Ravens are ranked No. 29 in passing offense, averaging just 180 yards per game. The Ravens need to get slot receiver Zay Flowers more involved in the offense. He has 53 catches for 703 yards but only one touchdown. The Ravens could use him more on jet sweeps and quick screens. Tight end Mark Andrews is having a solid season with 32 catches for 276 yards and five touchdowns, but the Ravens still don’t have a solid blocker in the group consisting of Andrews, Isaiah Likely and Charlie Kolar. DeAndre Hopkins has 13 catches for 219 yards, but Jackson might want to use him more in isolated situations with the game on the line. Rashod Bateman has 16 catches for 194 yards, and the Ravens might need more out of him if they get to the postseason. He is still the best route runner on the team. Grade: C Defensive line In line with the competition they have faced, the Ravens have gotten better in the past four games and it’s not coincidental. Tackle Travis Jones has stepped up his game with a total of 22 tackles. Nose guard John Jenkins has been a big plus on the inside replacing the injured Nnamdi Madubuike. They aren’t in the same class, especially as far as pass rushing, but Jenkins has been tough in the middle and has 24 tackles, 11 of those solo. The Ravens have worked third-year player C.J. Okoye into the rotation as well, and last week against Cleveland all three tackles either knocked down passes or forced both of the Browns’ rookie quarterbacks to move in the pocket. It will be interesting to see what outside linebacker Dre’Mont Jones brings to this mix because he can play on the outside or at tackle. He wasn’t a great addition for the Ravens, but he does upgrade their pass rush. Grade: C+ Linebackers Rookie weakside linebacker Teddye Buchanan is tied for the team lead in tackles with veteran middle linebacker Roquan Smith. Both have improved in pass coverage, an area they were lacking in when training camp ended. Smith has 45 solo tackles while Buchanan has 36. Buchanan has been somewhat of a surprise because he was expected to back up weakside linebacker Trenton Simpson at the beginning of the season, but now has emerged as a starter. Simpson, though, is more of a “fetch” player on the outside as a pass rusher. He’s best when asked to chase down quarterbacks. Veteran outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy has been steady, but the Ravens need more from veteran outside linebacker David Ojabo (nine tackles). Rookie Mike Green has played reasonably well on the outside, especially for a player in his first season. Green has 23 tackles, including 1 1/2 sacks, and he’ll get better next season. He still has to learn to come up with a a second or third move, but he has a very strong motor as far as pursuing ball carriers. Grade: B- Ravens defensive backs Marlon Humphrey and Alohi Gilman have helped solidify the secondary with their performances this season. (Kevin Richardson/Staff) Secondary It’s hard to rate this group because of the quarterbacks the Ravens have faced. Now, they get to face Taylor on Sunday. Go ahead, laugh. It’s easy to understand why the Ravens had so many injured players absent from practice Wednesday. The Ravens, though, have improved on the back end. Second-year cornerback Nate Wiggins (43 tackles) is tackling better, as is fellow cornerback Chidobe Awuzie, who also came up with several big pass breakups last week against Cleveland. Safety Kyle Hamilton is the best tackler on defense and is second on the team with 59 tackles. He also has five tackles for loss and four quarterback hits. The addition of fellow safety Alohi Gilman has been a major turning point for this team because it allows Hamilton to play more near the line of scrimmage while rookie Malaki Starks can play center field. Starks has 54 tackles and two interceptions while Gilman has 24 tackles. It will be interesting to see how this group plays against a top offense in the league, especially when nickel cornerback Marlon Humphrey returns from a finger injury. Grade: C+ Special teams Rookie kicker Tylor Loop has converted on 19 field goal attempts with his two misses coming on attempts of 55 and 56 yards. That’s a great rookie season, especially when following in the footsteps of Justin Tucker. The final verdict on Loop, though, will probably come in the postseason when he has to convert in crunch time, possibly in snowy and wintry conditions in places such as Denver or Buffalo. Jordan Stout is averaging 50.2 yards per punt with a net of 45.1 and has put 17 inside the 20-yard line. The Ravens are decent as far as kickoff returns, but rookie LaJohntay Wester is shaky as a punt returner. Overall, this group hasn’t been a major concern lately. Grade: B Coaching To borrow a phrase from former NFL coach Bill Parcells, the Ravens are exactly what their record says they are: a 5-5 team, which is average. The Ravens still have a lot to improve on. The offense is inconsistent, and the defense still has to prove it can play against the better teams in the NFL. Offensive coordinator Todd Monken has to get more out of his unit by using the speed of Flowers and Mitchell, and the defense has improved, but it remains to be seen how much. Coach John Harbaugh has done a good job of holding this team together despite the 1-5 start, but that’s what Harbaugh does best. He is great at building teams and providing chemistry. Regardless, the Ravens won’t be judged until they get into the playoffs. Grade: C Have a news tip? Contact Mike Preston at epreston@baltsun.com, 410-332-6467 and x.com/MikePrestonSun. View the full article

So much for not saying too much, as running back Derrick Henry offered last week. It turns out that it was Ravens coach John Harbaugh who came up with the “hurricane” play — the fake “tush push” in which tight end Mark Andrews lined up under center against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, spun around and turned a critical fourth-and-1 in the fourth quarter into a 35-yard backbreaking touchdown. That was according to Baltimore cornerback Marlon Humphrey, who let the cat out of the bag earlier this week on his eponymous podcast. “I go up to an offensive coach, I’m like, ‘Dude, who came up with that play? I’ve never seen that. We ran that in practice?” Humphrey said. “They’re like, ‘Man, Harbs came up with it.’ I go up to Harbs after the game and I’m like, ‘Hey, you a bad man. You’re a bad freaking man.’ He said he came up with it. He said obviously, it was a team effort on how it was going to work, but he came up with it.” Indeed, multiple players, including fullback Patrick Ricard, said after the 23-16 victory in Cleveland that the play was just put into practice last week and run only a few times. Harbaugh also said Wednesday that “everybody” was involved in the play and there was “a lot of conversation” about it. He acknowledged, too, that it was born out of Baltimore’s Week 6 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. In that game, the Ravens were trailing 10-3 late in the second quarter and had a second-and-goal from the Rams’ 1-yard line when they twice in a row ran a tush push with Andrews to no avail. Then, on fourth-and-goal from the 1, Henry was stuffed for a 2-yard loss. Los Angeles eventually went on to win, 17-3. Short-yardage situations have been a problem for the Ravens all season. They rank near the bottom of the NFL in both goal-to-go situations and red zone scoring. So that has forced coaches to get creative. Clinging to a 2-point lead and faced with a third-and-1 from the Vikings’ 14-yard line in the third quarter in Minnesota two weeks ago, Andrews lined up under center for what appeared to be another tush push. Only this time when he took the snap he moved to his right and tossed the ball to quarterback Lamar Jackson, who picked up 3 yards on a sweep to the right. Then came Sunday’s touchdown against the Browns, on which Andrews reached 20.09 mph on his way untouched into the end zone with fullback Ricard and tight end Charlie Kolar helping clear the way. “When people over-exaggerate defending the quarterback sneak, and you’d hope that plays like that, or the Lamar play [in Minnesota] — the toss play — would be plays that would loosen people up a little bit in the quarterback sneaks,” Harbaugh said. “So, we’ll see how that affects that part of it, too, moving forward.” Andrews, meanwhile, said Wednesday that he has seen the play ad nauseam since it happened. He’s also ready to move on from it. Related Articles Ravens injury report: Several starters missing at Wednesday’s practice Ravens QB Lamar Jackson misses Wednesday’s practice with new injury Ravens reset: Now back to .500, team readies for a playoff push Watch Episode 12 of the BMore Football Podcast with The Baltimore Sun’s Mike Preston and Jerry Coleman presented by Rice Law AFC North standings favor Steelers. Betting odds say Ravens are in control. “I was telling Harbs, I was like, ‘I think I’m kind of tired of seeing it, man,’” Andrews said. “I’m ready to move on and make the next play. But it was obviously an awesome play, and everybody did their job, and it was incredible. So, it was really, really cool.” It also might not be the last weather-related play Baltimore uses this season. When Harbaugh was asked why it’s called “hurricane” he said they have other plays with weather-related names as well. Said Harbaugh: “Tornado and monsoon are both in the hopper. They are, oh yes.” The Ravens’ next chance to use one will come Sunday at home against the New York Jets. Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1. View the full article

