ExtremeRavens Posted November 26 Posted November 26 Here’s what The Baltimore Sun sports staff had to say immediately after the Ravens’ 30-23 win over the Los Angeles Chargers in Monday night’s Week 12 game at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California: Brian Wacker, reporter: John Harbaugh gambled and won. The analytics favored the Ravens going for it on fourth-and-1 from their own 16-yard line late in the second quarter, but trailing 10-7 at the time not getting it would have been disastrous. Of course, Baltimore never had to worry about that, and Harbaugh showed belief in his high powered and powerful offense by going for it and converting on three fourth downs on the night, including twice on one drive. The Ravens went on to score touchdowns on both series, and that swing the momentum from what had been a sluggish start. But in the long game, the team with the better talent can withstand a couple of body blows and bounce back, and that’s what Baltimore did. After the Ravens’ offense was barely on the field in the opening quarter, Baltimore began to chip away with its running game and came through on a handful of critical conversions. The biggest surprise perhaps was on defense. Despite being without inside linebacker Roquan Smith, the Ravens stifled quarterback Justin Herbert in the second half and held the Chargers in check on the ground most of the night and especially once J.K. Dobbins went out with a knee injury late in the second quarter. This was a game Baltimore could ill afford to lose with the Philadelphia Eagles looming, and once again the elder Harbaugh figured out how to get the best of his younger brother. Childs Walker, reporter: The Ravens introduced the league’s stingiest scoring defense to a different level of medieval football, riding Derrick Henry and Justice Hill to more than 200 rushing yards and buckling down on defense for a crucial win. They converted on 8 of 15 third-down attempts and more importantly, 3 of 3 fourth-down attempts. You won’t see a wilder momentum flip than the one the Ravens pulled off just before halftime. Facing fourth-and-1 deep in his own territory, coach John Harbaugh made a shocking call to go for it with a direct snap to Mark Andrews, who converted. A few plays later, Lamar Jackson hit Rashod Bateman for a 40-yard touchdown to put Baltimore up 14-10. Boldness rewarded in the brother vs. brother coaching showdown. Linebacker Roquan Smith’s absence was felt on the first drive of the game as the Chargers carved their way up the middle of the field, carrying seven times for 35 yards and connecting on passes to tight end Will Dissly and slot receiver Ladd McConkey. The Ravens then saw their first drive wiped out by a phantom leg whip call against fullback Patrick Ricard. The night could hardly have gone worse to that point. But the Ravens tapped back into who they are with their best running performance in more than a month. Malik Harrison did stout work standing in for Smith. They spit out the bitter taste from their loss to the Steelers eight days earlier. Mike Preston, columnist: The Ravens needed a win badly after a poor performance in a loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers last week. In that game, the Ravens had 12 penalties for 80 yards and three turnovers. They weren’t dominant against the Chargers until the second half, but they were efficient on both sides of the ball. They got big plays from their offensive stars in quarterback Lamar Jackson, tight end Mark Andrews and running back Derrick Henry, and the defense was able to slow Los Angeles, especially after running back J.K. Dobbins went down with a knee injury late in the first half. After a slow start on the Ravens’ first two drives of the game, they were able to dissect Los Angeles’ defense and several times succeeded on fourth down, which is more of an indictment of the Chargers’ soft defense than coach John Harbaugh’s willingness to gamble. Defensively, the Ravens gave Los Angeles a lot of different looks and blitzed more than usual. Without Dobbins, the Chargers had no threat for running the ball and quarterback Justin Herbert couldn’t carry them alone. The Ravens ran them over in the second half, at one point scoring on five straight possessions with a good blend of runs and passes. This game was virtually over by midway through the fourth quarter, and the Ravens won as expected. It will get a little tougher Sunday when Baltimore faces Philadelphia, but at least the Ravens recovered from their poor performance in Pittsburgh. Sam Cohn, reporter: Baltimore’s defense had a gaping, All-Pro-sized