ExtremeRavens Posted October 22 Posted October 22 The Ravens and quarterback Lamar Jackson played an overwhelming offensive game to overcome an array of mishaps in a 41-31 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on “Monday Night Football.” Here are five things we learned from the game: Lamar Jackson’s precision against pressure spoke to his powerful evolution It was three years ago, another prime-time game in Florida. Jackson’s Ravens were supposed to roll over the Miami Dolphins, but Miami defensive coordinator Brian Flores suspected he knew an antidote to the spectacular young quarterback. Jackson dropped back 50 times that Thursday evening, and the Dolphins lined up in Cover 0 on 31 of them, determined to discombobulate him with extra rushers firing from every angle. A frazzled Jackson took four sacks, threw an interception and averaged a paltry 5.5 yards per attempt in a shocking 22-10 loss. On Monday, the Buccaneers tried a less extreme version of the same approach. The Ravens had to know Todd Bowles, one of the blitz-happiest defensive minds in the sport, would try to disrupt them with pressure. But they did not seem prepared the first time they got the ball. On second-and-long at the Buccaneers’ 40-yard line, Tampa Bay’s best edge rusher, Yaya Diaby, cut inside rookie right tackle Roger Rosengarten (seemingly thrown off by a stunt) to drop Jackson. On the next play, safety Antoine Winfield Jr. blitzed up the middle, and three different blockers failed to pick him up. Jackson was buried again, and the Ravens punted the ball back to Tampa Bay’s scorching offense. Another Sunshine State disaster seemed afoot. But we weren’t watching the Jackson of three years ago. He and coordinator Todd Monken, who seem to be living on the same page midway through their second season together, knew precisely what to do. “No conversations really have to be had when Lamar Jackson is your quarterback,” wide receiver Rashod Bateman said. “If he stays poised, we stay poised.” Jackson picked up his tempo and almost seemed to invite the orange jerseys bearing in on him, knowing he would rapidly decode the picture in front of him and flick the ball where it belonged. He hardly missed against the blitz, averaging more than 10 yards per attempt when Bowles sent an extra rusher. Some of those were simple dumps to Justice Hill, but that was half the point. Jackson did not hold the ball and try to make miracles where he could win with simple efficiency. When he hit Bateman perfectly in stride for a 49-yard touchdown midway through the third quarter, it was apparent no throw was beyond him. Jackson is a two-time Most Valuable Player who long ago redefined our understanding of the term dual-threat quarterback. But we’ve never seen him throw the ball this consistently or command an offense this completely over a seven-game stretch. His statistics — 68.1% completions, on pace to clear 4,000 passing yards for the first time, 15 touchdown passes against two interceptions — are appropriately gaudy. As he flirted with perfection on another Florida night against another defense eager to swarm, we witnessed just how much he has grown. The backfield combination of Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry has proven confounding for opposing defenses. (Mike Ehrmann/Getty) We’ve never seen a Ravens offense like this All they needed was a crack, two Baker Mayfield interceptions in the second quarter to let them get their noses in front. With that, the Ravens were Secretariat at Belmont, running away from a very good opponent. They came into Monday night as the most efficient offense in the NFL and one of the most efficient through six games in the last half-century. Against a solid Tampa Bay defense, they were even better, piling up 508 yards at the remarkable rate of 9.4 per play. We’ve seen great offense in the Jackson era, most notably in 2019, when the Ravens led the league in scoring and became the first team in NFL history to average more than 200 yards rushing and passing per game in the same season. Fearsome as that attack was, it did not burst from the gate with the same gusto as this 2024 edition. The Ravens built their identity around impossibly stingy defenses led by larger-than-life talents such as Ray Lewis, Ed Reed and Terrell Suggs. Those guys carried offenses that all too often struggled to get out of second gear. Consider the script fully flipped, because this offense has all the gears. We covered Jackson, who’s clearly playing better than he did last year in winning his second MVP trophy. But his targets are so much more varied now, with Zay Flowers as a viable No. 1 receiver, Bateman tearing the top off defenses and Hill turning dump-offs into chunk gains. Not to mention tight end Mark Andrews (three touchdowns over his last two games) is back in the thick of the offense. Ravens tight end Mark Andrews caught a pair of touchdown passes in the 41-31 win over the Buccaneers. (Chris O’Meara/AP) For more than a half against Tampa Bay, it seemed the passing game would have to do the heavy lifting. Derrick Henry hadn’t touched the ball much, and the Buccaneers were actually outrushing the sport’s top ground attack. But we’ve learned that only a fool would judge Henry’s night based on one half. Keep sending him at the edge of a defense and it will crumble. His 81- and 39-yard runs set up second-half touchdowns, the latter of those Henry’s own 13-yard catch. The Ravens have employed some great backs over the years but never one who felt so inevitable. They had 69 rushing yards at halftime Monday and ended the night with 244 to Tampa Bay’s 125. That’s the Henry effect. It’s difficult for an NFL offense to be consistently grinding and explosive. The Ravens are both. The Ravens’ defense needed a turnover to stop the bleeding; Marlon Humphrey delivered The Buccaneers wanted the ball to start the game, a reflection of their confidence in Mayfield. They quickly faced third-and-3 in their own territory, but the Ravens couldn’t get set, and Mayfield hit running back Rachaad White in stride with a short swing pass that turned into an 18-yard gain. The Ravens knew this would be Tampa Bay’s formula, knew they’d have to be fundamentally sound, and right away, they failed. Five plays later, Mayfield found