Seven regular starters were missing from Ravens practice Wednesday. That list is headlined by quarterback Lamar Jackson and includes several other key contributors such as safety Kyle Hamilton and linebacker Roquan Smith. In the win over Cleveland, Hamilton appeared to take a hard fall and grabbed at his right arm. He stayed in the game. Hamilton’s body language wreaked of discomfort on the final drive but he refused to come off the field. It’s not yet clear if that’s the reason that he didn’t practice. The official injury report will be released Wednesday afternoon. The Ravens host the New York Jets at 1 p.m. Sunday for their first of a three-game home stand. Smith did not take the field Wednesday, ending a healthy stretch run since the bye week for the centerpiece of Baltimore’s defense. The All-Pro middle linebacker suffered a hamstring injury in Week 4 that put him on the shelf for two games. He returned to practice on Oct. 20 and has played at a high level since, totaling 34 tackles and three pass deflections over the past four weeks. Smith was seen in the locker room after practice, which is generally a positive indicator for his health. “When it comes to their defense, everything revolves around Kyle and Roquan,” Jets coach Aaron Glenn told local reporters Wednesday. “Two really good players.” Baltimore also practiced without two starting offensive linemen: left tackle Ronnie Stanley and left guard Andrew Vorhees. Tight end Isaiah Likely didn’t practice, nor did wide receiver Rashod Bateman, who suffered an ankle sprain on a hip-drop tackle in Minnesota. Harbaugh said last week that he thinks the third-year receiver “is going to be OK.” Cornerback and special teamer Keyon Martin was the only non-starter absent Wednesday. The undrafted rookie, who registered his first career sack against the Browns, spent Sunday night at a Cleveland hospital undergoing tests for a chest injury. Reports came back negative, Harbaugh said, and “it didn’t turn out to be a serious thing.” Martin was back in Baltimore a day later but not ready for practice by Wednesday. Amid the chaos arrived some good news. Marlon Humphrey returned to practice after doctors put a pin in his finger to address a minor hand injury. The All-Pro cornerback opted for the surgery that kept him out against Cleveland, but Harbaugh expected his return within a week. Running back Justice Hill practiced after a toe injury sidelined him versus the Browns. Hill missed two practices last week, took the field Friday in a limited capacity, missed Sunday’s game and was back out there Wednesday. Two more could be back in the mix shortly. Outside linebacker Tavius Robinson broke his foot and went on injured reserve four weeks ago. Safety Ar’Darius Washington tore his Achilles tendon in May. Harbaugh said both are “getting close” to returning. Same with rookie offensive lineman Emery Jones Jr., who underwent shoulder surgery after the NFL scouting combine and is now “getting pretty close to being ready to play,” according to Harbaugh. By all accounts, the Jets are healthy. The biggest news out of New York, which is 2-8 and traded its two best players at the deadline, is the change at quarterback. Glenn confirmed reports from earlier in the week that former Ravens backup Tyrod Taylor would be the starter on Sunday over Justin Fields. Harbaugh called Taylor “a heck of a quarterback” who poses a “big challenge.” Have a news tip? Contact Sam Cohn at scohn@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/samdcohn. Related Articles Ravens QB Lamar Jackson misses Wednesday’s practice before game vs. Jets Ravens reset: Now back to .500, team readies for a playoff push Watch Episode 12 of the BMore Football Podcast with The Baltimore Sun’s Mike Preston and Jerry Coleman presented by Rice Law AFC North standings favor Steelers. Betting odds say Ravens are in control. Ravens’ LaJohntay Wester learns from muffed punt: ‘Protect it with my life’ View the full article

Another week, another absence for Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson. For the second straight Wednesday, Jackson was missing from practice in Owings Mills. He also took some significant hits in each of the past two games against the Minnesota Vikings and Cleveland Browns. In Sunday’s win in Cleveland, he was sacked five times, four of them coming courtesy of Myles Garrett. After the game, as Jackson sat and waited to speak to reporters, a blood stain soaked through the white tights under his uniform pants at his knee. He also stood up slowly, though did not appear to have any obvious or serious injuries. Whether Jackson’s absence puts his status for Sunday’s game against the New York Jets in jeopardy remains to be seen. Last week, he returned to practice on Thursday and Friday, clearing the way for him to start against the Browns. Jackson then had his worst game of the season against Cleveland’s second-ranked defense, completing just 14 of 25 passes for 193 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions for a passer rating of 47.6, one of the lowest marks of his career. Baltimore won, 23-16, but the contest clearly took its toll on the two-time NFL Most Valuable Player. Already, Jackson has missed three games this season because of a hamstring injury he suffered in the third quarter of a Week 4 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. The Ravens lost two straight with Cooper Rush starting in his place before Tyler Huntley got the start against the Chicago Bears in Week 7 and helped guide the Ravens to victory. Jackson returned the following week for a Thursday night game against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium and threw four touchdowns and had a near-perfect passer rating in a comfortable 28-6 win. But the following week against the Vikings in Minnesota, he again struggled, completing 17 of 29 passes for 176 yards and one touchdown. He has also not been the same dynamic runner this season that he has been in past seasons, with just 39 attempts for 226 yards and one touchdown. That’s a dramatic drop-off from last season, when he had 139 carried for 915 yards and four scores, and Jackson’s 32.3 rushing yards per game this year are the fewest of his eight-year career. On Monday, coach John Harbaugh scoffed at questions over Jackson running less frequently, though. “I was happy with some of the runs [Sunday],” he said. “He got out of the pocket a few times when we really needed him to and got us some yards and saved us a couple of times. I thought he also — I give him a lot of credit — he was under duress a few times where, in that kind of a game, he made some decisions, too, to protect the football, which was big. So, I thought he played a really smart game that way.” Asked in a follow-up question about Jackson running less on the year, Harbaugh said he didn’t “have an answer for that.” Related Articles Ravens injury report: Several starters missing at Wednesday’s practice Ravens reset: Now back to .500, team readies for a playoff push Watch Episode 12 of the BMore Football Podcast with The Baltimore Sun’s Mike Preston and Jerry Coleman presented by Rice Law AFC North standings favor Steelers. Betting odds say Ravens are in control. Ravens’ LaJohntay Wester learns from muffed punt: ‘Protect it with my life’ “Next thing you know, Lamar will break out and run for 100 yards,” he continued. The Ravens have won four straight games to get back to .500 and are a game back of the AFC North-leading Pittsburgh Steelers. Harbaugh is scheduled to speak with reporters after practice. This article will be updated. Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1. View the full article