hole in the middle of the defense. Linebacker Roquan Smith hadn’t practiced all week but wasn’t officially ruled out until about 90 minutes before kickoff. The thinking was, no Smith — the NFL’s tackling leader and Baltimore’s defensive signal caller — and the Chargers’ offense could have a field day over the middle. That’s what it looked like on Los Angeles’ opening drive. But Malik Harrison, Smith’s primary replacement, was serviceable even if not revelatory. Combine a second consecutive solid outing from a defensive group that struggled much of the season with some gutsy decision making from coach John Harbaugh and the Ravens get within a half-game of the Steelers in the AFC North. C.J. Doon, editor: As maddening as this Ravens team can be at times, the moments of brilliance are so sweet. It’s much easier to overlook an illegal formation penalty that wipes out a touchdown run by Derrick Henry when Lamar Jackson dashes into the end zone on the very next play. That’s a luxury simply few teams have. And how many other NFL teams would have the guts to for it on their own 16-yard line trailing in the second quarter? Maybe the Detroit Lions? Don’t take that for granted. John Harbaugh might make a lot of decisions you don’t agree with (like going for 2 to extend the lead to 9 instead of 8 in the fourth quarter), but he’s not doing it for the sake of being bold. That fourth-down call might have saved the Ravens from being down two scores at halftime. Give props to coordinator Zach Orr for patching together the defense in the absence of linebacker Roquan Smith. Malik Harrison and Chris Board played well in increased roles, and after getting gashed on the opening drive, the Ravens didn’t give up another touchdown until there was less than a minute left in garbage time. That’s a sign of good coaching. Justin Herbert still made some great throws, but he didn’t torch a Ravens secondary that has struggled all season. Perhaps that’s more of knock against the Chargers’ uninspiring receivers (that drop by Quentin Johnston on third down in the fourth quarter was particularly brutal), but this defense needed a win however it could get it. You know it was a good night for the Ravens when the officials pick up a pass interference flag against Brandon Stephens. Tim Schwartz, editor: A methodical victory? Those are far too rare for the Ravens for as good as they are, but they put together one of their most complete performances when they needed it most. The Chargers had no answer for the backfield duo of Derrick Henry and Justice Hill, while Lamar Jackson was efficient and didn’t unnecessarily force anything despite Baltimore trailing by 10 early in the second quarter. The bomb to Rashod Bateman changed the game as it opened up running lanes for Henry. I would ask why the Ravens aren’t using Keaton Mitchell and his game-breaking speed, but it’s hard to argue when Hill takes a simple handoff 51 yards to the house in the fourth quarter. This was a critical game for the Ravens after the Steelers’ loss Thursday night and keeps them right in the mix for the AFC North. And one look at the AFC playoff standings would tell you how important a home playoff game would be. Beating the Eagles would put Baltimore right back in the Super Bowl contenders category. Bennett Conlin, editor: Lamar Jackson is the best player in football, and pairing him with Derrick Henry still feels unfair. That electric duo (and Justice Hill starred Monday as a complementary back) makes up for the fact that Baltimore commits too many penalties and struggles to play consistent defense. Monday, the offense clicked and the defensive flaws showed early in the game when the Ravens fell behind, 10-0. Baltimore is 4-1 on the season when trailing by double digits, as it has now rattled off four consecutive wins in such scenarios. The Ravens can never be counted out because of Jackson’s elite skills and their several offensive weapons alongside the two-time MVP. Baltimore’s defensive shortcomings — which were highlighted early in Monday’s game with Roquan Smith absent before the unit settled into the game — usually guarantee that opponents are never out of a game with the Ravens. Monday, and plenty of other times this season, that makes for entertaining viewing. If Baltimore fulfills its potential and wins a Super Bowl, it’ll be because Jackson’s greatness outweighs the team’s flaws. Jackson carried the load Monday, getting just enough help from his defense after a sluggish start. That recipe just might work for this team. View the full article Quote
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