Mike Evans alone in the end zone for a 25-yard score. It was the worst possible start for a pass defense that, after seven games, is indisputably the Ravens’ Achilles heel. Mayfield diced them again on Tampa Bay’s second drive. Only a hold in the red zone saved the Ravens from surrendering another touchdown. With the Buccaneers eating up ground at more than 6 yards per play, the Ravens needed a takeaway to halt the onslaught. Those have been in short supply this year for a defense that created more turnovers than any team in 2023. Humphrey had been responsible for a vital interception in Cincinnati, and he was the one who swooped in unseen to snare a Mayfield pass in the end zone, just when Tampa Bay seemed poised to score again. Marlon Humphrey’s interceptions flipped momentum for a Ravens defense that started the game poorly. (Jason Behnken/AP) Had he not stepped in at that moment, the Ravens’ offense might never have seized center stage. On Tampa Bay’s next drive, Mayfield, facing third-and-13, looked downfield for his top target, Chris Godwin. Humphrey was right there again to wrap his hands around a contested ball and pin it to his shoulder before it could hit the ground. He hurt his knee on the play, a rotten reward for stellar work. But the Ravens went from down 10-7 to up 17-10 at halftime largely because of Humphrey. This was not a game to ease worries around a defense that again surrendered far too many easy yards. Even with Evans out for the second half after he hurt his hamstring, Mayfield threw for 370 yards and led three fourth-quarter touchdown drives. The Ravens seemed on the verge of a dominant second half after they built a three-score lead, but coverage lapses and poor tackling allowed Tampa Bay to keep nibbling away. “It’s just the big pass plays,” coach John Harbaugh said. “There’s too many big pass plays.” If their defense is going to crack so often, they’ll need turnovers and timely stops on third down and in the red zone. Humphrey supplied enough Monday for the Ravens to survive. Justice Hill remains the quiet hero of a very loud offense Facing second-and-goal from the 18 after a sketchy holding call wiped out a touchdown, Jackson flicked a screen to Hill in the face of four oncoming rushers. Hill, working behind a phalanx of huge bodies, picked his way through traffic to give Baltimore its first lead, 14-10, late in the second quarter. It was the perfect play to punish Tampa Bay’s aggression, and Hill was the ideal man to finish it. ESPN announcers Joe Buck and Troy Aikman seemed puzzled that Henry wasn’t on the field as the Ravens rallied with their up-tempo, pass-first attack. But those who’ve watched the Ravens all year know Hill is their go-to back in the two-minute offense. He’s not only a dangerous yards-after-catch threat when Jackson needs to dump the ball quickly; he’s the blocker the Ravens trust to impede blitzing defensive backs and linebackers. While Derrick Henry receives the majority of headlines, Ravens running back Justice Hill has excelled in Baltimore’s backfield this fall. (Julio Aguilar/Getty) Hill excelled in both roles Monday, catching three passes for 44 yards (in addition to his touchdown, an 18-yard scamper later on third down set up a Justin Tucker field goal) and helping give Jackson the time he needed to dial in against Tampa Bay’s pressure. Henry is a phenomenon, deservedly showered with attention for the back-breaking dimension he has brought to Baltimore. Sometimes, however, it’s Hill who’s best suited to help Jackson unlock a defense. He and Henry complement one another beautifully. The Ravens really might be the NFL’s best if they cut out the absurd mistakes That game shouldn’t have gotten anywhere near tense after the Ravens went up 34-10 late in the third quarter. Their offense couldn’t be stopped. Their pass rush had Mayfield on his heels. Their superiority was established. They just can’t help flirting with nonsense. First, an overly casual backward pass from Jackson that tipped off Zay Flowers’ hand and turned into a fumble. Cornerback Zyon McCollum appeared to return it for a touchdown but was down by contact when he recovered the ball. No matter for the Buccaneers. Mayfield needed just five plays to find White for a touchdown that cut it to 34-18. The Ravens seemed to drop the hammer again with an eight-play touchdown drive to make it 41-18. But Mayfield answered back, setting up an onside kick that was Tampa Bay’s only shot to keep breathing. The Ravens were the only team to have allowed a successful onside kick all season. So it defied belief when Buccaneers kicker Chase McLaughlin made the ball hop perfectly over several members of the “hands” team and into the arms of defensive back Tavierre Thomas. Seven plays later, White strolled into the end zone, no Ravens defender having bothered to cover him on a 23-yard catch-and-run. Somehow, it was 41-31, and they stared down the barrel of another onside kick. McLaughlin again made the football dance to his tune, but Flowers leaped to snare that one, and the game was effectively over. Nonetheless, this weird string of follies evoked memories of the Ravens’ maddening loss to the Las Vegas Raiders and their near-collapse against the Dallas Cowboys. Jackson looked bemused on the sideline. Fans screamed about poor coaching on social media. The joys of a largely dominant performance and a five-game winning streak were tempered by nonsense. The Ravens were the best team in the league going into last year’s playoffs. They’re not as balanced but arguably scarier in 2024, set up to go on a hellacious run with the offensively challenged Cleveland Browns and Denver Broncos next on their schedule. But they’ve got to cut back on the penalties (a problem again Monday after two clean games), the blown coverages and the special teams brain farts. They will kick themselves for years to come if they allow this loose play to keep them from the greatness that’s so plainly within reach. Have a news tip? Contact Childs Walker at daviwalker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6893 and x.com/ChildsWalker. Week 8 Ravens at Browns Sunday, 1 p.m. TV: CBS Radio: 97.9 FM, 101.5 FM, 1090 AM Line: Ravens by 10 1/2 View the full article Quote
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