The Ravens have gone from the precipice of the abyss and staring into the void to suddenly being within reach. If the playoffs began today, Baltimore would still be on the outside looking in. So would the three-time defending AFC champion Kansas City Chiefs. Alas, seven games remain, and a playoff spot as well as a third straight AFC North title now seem possible, the latter being something that would net at least a home wild-card game in January. The goal coming into the year, of course, was a Super Bowl title. But the NFL is about adjustments, and that goes for expectations, too. Starting a season 1-5 doesn’t afford many other options. Baltimore has rattled off four straight wins to get back to .500 and is just a game back of the division-leading Pittsburgh Steelers, providing more than a glint of optimism, though no one’s making reservations for Santa Clara, California, in February yet. “Our heads are just above water,” coach John Harbaugh said Sunday evening in Cleveland following a 23-16 victory. “We’re just above water; we’re breathing. We’re not even out of the water.” So, now what? Here’s a look at what’s been good, what hasn’t, what’s ahead and more with just under two months remaining in the regular season: Defense continues to turn pages Over its first five games, Baltimore allowed a staggering 35.4 points and 408.8 yards per game. Over its most recent five, those numbers have been slashed dramatically to 14.8 and 299.4, respectively. The biggest reasons: Safety Kyle Hamilton being deployed in myriad positions near the line of scrimmage, players returning from injuries and the quality of quarterbacks they have faced. Hamilton’s influence as a position-less do-it-all defender has been well-documented, and his stat line Sunday — six tackles, including three for loss, a sack, a forced fumble and a quarterback hit — was just the latest example of his abilities. “He made it really hard on the running backs, just to block him, and then his length, too. [He’s] batting balls down and those kinds of things,” Harbaugh said. “He was just impactful — he always is — but he was super impactful the whole game, pretty much in every way you can be impactful.” It’s worth remembering, too, that the Ravens at one point had to start five rookies on defense — including three undrafted free agents — amid the slide and were also without starting quarterback Lamar Jackson for part of one game and all of the next three because of a hamstring injury. Then there are the quarterbacks they’ve faced. The first six games featured a murderers’ row of reigning NFL Most Valuable Player Josh Allen, former Raven Joe Flacco, Jared Goff, Patrick Mahomes, C.J. Stroud and Matthew Stafford. Over the past four, the drop-off has been considerable, with Caleb Williams, Tua Tagovailoa, J.J. McCarthy and Dillon Gabriel/Shedeur Sanders. Now comes another former Raven, Tyrod Taylor, who will start for the lowly 2-8 New York Jets on Sunday in Baltimore over the benched Justin Fields. Still, you can only beat who you play, and the defense has handled its opponents. Only two teams — the Cincinnati Bengals and San Francisco 49ers — have fewer sacks, and the Ravens’ pressure rate is also near the bottom of the league, but Baltimore has been more aggressive and forced more turnovers of late with 10 over the past five games. If nothing else, that has provided a jolt of confidence to a unit that was playing scared to make a mistake earlier in the season. Red zone struggles One area the Ravens still haven’t figured out is how to be better in the red zone. After scoring touchdowns 74.2% of the time from the opponent’s 20-yard line and in to rank first in 2024, they have been inexplicably abysmal this season, finding pay dirt just 47.2% of the time to rank 28th. Related Articles Watch Episode 12 of the BMore Football Podcast with The Baltimore Sun’s Mike Preston and Jerry Coleman presented by Rice Law AFC North standings favor Steelers. Betting odds say Ravens are in control. Ravens’ LaJohntay Wester learns from muffed punt: ‘Protect it with my life’ Ravens coach John Harbaugh defends O-line amid struggles: ‘Darn good’ READER POLL: Should Maryland invest more resources into its football program? Some of that could understandably be attributed to being without Jackson for a few games, but they haven’t been much better since his return, scoring a touchdown on six of 12 red zone trips in three games. Over the past two, they’ve been even worse, converting just three of nine opportunities, which included having to settle for field goals on two first-and-goal opportunities from inside the Browns’ 10-yard line on Sunday. What gives? It could be several things, from predictability to an offensive line that is struggling to move people to perhaps Jackson not being quite as dangerous with his legs as he once was to defenses being able to hone in on Derrick Henry more effectively because of all of the above. Whatever the reasons, it has become a point of emphasis. “Some plays could have been executed better. Some plays, they did a great job of defending,” Harbaugh said of Cleveland. “But bigger picture, that’s an important part of the field for us. We want to score touchdowns down there, and you at least want to protect the three as well.” Injury updates Ravens rookie cornerback Keyon Martin isn’t sure what play he suffered the injury on, but he knew after the adrenaline of Sunday’s victory had faded that there was a problem. Martin, 24, felt a “sharp pain” in his chest, so out of an abundance of caution, he spent the night in a Cleveland hospital for a series of tests and scans while the team flew back to Baltimore. The results came back negative and it turned out to be a deep chest bruise, according to his agent Marcell Owens, who added that the undrafted free agent out of Louisiana is recovering and doing much better. Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey, shown intercepting a pass against the Vikings, is expected to return soon from his finger injury. (Abbie Parr/AP) Martin, who has been a regular on special teams, played 18 defensive snaps (32.7%) against the Browns while helping fill the void for injured cornerback Marlon Humphrey, and finished with a pass breakup and his first career sack. How much time Martin misses, if any, remains to be seen, but Humphrey, who had a pin inserted in a dislocated finger on his left hand, should be back this week, Harbaugh said. Other players who could soon be back include outside linebackers Tavius Robinson and Adisa Isaac, as well as safety Ar’Darius Washington. Robinson, who broke his foot in Week 6 against the Los Angeles Rams, and Isaac, who dislocated his elbow in the preseason, have been slated for a mid-to-late November return, though neither has returned to practice yet. Washington, who suffered a torn Achilles tendon in May, worked out on a side field for the first time last week and is on a similar timeline. Having all of them back for the last few games of the regular season would provide a boost of much-needed depth, particularly if they make the playoffs. Taking advantage of the schedule — for now At least part of Baltimore’s turnaround can no doubt be attributed to what has been a softer schedule. The Ravens’ first six opponents — the Buffalo Bills, Browns, Detroit Lions, Chiefs, Houston Texans and Rams — have combined for 33 wins and 27 losses this season. Their past four opponents — the Chicago Bears, Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings and Browns — have just 15 wins and 24 losses between them. Taking advantage of the next four games will also be critical. Ravens coach John Harbaugh speaks during Monday's news conference. Harbaugh's team has benefited from a soft schedule in recent weeks after a challenging stretch to open the season. (Surya Vaidy/Staff) After the Jets, the Ravens play the 3-7 Bengals at home on Thanksgiving, followed by a trip to Pittsburgh 10 days later to face the Steelers. Then they’ll play at Cincinnati, where they could be facing Joe Burrow, who returned to practice last week and opened his 21-day window to return from a turf toe injury that has kept him sidelined since Week 2. It’s possible that Burrow could return for the Thanksgiving night tilt in Baltimore, but it’s more likely he’ll do so the following week against the Bills. Whenever he comes back, things only get tougher for the Ravens after their trip to Cincinnati, with a home game against the 9-2 New England Patriots followed by road games against the Green Bay Packers and the Steelers. Put another way, as hot as they’ve been over the past month, there is little margin for error over the next seven weeks. Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1. View the full article

Episode 12 of the BMore Football Podcast with The Baltimore Sun’s Mike Preston and Jerry Coleman presented by Rice Law is here. Preston and Coleman break down the Ravens’ four-game winning streak and the defense’s recent improvement. Baltimore (5-5) trails Pittsburgh (6-4) by one game in the AFC North after its win over the Browns, but the Ravens still have both head-to-head meetings with the Steelers left on their schedule. This week, Baltimore hosts the New York Jets. You can watch it weekly, posting every Tuesday during the NFL season on YouTube and The Baltimore Sun, and listen on Spotify, Apple, Amazon and iHeart. Have a news tip? Contact Mike Preston at epreston@baltsun.com, 410-332-6467 and x.com/MikePrestonSun. View the full article

The Steelers own a one-game lead in the AFC North in mid-November, and Ravens coach John Harbaugh says his 5-5 team is “just above water.” That scenario might’ve felt dire in late August, but sportsbooks disagree with Harbaugh’s assessment. The Ravens are a significant betting favorite to win the division despite trailing in the standings. FanDuel gives Baltimore -280 odds to win the AFC North, with Pittsburgh (6-4) holding +260 odds. The sportsbook suggests it’s a two-team race, with Cincinnati ( holding +2500 odds. The Browns have +30000 odds, as their fans might as well shift their focus to the NFL draft. “Yes, it’s a down year for the Ravens,” CBS Sports betting analyst Mackenzie Brooks said this week. “Turns out it’s a down year for just about everyone else in the AFC.” She makes a good point. Typical AFC contenders in the Bills and Chiefs are both underdogs to win their respective divisions with the Patriots and Broncos surpassing expectations. Power ratings — most computer models still view Baltimore as a top NFL team despite a 1-5 start — and strength of schedule both play an important role in the current AFC North odds. Baltimore’s remaining strength of schedule is the 21st toughest in the NFL, according to ESPN data. Pittsburgh’s ranks ninth. The Steelers also have a significant injury issue to monitor. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers injured his left wrist and could miss at least one game because of the injury. Mason Rudolph is the team’s backup quarterback, should Rodgers miss time. The Steelers play the Bears, Bills and Ravens in the coming three weeks. Interestingly, Baltimore began the year as a -155 favorite to win the division. Despite starting 1-5 and dealing with a rash of injuries, the Ravens actually have better odds to win the AFC North than before the first week of the season. Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson has played in three straight games after a hamstring injury kept him out of the preceding three games. The Ravens are 4-3 in games started by Jackson in 2025, winning the past three. The Ravens’ defense is also improving, holding opponents to under 20 points in five straight weeks after doing that just once in the first five games of the year. “We hope that one day — one of these games — the defense is going to go play lights-out, offense is going to play lights-out,” safety Kyle Hamilton said after Sunday’s win over the Browns. “But it’s not guaranteed in this league, and it rarely happens. … It doesn’t matter what the situation is in the game, if there’s a blade of grass to defend, we’re going to defend it.” Super Bowl odds Winning the AFC North title is one thing. Winning the Super Bowl takes more than gritty wins over Cleveland. After starting the year as the favorite to lift the Lombardi Trophy come February, the Ravens’ odds have plummeted, even amid their four-game winning streak. The Ravens sit at +1300 to win the championship on FanDuel, the eighth shortest odds of any team in the NFL. The Eagles (+500), Rams (+650), Bills (+800), Colts (+1000), Chiefs (+1000), Lions (+1100) and Seahawks (+1200) all hold shorter odds. Baltimore is 0-4 against those teams this season. These are the 10 teams with the shortest odds via FanDuel to win the Super Bowl: Eagles, +500 Rams, +650 Bills, +800 Colts, +1000 Chiefs, +1000 Lions, +1100 Seahawks, +1200 Ravens, +1300 Broncos, +1400 Packers, +1500 At least one analyst isn’t counting Baltimore out yet despite its .500 record through 10 games. Related Articles Ravens’ LaJohntay Wester learns from muffed punt: ‘Protect it with my life’ Ravens coach John Harbaugh defends O-line amid struggles: ‘Darn good’ READER POLL: Should Maryland invest more resources into its football program? 5 things we learned from the Ravens’ 23-16 win over the Browns Josh Tolentino: The Ravens won ugly, and that’s OK | COMMENTARY “If this team gets to the postseason, and I think they will, who’s going to want to play them?” CBS analyst Pete Prisco said during an NFL Week 11 recap show. “You look at them and you compare them to the Denver Broncos and the New England Patriots. They get in, who would you rather play?” Prisco mentioned regular-season successes followed by postseason failures defining the Lamar Jackson era. “Well, this year, maybe it’s the opposite,” Prisco said. Have a news tip? Contact sports editor Bennett Conlin at bconlin@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/BennettConlin. View the full article

That pesky Cleveland wind roaring off the shores of Lake Erie, a talking point all of last week, bit LaJohntay Wester in a crucial spot Sunday. The sixth-round rookie stood 10 yards in front of the end zone, planted between the painted one and zero. A gust of wind redirected the ball. Wester chased it closer to the hashes extending for a futile diving effort. The football slipped through his grasp. It dribbled behind him where the Browns recovered, earning possession at the 6-yard line with the game tied early in the second quarter. Baltimore’s defense bailed Wester out thanks to an impressive goal-line stand, holding the Browns to a field goal. Still, Ravens coach John Harbaugh called it a “challenging ball.” One that Wester should “definitely want to get away from.” “It’s probably his first game playing in those kind of conditions, with that kind of wind, in an AFC-North-type of a stadium, with that kind of a ‘cutter’ ball,” Harbaugh said. “It was a left-footed punter, and the ball’s cutting away from him. That’s probably one of the most challenging — especially at that end of that stadium.” Wester thought he tracked the football OK. His focus slipped off the ball to peek at how much room he’d have to return. Two defenders were closing in. When he locked eyes with it again, the ball had sailed five yards to his left. “I tried to adjust last minute, and I ended up muffing it,” he said. Wester is an electrifying returner. General manager Eric DeCosta called him “twitchy” and “explosive” after using a sixth-round pick on the return specialist in April. Wester has been itching for a house call since. He took one all the way back in the preseason, a glimpse at what’s possible. And a few shoe-string tackles have tripped him up shy of finding open field since. His only other muffed punt this season came against the Rams, which was negated by a penalty. Wester capitalized on the do-over with a 35-yard return, his longest of the season. His 14.4 yards per return rank eighth in the NFL. Sunday’s win showed both sides of the coin, having an aggressive, 23-year-old, Day 3 pick back there ready to burst. He muffed a punt he should’ve let bounce into the end zone. And earlier in the game, Wester fielded one at the 2-yard line, another hindsight would say he probably should have let dribble away, that he returned to the 21-yard line. He was more cautious the next time. Cleveland punted on a short field in the fourth quarter and Wester made no play on the ball that bounced near the 5-yard line. The Browns nearly pinned Baltimore at the half-yard line if not for a friendly review showing a toe touching blades of grass at the goal line. “You don’t want to be hard and fast too much,” Harbaugh said. “But you do want to have principles built around the rule.” For years, conventional wisdom said if the ball was landing inside 10, don’t risk it. “Those days have changed a little bit,” Harbaugh said. A line-drive kick provides some extra space to run or a chip shot can pin a team deep. Wester is still figuring out how to manage some of those kicks. His coach called him “really accountable.” “I didn’t know I caught it at the 2 until I got to the sideline,” Wester said postgame, admitting he lost where his feet were. “I trust my guys that are blocking for me, and [Cleveland’s Corey Bojorquez] kicked a returnable ball to me. I feel like I’m the type player to be able to flip the field.” The coaching staff has trusted his decision making in the past. Last week in Minnesota, with lighter conditions protected by the Vikings’ dome, Wester similarly tracked a kickoff at the 2-yard line and ran it back 20 yards. Special teams coordinator Chris Horton said “that ball could have easily” been downed but Wester “made the right decision in that situation.” Related Articles Ravens coach John Harbaugh defends O-line amid struggles: ‘Darn good’ READER POLL: Should Maryland invest more resources into its football program? 5 things we learned from the Ravens’ 23-16 win over the Browns Josh Tolentino: The Ravens won ugly, and that’s OK | COMMENTARY Mike Preston: Ravens bully bad quarterbacks. More are coming. | COMMENTARY So what exactly did a muffed punt, a gutsy return and a nearly fatal surrender on Sunday — all in blustery AFC North conditions — teach him? “I know now that when the ball is in the air, that’s mine,” Wester said. “And I have the whole organization on my back, so I have to protect it with my life.” Have a news tip? Contact Sam Cohn at scohn@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/samdcohn. View the full article

The Ravens won the war Sunday in Cleveland, rallying and then hanging on to defeat the Browns, 23-16. But along the way they lost the battle — at least when it came to their offensive line. Quarterback Lamar Jackson was sacked five times and pressured on 23 occasions, per Pro Football Focus. Some of it was to be expected. The Browns entered the critical AFC North showdown with the NFL’s second-ranked defense and led by league sack leader and All-Pro edge rusher Myles Garrett, who now has 15 sacks in 10 games after racking up four more against Baltimore. Yet, it doesn’t sound like coach John Harbaugh is ready to make any changes to the offensive line. Asked on Monday if he is seeing the necessary progress with the group, he said he is. “You put the best five players out there, the five guys that are playing the best,” he continued. “That’s what you do. It’s not even a hard answer. “So the question is pretty much yeah, put the best five players out there and they’re playing pretty darn good. Can they play better? Sure.” Against the Browns, though, they were often exposed. Right guard Daniel Faalele, in particular, struggled. He had a 23.2 pass blocking grade, per PFF, and allowed three pressures. On one play near the end of the second quarter, rookie defensive tackle Mason Graham charged in, smacked Faalele so hard that he spun him completely around and raced in on Jackson before Garrett chased the quarterback down from behind for a sack. Later, on a third-and-1 from Cleveland’s 35-yard line with 3:17 remaining in the game and the score tied at 16, Faalele was slow off the snap and then shoved back a yard, helping lead to Derrick Henry getting stuffed on the play. Tight end Mark Andrews then saved the day with a spectacular 35-yard touchdown one play later. Faalele also wasn’t the lone Ravens lineman to struggle. Left tackle Ronnie Stanley, who was a Pro Bowl selection last season but has not been as sharp this year along with dealing with an ankle injury, allowed a team-high four pressures and got a season-low PFF pass blocking grade of 33.9. Right tackle Roger Rosengarten, whom Garrett at one point tossed to the ground with one hand, a 57.5 and two pressures. It wasn’t all bad, of course. Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum and left guard Andrew Vorhees, who has often been the weakest link among the group this season, both graded out respectably. Faalele was also one of the players who helped spring Derrick Henry’s 59-yard run. But nearly every week, the offensive line has been a topic of discussion. Lions edge rusher Al-Quadin Muhammad sacks Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson earlier this season. Baltimore's star quarterback has been sacked 23 times this season, despite missing a few games with an injury. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) Already, Jackson has been sacked 23 times this season, which is many times as he was all of last season. Some of those have come as a result of him either hanging onto the ball looking for a receiver to get open or finish a route or by turning back into the rush as he tries to buy time in the pocket, as was the case at least a couple of times on Sunday. Other times, though, the men charged with blocking for him have labored to do so, especially in the passing game, with Baltimore ranked 24th in pass block win rate, per ESPN analytics, before the Browns game. In a Week 3 loss at home to the Lions, Detroit pressured Jackson a whopping 30 times. That led to him getting sacked seven times, tying a career high, in the 38-30 defeat. On two other occasions this season, he has been sacked at least three times in a game. Jackson was also knocked out in the third quarter of a Week 4 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs with a hamstring injury after being sacked by George Karlaftis and missed the next three games. But if there is a better option up front — specifically at either guard spot — clearly Harbaugh doesn’t see one. Among the options on the 53-man roster for either are veteran and former third-round draft pick Ben Cleveland, second-year former Maryland standout Corey Bullock and third-round rookie Emery Jones Jr. But Cleveland has failed to emerge from multiple opportunities in recent years, Bullock perhaps lacks experience among other traits while Jones missed all of the spring and summer because of shoulder surgery and was only activated late last month. The only other offensive linemen on the roster are veteran Joseph Noteboom and sixth-round rookie Carson Vinson, both of whom are tackles. The Ravens did sign former first-round pick Kenyon Green to join 25-year-old Jared Penning on the practice squad last month. But clearly coaches don’t view either one as an option. So for now, the Ravens will carry on with the same offensive line they’ve had all season, with Harbaugh adding that continuity plays a role in that decision as well. Related Articles Ravens’ LaJohntay Wester learns from muffed punt: ‘Protect it with my life’ READER POLL: Should Maryland invest more resources into its football program? 5 things we learned from the Ravens’ 23-16 win over the Browns Josh Tolentino: The Ravens won ugly, and that’s OK | COMMENTARY Mike Preston: Ravens bully bad quarterbacks. More are coming. | COMMENTARY What will it take for a change to be made? “You evaluate play by play,” he said. “Every single position you evaluate play for play for play for play. And some plays are great, some plays are good, some plays need to be better and you need to try to improve on them. So that’s how it goes with every position. There’s always going to be areas from one game to the next [we] can play better. “You put your team out there and you compete. All of our guys, including our offensive line fight and compete and get after it. None of our positions are perfect.” Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1. View the full article

Maryland is keeping its football coach. Michael Locksley will be back for his eighth season in 2026, new athletic director Jim Smith said on Sunday, ending speculation that the school might part ways with the coach. Smith, in his announcement, also said the school would devote more resources to the football program to better support Locksley. “Coach Locksley needs — and deserves — the full support of our department, our university, and all of Terp Nation. We are fully committed to giving him and our student-athletes the resources and investments necessary to succeed,” Smith said. “I have worked closely with Coach Locksley to rapidly strengthen our NIL support for 2026 and beyond, with a clear and focused effort on roster retention, recruiting, and being highly competitive in the transfer portal.” Should Maryland devote more resources into its football program? We want to hear from you. After you vote, leave a comment and we might use your take in The Baltimore Sun. The Baltimore Sun reader poll is an unscientific survey in which website users volunteer their opinions on the subject of the poll. To read the results of previous reader polls, click here. View the full article

After the Ravens escaped Cleveland with a 23-16 win and improved to 5-5, Baltimore’s famed former linebacker Terrell Suggs posted what everyone was thinking. “In traditional Ravens fashion,” he wrote on X, Sunday’s win gave fans “multiple heart attacks.” Here are five things we learned: The Ravens (barely) exorcised their demons in Cleveland For some reason, Cleveland — no matter how unimpressive the home football team — becomes the Bermuda Triangle when the Ravens are in town. Or the island in “Lost,” where mysterious anomalies are the norm. Weird stuff happens when the Ravens go play the Browns in Ohio (remember last year when Jameis Winston snapped a five-game win streak?). Much of Sunday was an ugly, comedy of errors on both sides. Lamar Jackson threw a pair of interceptions — one ricocheted off Keaton Mitchell’s hands for a pick-6 and the other, which doinked off an offensive lineman’s helmet, came one play after a Nate Wiggins interception. Myles Garrett sacked Jackson four times. There was a Ravens special teams muffed punt and an offsides infraction on punt team. One Browns rookie quarterback earned boos, completed the longest pass of his young career (26 yards) and later exited early for a concussion. His replacement was the highly anticipated Shedeur Sanders, who was met by cheers, sacked on his first drive and threw an interception on his second. Field goals in heavy wind and a trick play ultimately settled the score. “You need games like this during the season,” running back Derrick Henry said. “This is kind of like a playoff-style game.” Playoff style in the way that postseason games can be unpredictable, decided by one unexpected call or a gusty defensive stand. If nothing else, it tested the Ravens’ resolve. They found a way to win and swept the season series for the first time since 2020. Last year’s loss in Cleveland is a landmark reference point for the type of game the Ravens tend to let slip at least once per season. These Ravens dug themselves too deep of a hole to allow those issues to fester. Two bad-luck picks and special teams mistakes couldn’t fully weigh them down against the overmatched Browns. Nor could a delay-of-game penalty against Kyle Hamilton for kicking the ball in frustration after dropping an easy interception. Even he couldn’t help but remember the last time the Ravens played in Cleveland and he let slip the potential game-winner, joking, “I can’t seem to catch a pick in Cleveland for some reason.” Todd Monken is having fun with “tush push” variations The list of people wearing the Ravens logo on Sundays, Mondays and Thursdays who have taken heat for their 1-5 start and some of the shaky football that has persisted along this four-game win streak is long. Offensive coordinator Todd Monken’s name is right there near the top of any list. His group, which was historically dominant in 2023 and 2024, entered Sunday ranked 27th both in fourth-down conversions (42.86%) and red-zone scoring (50%). In seven games, Jackson has been sacked 23 times, which is how many times he was brought down all of last year. Harbaugh has been openly critical of their shortcomings. Monken, too, knows those metrics are “unacceptable.” Sunday evening, CBS cameras found him up in the booth at Huntington Bank Field. Monken, having just watched Mark Andrews break off the decisive 35-yard touchdown run from a trick play, casually sipped his water. Nobody would have blamed him if he swapped it out for whiskey and a cigar. “Hurricane” was the fourth-and-1 call. Harbaugh said there was talk on the headset of the faux tush push if they needed a short-yardage conversion. Jackson said they liked the way it looked in practice earlier in the week. Henry wouldn’t reveal much other than it “got repped to perfection.” Andrews, whose heroics overshadowed his own franchise record-breaking afternoon, lined up under center like he was preparing for a teammate to shove his derrière. Then he spun out to his right. A block from fullback Patrick Ricard opened the lane to a first down. “I trust Pat with my life,” Andrews said later. And tight end Charlie Kolar chipped Cleveland’s Carson Schwesinger enough to create a lane for Andrews to barrel through an opening and accelerate to 20.09 miles per hours. Kolar applauded his coaches for the play call after seeing the way Cleveland bunched up near the interior. “It was a great play,” he said. Monken didn’t so much as crack a grin. He sipped his water watching the Ravens — who finished 5-for-13 on third downs — convert the one play they really needed to. He pulled out the stops with some similar trickery in Minnesota. This one saved the day in Cleveland, even if there are lingering questions about the afternoon’s broader body of work. Defensive stands mask special teams mistakes At one point Sunday afternoon, Harbaugh doubled over. Hands on his knees. Head buried into his own chest. The longtime coach who got his start in special teams meeting rooms and has made the game’s third phase a priority in Baltimore had just watched two gaffes nearly cost them. Harbaugh looked like he wanted to vomit. LaJohntay Wester, the rookie returner with blazing wheels for feet, muffed a punt inside the 10-yard line. That handed Cleveland a free pass six yards from pay dirt. Three plays later, the Browns were right where they started thanks to an impressive goal line stand from the Ravens defense which seems to have become the norm lately. Related Articles Josh Tolentino: The Ravens won ugly, and that’s OK | COMMENTARY Mike Preston: Ravens bully bad quarterbacks. More are coming. | COMMENTARY The Baltimore Sun’s Ravens report card: Grades for 23-16 win over Browns Shedeur Sanders struggles in NFL debut against Ravens: ‘Rough overall’ Ravens’ Mark Andrews shares name for fake ‘tush push’ play vs. Browns A field goal gave the Browns a 6-3 lead when they should have held a 10-3 advantage. The Browns were gifted a shot at redemption later in that same wacky second quarter. On fourth-and-4, lined up to punt the ball downfield, Jake Hummel goofed. It was another uncharacteristic move from another special teamer who has been a pleasant surprise for these confounding Ravens. Hummel jumped offsides, awarding the Browns a first down near midfield. The home team was in field goal range two plays later. Baltimore again walled up, part of what Hamilton called a “complete product” from the defense, and held the Browns to three points rather than seven. Another instance where the Ravens went down a manageable 16-10 rather than 21-10, on the verge of collapse. “We got thrown into some sticky situations,” Hamilton said. “It doesn’t matter what the situation is in the game, if there’s a blade of grass to defend, we’re going to defend it.” That they did. The Browns finished with 187 yards of total offense. They had 14 third-down tries and converted only two. The Ravens hit Cleveland’s quarterbacks 10 times and brought them to the ground thrice. There were nine pass deflections, six tackles for loss and Wiggins’ third interception of the year. “Didn’t give Shedeur Sanders a chance to breathe really at all,” Harbaugh said. Even when the Browns were forced to switch quarterbacks to the rookie making his NFL debut, linebacker Roquan Smith gathered his teammates to manage emotions. “You want to go out there and just kill,” he told them, according to pass rusher Dre’Mont Jones. They’ve come a long way from the immature group of earlier this year. Browns wide receiver Gage Larvadain and Ravens cornerback Chidobe Awuzie reach for a pass during the second half of Baltimore's narrow win. The Ravens limited the Browns' two rookie quarterbacks to 11-for-26 passing in the victory. (David Richard/AP) Chidobe Awuzie was the cornerback signing the Ravens needed The Ravens brought in two cornerbacks this offseason in an effort to fortify their secondary. One flew under the radar and one made headlines any time he did anything. They quietly signed veteran Chidobe Awuzie in March — meaning there wasn’t much fanfare for a veteran who missed a chunk of last season because of injury and didn’t bring a recognizable name from Tennessee. He was rugged and reliable without a Pro Bowl selection. Then in June, the Ravens loudly signed Jaire Alexander. Jackson had sway in that move, publicly admitting he told general manager Eric DeCosta to “go get” his former college teammate. Alexander was once one of the NFL’s premiere cornerbacks when healthy. The former first-round pick brought two Pro Bowl nods and an infectious energy that left a noticeable imprint on the dog days of training camp. Awuzie and Alexander were inextricably tied together. But Orr downplayed there being competition between the two, explaining that he believed both would play starting reps. And in August, the overwhelming majority saw the job as Alexander’s to lose. Three months later, one has unfortunately stepped away from football to focus on his health after a midseason trade swept him out of Baltimore. The other made a game-saving play in the end zone to hang onto an ugly win in Cleveland and maintain the Ravens’ credibility as a postseason candidate. “How about ‘Chido’s play?” Harbaugh asked proudly. On third-and-5, Sanders eyed the end zone to potentially tie the game in its final two minutes. The ball landed in Gage Larvadain’s hands. For a moment, it felt like every other blown lead setting up a disappointing loss that leaves Ravens fans reeling on social media and in group chats. This one would’ve been particularly gutting if it was one of the NFL’s worst offenses delivering the death knell to Baltimore’s win streak. Awuzie ripped it loose with the back of his forearm, one of three pass deflections. The ball fell to the ground and the game was over a play later. He won’t get the flowers that Andrews does. But in the same way he arrived in Baltimore, Awuzie’s contributions have been quietly overshadowed. Ravens cornerback Chidobe Awuzie, shown before Sunday's win over the Browns, has been one of the NFL's best in coverage this season when healthy. (Kirk Irwin/AP) Since returning from a hamstring injury that sidelined him in Week 4 through the bye week, Awuzie has been Baltimore’s best defensive back in coverage, according to Pro Football Focus. He grades out as the NFL’s fourth best cornerback in coverage among qualified players. “I’ve been real pleased with him,” Orr said last week. “When we first got him way back in the spring, you could see on film, he was a very smart football player, but when you get in a classroom with him, when you get in these walkthroughs with him, and you get on the practice field with him, he understands route concepts. He understands leverages. “What he’s done is he’s helped teach the young corners understand spacing and route concepts and how they can play certain routes. He’s been doing a great job for us this whole year.” Nowhere has that been more clear than the front corner of the end zone Sunday afternoon in Cleveland. Ravens’ heads are ‘just above water’ No matter how ugly the win, the Ravens reached a crucial benchmark. They crawled all the way back to .500. The 1-5 Ravens are behind them. They’re now 5-5, maintaining pace with the Steelers in an arms race for the AFC North staring down a schedule loaded up on crucial divisional games. How does it feel to have made it this far? “It’s better than 1-5, I’ll tell you that,” Henry said. Jackson was asked about the level of belief maintained in the locker room over the past four weeks. Was there always this much confidence? Did doubt ever creep in about the long road ahead? The quarterback offered this season’s overused platitude: “We were trying to be 2-5 at the time, or 3-5.” It worked, now perfect since the bye week. Having beat the Browns improves Baltimore’s playoff odds to 79%, according to The New York Times’ Playoff Simulator. A win next week against the Jets would lift them to B- range. Like any playoff race, they’ll need a hand from another team. In this case, anyone else on Pittsburgh’s schedule. The Bengals fells short Sunday. Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is reportedly believed to have a “slight break” in his non-throwing wrist. The Steelers come to town in early December. Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is plotting his return. They’re not out of it if he can play. These are all things to consider in the long term. But as Jackson affirmed, they’re not thinking that way. “We’re 5-5,” Harbaugh said. “Our heads are just above water. We’re breathing. We’re not even out of the water.” Have a news tip? Contact Sam Cohn at scohn@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/samdcohn. Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers, right. attempts to escape the grasp of Browns cornerback Denzel Ward in the first half of Baltimore's 23-16 victory. Flowers led the Ravens with 78 receiving yards. (Sue Ogrocki/AP) View the full article

CLEVELAND — The wind howled, the temperature plunged, and the Ravens walked straight into another afternoon of self-inflicted chaos alongside Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland. Sunday’s divisional contest featuring the Ravens and Browns had all the makings of a traditional AFC North slugfest. Quarterback Lamar Jackson was intercepted twice for the first time in two years. Safety Kyle Hamilton was penalized after kicking a football out of frustration. Rookie LaJohntay Wester gift-wrapped points for Cleveland with his muffed punt return. And the Ravens won anyway. It was a bumpy, twisty roller coaster, but the Ravens willed themselves to a fourth straight victory, grinding out a come-from-behind 23-16 win that pulled Baltimore back to .500 at Huntington Bank Stadium. Sunday was a maddening, emotional viewing experience for everyone involved, including Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta, who was seated alongside other team personnel from the second row of Cleveland’s press box, located several hundred feet above the visitors’ sideline. On a gloomy day when the offense looked stuck, the Ravens muscled through their mistakes and leaned on grit to drag themselves out of an ever-important divisional game to sweep the Browns for the first time since 2020. “By no means is this the end,” coach John Harbaugh said. “We’re 5-5. Our heads are just above water. We’re just above water. We’re breathing. We’re not even out of the water. But what you saw out there was a tough, hard-fought game against a really good team.” Baltimore’s defense didn’t allow a single offensive touchdown, just the latest example of Zach Orr’s unit bandaging the season together while the offense continued to find its way. Browns rookie quarterbacks Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders combined to complete just 11 of 26 passes for 115 yards with zero touchdowns and one interception. Offensively, Lamar Jackson looked pedestrian against Cleveland’s second-ranked defense. He completed 14 of 25 passes for 193 yards with zero touchdowns and two interceptions. He only rushed four times for 10 yards, while Jackson’s 47.6 passer rating was his lowest since Nov. 28, 2021. Over 53 games during that span, he hadn’t posted a rating in the 40s until Sunday. Still, Baltimore survived. “We can fight through adversity,” Jackson said. “This is divisional game, so we know type of game it’ll be. I guess not with the turnovers and stuff like that, but we knew it was going to be a dog fight. … You just have to keep a clear mind. I wouldn’t say frustration, but you’re kind of ticked off because our defense just put us in a great spot, and then for us to turn the ball back over. We can’t have that.” Related Articles Mike Preston: Ravens bully bad quarterbacks. More are coming. | COMMENTARY The Baltimore Sun’s Ravens report card: Grades for 23-16 win over Browns Shedeur Sanders struggles in NFL debut against Ravens: ‘Rough overall’ Ravens’ Mark Andrews shares name for fake ‘tush push’ play vs. Browns Ravens use surprise play to rally and beat Browns, 23-16, for 4th straight win As much as the offense sputtered, coordinator Todd Monken dialed up his best play call for the game’s most critical moment. Monken’s decision to roll out Mark Andrews on a fake tush push resulted in the go-ahead touchdown score. Following hours of frustration, that single moment of creativity finally sent the visitors’ sideline exploding like a jack-in-the-box children’s toy that finally sprung open. “We knew we won the game after that,” cornerback Nate Wiggins said. Earlier in the season, I hammered the team on their lack of accountability. Once 1-5, the Ravens have rattled off four straight victories, including three on the road, all while displaying their grit and maturation in multiple departments. Baltimore displayed several examples of improved accountability amid the postgame celebration in the visitors’ locker room. Wiggins, already dressed and headed toward the exit once the mandatory “cooling” period concluded, was asked by a team staffer to stay and speak with reporters. The second-year defensive back didn’t complain and returned to the room to discuss the team’s latest victory. Meanwhile, Wester willingly addressed his costly mistake, vowing to remember in the future how much impact he carries with each punt he fields. On the heels of one of his worst performances in several years, Jackson also approached tailback Keaton Mitchell to talk through his incompletion and tipped-ball interception. Those might be small interactions on the surface, but for a team that struggled with accountability earlier this year, the Ravens continue to progress in that department, among others. Ravens running back Derrick Henry, middle, walks off the field Sunday night after beating the Browns in Cleveland. Henry ran for 103 yards in the victory. (Kirk Irwin/AP) Baltimore still trails Pittsburgh by a game in the division, but the Ravens are now halfway to the 10-win mark, widely viewed as the AFC’s playoff entry point. Speaking of the Steelers, the Ravens play their rivals twice over the season’s final five weeks. Their first meeting on Dec. 7 at M&T Bank Stadium is shaping up to be one of the most anticipated games of the year, and Pittsburgh could be without quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who reportedly suffered a broken left wrist in their win over the Bengals. The Ravens might not be winning with style points or full four-quarter performances yet, but they’ve established an important sense of momentum as they enter the final third of the regular season. “We hope that one day — one of these games — the defense is going to go play lights-out, offense is going to play lights-out,” Hamilton said. “But it’s not guaranteed in this league, and it rarely happens. … It doesn’t matter what the situation is in the game, if there’s a blade of grass to defend, we’re going to defend it.” DeCosta, as he always does, joined the team in the visitors’ locker room for Harbaugh’s postgame speech. Before the general manager departed, he found Jackson — still in full pads — and pulled him in for a quick embrace near his stall. It was a brief exchange between the two pillars of a team that keeps dragging itself forward. Sunday wasn’t pretty, but it was progress. It’s OK for the surging Ravens to celebrate that. Have a news tip? Contact Josh Tolentino at jtolentino@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200, x.com/JCTSports and instagram.com/JCTSports. View the full article

CLEVELAND — Now, all those doomsayers who were complaining about the Ravens playing five playoff contenders from 2024 at the beginning of season aren’t critical anymore. The Ravens have now won four straight and are only one game behind the Pittsburgh Steelers for first place in the AFC North. They didn’t get any style points by beating Cleveland, 23-16, on Sunday, but those will come later. That will come in late December or early January, but now it’s about staying in contention and within striking distance of the division leader as the schedule keeps getting weaker. The Browns used two rookie quarterbacks Sunday. The first was Dillon Gabriel, a third-round draft pick out of Oregon, and the other was Shedeur Sanders, the fifth-round selection from Colorado whose father Deion was possibly the best cornerback who ever played in the NFL. Gabriel started the first half, but Sanders played the second after Gabriel failed to clear the NFL’s concussion protocol after taking a hit near the end of the second quarter. Now, if you thought the Ravens were getting a break Sunday, it gets even easier next week when they play the New York Jets at home followed by the Cincinnati Bengals. Oh, and the Ravens still get to face the Steelers twice. Now, that’s either being exceedingly lucky or having the football gods look down and smile all over them. Earlier this season, the Ravens started off 1-5, having suffered major losses to Buffalo, Kansas City, Houston, Detroit and the Los Angeles Rams. And next week the Ravens get to face Jets quarterback Justin Fields, who has a backup named Tyrod Taylor. On Thanksgiving night, the Bengals might start 40-year old Joe Flacco or possibly return star Joe Burrow, who is attempting to rebound from a turf toe injury suffered in Week 2. Pittsburgh quarterback Aaron Rodgers might have suffered a left wrist injury in the Steelers 34-12 win over the Bengals on Sunday, and will be further evaluated Monday. No one wishes bad luck or injuries on other players, but the Ravens are having good fortunes. When they were struggling at the beginning of the season, they had nine players they shuffled in and out of the starting lineups because of injuries, including to quarterback Lamar Jackson, middle linebacker Roquan Smith and left tackle Ronnie Stanley. On Sunday, the Ravens were full of glee. They faced Gabriel, who was making his fifth straight start, and then Sanders, who was playing in his first regular-season game. And the Ravens didn’t care. They never blinked. They harassed Gabriel for most of the first half, and then stepped up the different looks with an assortment of blitzes and five-man rushes on Sanders in the second. Poor Sanders. He looked frazzled, even lost at times. The Ravens finished with three sacks and hurried both Gabriel and Sanders 10 other times. The Jets won’t be much better. Fields was a first-round pick, the 11th player chosen overall in the 2021 draft who played in Chicaho and Pittsburgh before moving to the Jets this season. His backup, Taylor, has more mileage than Air Force One, having played in Baltimore, Buffalo, Cleveland, and Houston in addition to time with the Los Angeles Chargers and both the New York Giants and Jets. Related Articles Josh Tolentino: The Ravens won ugly, and that’s OK | COMMENTARY The Baltimore Sun’s Ravens report card: Grades for 23-16 win over Browns Shedeur Sanders struggles in NFL debut against Ravens: ‘Rough overall’ Ravens’ Mark Andrews shares name for fake ‘tush push’ play vs. Browns Ravens use surprise play to rally and beat Browns, 23-16, for 4th straight win As for Burrow, I really don’t understand why the Bengals would rush him back. After losing to Pittsburgh, they have no shot at making the playoffs. Why now? And then there are the Steelers. They were a source of intrigue at the beginning of the season, but there were always questions about if the 41-year old Rodgers could hold up, especially with Pittsburgh’s offensive line. It all seems to be falling in line. At the beginning of the season, we all wondered what happened to the Ravens. Even though they had a lot of injuries, they didn’t seem to play as hard. But after Sunday, no one can complain anymore about the injuries and the tough schedule. It appears the Ravens can’t get enough of the inexperienced quarterbacks such as J.J. McCarthy, Gabriel and Sanders. Load them up and bring them on. Have a news tip? Contact Mike Preston at epreston@baltsun.com, 410-332-6467 and x.com/MikePrestonSun. View the full article

CLEVELAND — Here’s how the Ravens graded out at every position in their 23-16 win over the Browns: Quarterback Lamar Jackson had a very inconsistent game, maybe his worst in several seasons. He often threw high or behind receivers and was indecisive in the pocket. There were times when he had no touch on the ball, as he finished 14 of 25 passing for 193 yards and had a passer rating of 47.6. He also threw two interceptions, one of which wasn’t his fault. But overall, not a great day for Jackson. This offense needs him to at least perform up to par to have a strong game. Grade: C- Running backs Derrick Henry finished with 103 yards on 18 carries, including a long of 59 yards, but you got the impression that if he didn’t score, the Ravens would have to settle for field goals. Henry was stopped several times on runs inside the 10-yard line, and he certainly doesn’t appear as fast or as fluid as he did a year ago. The Ravens used running back Keaton Mitchell more on running plays and tosses to the outside, and he had six carries for 31 yards. But he has to hang on to the pass that bounced off his hands and resulted in an interception that was returned for a touchdown. Grade: C+ Offensive line The Ravens and the Browns are very much alike. Neither team has a very good offensive line and both can get dominated by athletic defensive lines. The Browns dominated the Ravens with sheer speed as defensive end Myles Garrett had four sacks by himself, and the Browns finished with five. Baltimore was effective, as well as selective, on runs outside the red zone, but the Ravens couldn’t get movement inside the 20-yard line. Jackson was hit on seven other occasions. Grade: C- Receivers Tight end Mark Andrews had the play of the game with his fake “tush push” and run around the right side that sealed the win. The Ravens, though, need to get slot receiver Zay Flowers more involved in the offense because he is such an integral part. He had three catches for 78 yards, including a long of 45. Andrews had three catches for 32 yards, but his 35-yard run with 2:31 left handed Baltimore the win. Grade: C Defensive line The Ravens allowed 106 rushing yards on 25 carries, including 59 to rookie running back Quinshon Judkins, who averaged 3.5 yards per carry. Overall, the Ravens allowed 187 yards of total offense, but that was to a Cleveland team playing two rookie quarterbacks in Shedeur Sanders and starter Dillon Gabriel, who left in the second half because of a concussion. But Cleveland, after most of the first half, had no offense in the final two quarters. A lot of that was because Baltimore dominated up front with John Jenkins, Travis Jones, Brent Urban and even fellow tackle C.J. Okoye. The Ravens got a lot of pressure up the gut as they collected 10 quarterback hurries. Grade: B+ Linebackers The best surprise for the Ravens is that inside linebackers Roquan Smith and rookie Teddye Buchanan have improved in pass coverage. Both were solid in zones, and both came up and made ample tackles. Smith knocked down the fourth-down pass from Sanders to secure the win on Cleveland’s final offensive play. Smith had four tackles and Buchanan finished with three. Outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy had one sack and provided two quarterback pressures. Baltimore brought a lot of pressure against Gabriel and even more on Sanders in the second half. Grade: B+ The Ravens' secondary had a strong performance against the Browns thanks to cornerback Nate Wiggins, left, and safety Kyle Hamilton. (David Richard/AP) Secondary Cornerback Nate Wiggins had Baltimore’s only interception, a misfire by Sanders in the second half, but the Ravens were in control for most of the game, keeping everything in front of them. As usual, safety Kyle Hamilton was the defense’s best player, finishing with nine tackles and one sack. He also had three tackles for loss and knocked down two passes. Fellow safety Alohi Gilman had six tackles, while cornerbacks Chidobe Awuzie and Wiggins combined for nine. The Ravens, though, need to correct their tackling early in games, especially rookie safety Malaki Starks, who needs to learn that he is the last line of defense and can’t allow opposing runners to get to the outside: Grade: B Related Articles Josh Tolentino: The Ravens won ugly, and that’s OK | COMMENTARY Mike Preston: Ravens bully bad quarterbacks. More are coming. | COMMENTARY Shedeur Sanders struggles in NFL debut against Ravens: ‘Rough overall’ Ravens’ Mark Andrews shares name for fake ‘tush push’ play vs. Browns Ravens use surprise play to rally and beat Browns, 23-16, for 4th straight win Special teams Tyler Loop is starting to become automatic with field goals. He hit a 25-yarder in the first quarter and added two more in the pivotal fourth, converting on attempts of 24 and 44 yards. Jordan Stout averaged 44 yards on four punts, including a long of 52 yards. He put two inside the 20-yard line. The Browns did very little on kickoff and punt returns, averaging 25 and 9 yards, respectively. Ravens rookie LaJohntay Wester muffed a punt that led to a Cleveland field goal early in the game and appeared to be confused on when to return punts. Grade: C Coaching As expected, this game was going to be tough because it was against an AFC North rival. The Ravens, though, are living dangerously, and this pace can’t continue even though they now have a .500 record. Offensive coordinator Todd Monken made a great call with the fake tush push to Andrews, but he has several playmakers, such as Flowers and Mitchell, that he can use more frequently. Hopefully, the Ravens can use them more to gain more balance. As for the defense, coordinator Zach Orr kept the pressure on the rookie quarterbacks just as he did a week ago against Minnesota’s J.J. McCarthy. He gave the Browns multiple looks and stayed after the Cleveland offense with an assortment of blitzes. Grade: B Have a news tip? Contact Mike Preston at epreston@baltsun.com, 410-332-6467 and x.com/MikePrestonSun. View the full article

The moment the entire NFL community held its collective breath and anticipated since April finally happened. Shedeur Sanders stepped in as the Browns’ quarterback. What many in Cleveland and around the league waited for turned into a deflating collapse: 13 unanswered Baltimore points, a 4-for-16 performance from Sanders and a potential game-winning drive from the rookie that faltered in Ravens territory. “I don’t think I played good,” Sanders said after the 23-16 loss. “I don’t think I played good at all.” Sanders entered on the Browns’ first drive of the second half with Cleveland leading 16-10 after starter Dillon Gabriel was ruled out with a concussion. With completions of 10 and 25 yards and a 5-yard scramble from Sanders, the Browns reached the Ravens’ 25-yard line with 1:02 remaining, attempting to tie the game with a touchdown. Sanders then went 0-for-3 on his final set of downs, overthrowing an open Isaiah Bond in the end zone and having his final attempt to tight end David Njoku broken up by linebacker Roquan Smith. The former Colorado star passed for 46 yards and added 16 rushing yards on three attempts. The Browns crossed midfield just once out of six drives in the second half. “Shedeur’s made unbelievable strides in the meeting room and on the field,” Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said. “I know he wants to be better and will be better, but that will come from hard work.” Sanders opened his first drive with a 5-yard completion to Cedric Tillman, then found Njoku for 7 yards on second-and-15. But the rookie’s debut jitters showed soon after — safety Kyle Hamilton stripped him on a sack before a Browns lineman recovered the fumble. Hamilton flashed Sanders’ signature watch celebration after the play. Baltimore didn’t have to wait long for its takeaway. On the next series, cornerback Nate Wiggins jumped a ball intended for Jerry Jeudy and picked off Sanders. The rookie got the ball right back moments later, though, when Lamar Jackson threw an interception of his own. Sanders nearly handed it back again on the following drive, with Hamilton breaking on another pass and almost hauling in his second takeaway. The rookie settled in briefly, scrambling 5 yards to move the chains before Keyon Martin dropped him for a drive-ending sack. “We really didn’t give him a chance to breathe at all,” coach John Harbaugh said. “ thought the coverage was really good … Just tight coverage, batting balls and getting [pass breakups].” The Ravens planned to select the former Colorado quarterback in the fifth round with the 141st overall pick before Sanders said that he didn’t want to be on the roster that included a two-time NFL Most Valuable Player in Jackson, according to a September report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter citing anonymous league sources. Schefter noted Sanders’ concerns of not having a viable path to playing time. Three picks later, Cleveland selected Sanders with the 144th overall pick, two rounds after picking Gabriel, a former Oregon quarterback. Sanders declined to comment on the report when Cleveland visited Baltimore on Sept. 14. “My memory don’t even go back that far,” he said. “I don’t remember anything post draft.” Related Articles Josh Tolentino: The Ravens won ugly, and that’s OK | COMMENTARY Mike Preston: Ravens bully bad quarterbacks. More are coming. | COMMENTARY The Baltimore Sun’s Ravens report card: Grades for 23-16 win over Browns Ravens’ Mark Andrews shares name for fake ‘tush push’ play vs. Browns Ravens use surprise play to rally and beat Browns, 23-16, for 4th straight win But his father — NFL Hall of Famer and Colorado coach Deion Sanders — expanded on the topic that month on the “New Heights” podcast with Travis and Jason Kelce, arguing that sitting on the bench isn’t how quarterbacks develop in the NFL. “How in the world can somebody fault him for saying or thinking, ‘Why in the world would I go back up Lamar for 10 more years?’” Deion Sanders said. That moment could have come when Jackson sat out three games in October with a hamstring injury. Cooper Rush, signed in March to a two-year deal, started two of them — both losses — while the offense mustered just 13 combined points and he threw four interceptions. Tyler Huntley started the final game in Jackson’s absence, a 30-16 win over the Bears on Oct. 26, finishing with no turnovers and a passing touchdown. Stefanski acknowledged that Sunday was essentially Sanders’ first real work with the Browns’ starting offense. He confirmed that Sanders hadn’t taken first-team reps in practice, saying that those snaps had to stay with fellow rookie Gabriel. Joe Flacco opened the season as the Browns’ starter before being traded to the Cincinnati Bengals following Joe Burrow’s toe injury. Stefanski acknowledged that there’s naturally an adjustment when a rookie backup is thrown into a game cold, particularly against a defense like Baltimore’s. He added that Sanders will start if Gabriel remains in the concussion protocol, and that the staff would build a game plan around what Sanders is most comfortable with if that scenario plays out. “I think you seen it was just rough overall,” Sanders said. “I got to take this one, I got to decompress … I’m still the same confidence. I’m still me. I’ll never go anywhere.” Whether or not Sanders wanted to end up with the Ravens, it appears that he and his father might have had a point. The hyped and social-media-savvy quarterback might need more time to develop. Have a news tip? Contact Michael Howes at mhowes@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/Mikephowes. View the full article

The Ravens could have drawn the ire of many fans for running the most hated play in football: the “tush push.” Instead, Baltimore faked the run for another — with tight end Mark Andrew scampering 35 yards for the Ravens’ go-ahead score with 2:31 remaining in the fourth. The rushing touchdown was the first of Andrews’ career and came on the day when the tight end passed Derrick Mason for the most receiving yards in franchise history. Andrews lined up under center on fourth-and-1, with Derrick Henry and Patrick Ricard to his left and right, respectively, and Lamar Jackson behind him — typical formation for the push. The 250-pound tight end then spun to his right with blocks from Ricard and Charlie Kolar. He then out-paced Carson Schwesinger to break the 16-16 tie. It was the first time Baltimore led since the first quarter. Shedeur Sanders and the Browns stalled at the Ravens’ 25-yard line on the ensuing drive, sealing Baltimore’s 23-16 win — the team’s fourth straight — and pushing the Ravens to 5-5. The tush push was nearly outlawed this past offseason, with a 22 to 10 vote by the league owners. Two more teams were needed to ban it, with the Ravens one of 10 that voted to keep the play honed by the Philadelphia Eagles. Andrews finished Sunday’s win with three catches for 32 yards, giving him a new franchise record with 5,806 career receiving yards. But his record-setting afternoon will be remembered for the trickery that sealed the game. This article will be updated. Have a news tip? Contact Michael Howes at mhowes@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/Mikephowes. Related Articles Mark Andrews breaks Ravens franchise record for career receiving yards Ravens vs. Browns live updates: Mark Andrews gives Ravens 23-16 lead Ravens could be without one of their top defensive players vs. Browns Ravens’ Ar’Darius Washington eyeing return from torn Achilles ‘soon’ Ravens vs. Browns staff picks: Who will win Sunday in Cleveland? View the full article

CLEVELAND — Myles Garrett could only do so much for the flailing Browns, and it was nearly enough. Despite four sacks from the NFL’s leading terrorizer of quarterbacks, the Ravens survived the All-Pro’s onslaught Sunday at Huntington Bank Field. Just barely. All it took was a little razzle-dazzle. With the game tied at 16 with under three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter and with Baltimore facing a fourth-and-1 from the Browns’ 35-yard line, tight end Mark Andrews lined up under center for an apparent “tush push” play he had executed several times before. Instead, he spun and raced around the right end and all the way to the end zone for a touchdown. The Ravens’ defense then held off quarterback Shedeur Sanders, who replaced fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel (concussion) at the start of the third quarter and held on for the 23-16 victory. Faced with a fourth-and-5 from the Ravens’ 25-yard line with just over a minute to play, Sanders’ pass fell incomplete, with linebacker Roquan Smith swatting the ball away on the sideline. Cornerback Chidobe Awuzie broke up a pass in the end zone one play earlier. Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson was held to just 14 of 25 passing for 193 yards with two interceptions and was sacked five times. Derrick Henry, meanwhile, racked up 103 yards on just 18 carries, but most of those came on a 59-yard run at the end of the third quarter that helped set up a short field goal by rookie Tyler Loop that pulled Baltimore within 16-13 before he added a 44-yard field goal one possession later. The win marks the first time Baltimore (5-5) has swept Cleveland (2-8) in a season since 2020. Unlike a Week 2 blowout in Baltimore, it wasn’t pretty — but it was effective enough. More importantly, the victory kept the Ravens within reach — just a game back — of the division-leading Pittsburgh Steelers, who beat the Cincinnati Bengals at home earlier in the day, with just seven weeks remaining in the regular season. Still, for much of the game, it looked as if the Browns might stun the Ravens for what would have been their fourth victory in the past five games between the two in Cleveland. Baltimore certainly gave them every opportunity. Much the way turnovers sparked the Ravens in their win over the Vikings in Minnesota last week, they nearly did the same for the Browns this week. With the score knotted at 3 early in the second quarter, the wind swirling and the ball fluttering through the blustery air like a knuckleball, Baltimore’s rookie punt returner LaJohntay Wester shuffled uncertainly and the ball clanged off his hands as he went sprawling to the ground. Cleveland recovered and four plays later inched ahead with a field goal. Then things went from bad to worse. On Baltimore’s first play of its ensuing possession, right tackle Roger Rosengarten was tossed to the ground like a rag doll by Garrett and Jackson was sacked for a 9-yard loss. Then, as Jackson attempted to dump a short pass off to Keaton Mitchell on the right, the ball ricocheted off the running back’s hands and into those of linebacker Devin Bush, who weaved 23 yards through a bevy of flailing would-be tacklers and into the end zone to suddenly give Cleveland a 13-3 lead. The Ravens bounced back with a six-play, 63-yard touchdown drive that was highlighted by a 45-yard completion to Zay Flowers and capped by a 1-yard touchdown run from Henry. Related Articles Mark Andrews breaks Ravens franchise record for career receiving yards Ravens vs. Browns live updates: Mark Andrews gives Ravens 23-16 lead Ravens could be without one of their top defensive players vs. Browns Ravens’ Ar’Darius Washington eyeing return from torn Achilles ‘soon’ Ravens vs. Browns staff picks: Who will win Sunday in Cleveland? But the mistakes continued to pile up. The Browns were headed for a three-and-out on their next possession, but linebacker Jake Hummel was offside, and the 5-yard penalty was enough for a first down and an injection of opportunity. Cleveland’s drive eventually stalled at Baltimore’s 28, but the Browns managed to score more points off another error with a 46-yard field goal. That was only the beginning. On their opening possession of the third quarter, the Ravens swiftly moved to the Browns’ 39-yard line. But a holding penalty on Henry wiped out a 7-yard completion to DeAndre Hopkins, then Jackson couldn’t connect with Zay Flowers (three catches for 78 yards) on third down. Rather than try a 55-yard field goal, Baltimore opted to go for it, but that plan was wiped out by a delay of game penalty and instead resulted in a punt. Three players later, Sanders, in for the concussed Gabriel, threw right to cornerback Nate Wiggins as if he were the intended target. But the celebration for his third interception of the season was short-lived. On the next play, Jackson’s pass intended for tight end Charlie Kolar bounced off Rosengarten’s helmet as he was shoved into the backfield. The ball shot into the sky and rookie linebacker Carson Schwesinger came down with it. This article will be updated. Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1. View the full article