ExtremeRavens Posted yesterday at 01:18 AM Posted yesterday at 01:18 AM MINNEAPOLIS — Lamar Jackson made his 100th career regular-season start Sunday, a milestone typically reserved for celebrating an offense’s franchise cornerstone. But in the buzz of a celebratory visitors’ locker room at U.S. Bank Stadium, it was a hungry defensive unit that wanted to attract the spotlight. “We really believe in, obviously, we have Lamar Jackson,” veteran cornerback Marlon Humphrey said in the aftermath of a 27-19 victory over the Vikings. “But our defense, we’re trying to get it to where we can win games on defense and we don’t even need the offense to put up any points. … Let’s give him a ‘smoke break,’ let’s give him an ‘off day.’ “He’s bailed us out so many times. How about we do it?” For the second straight week, the defense carried the Ravens through another uneven offensive start. Baltimore won its third consecutive game not because of its high-powered offensive playmakers, but thanks to a defensive unit that finally seems to be rediscovering its edge. “[Defense] played great,” Jackson said. “They played the Ravens standard [of] football. I feel like we should’ve helped them more, but they got it done.” It’s a stark contrast to the first month of the season. Baltimore gave up an NFL-worst 177 points in its first five games, but has held its past four opponents to under 20. Coming out of the bye, the Ravens have won three in a row to improve their record to 4-5. “We always knew we could play like this,” cornerback Nate Wiggins said. “It was just a matter of getting confident in the defense, running around and hitting people.” The Ravens on Sunday limited the Vikings to a pedestrian 3-for-14 on third down and 2-for-5 on fourth-down attempts. Second-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy threw more incompletions (22) than completions (20) and was intercepted twice, while four-time All-Pro wideout Justin Jefferson finished with just four catches on 12 targets for 37 yards. Game-changing interceptions by Humphrey and rookie safety Malaki Starks shifted momentum toward the visitors’ bench. Starks now has picks in back-to-back weeks, a sign of a young player accelerating into the role this defense envisioned for him when the Ravens selected him with their top pick in this year’s draft. Meanwhile, undrafted rookie Keondre Jackson punched the ball loose on special teams and recovered his first career forced fumble, turning what would have been routine field position into an immediate scoring opportunity for Lamar and company. “Anybody that gets turnovers, it helps their defense,” veteran outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy said. “You look at the top defenses in the league over the course of this season, the turnovers have been huge for them. That’s something we’ve been harping on and we’re going to continue to harp on it, continue to capitalize. “We’re not satisfied with just getting one or two; we need to get multiple. We need to get as many turnovers as we can get.” Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey reels in an interception in a 27-19 win over the Vikings. Baltimore forced three turnovers in the road victory. (Abbie Parr/AP) Jackson, often throughout his storied career, has been asked to carry the Ravens on his back. Baltimore’s victory over Minnesota improved Jackson’s record against NFC teams to a jaw-dropping 25-3. The Ravens surely will need him in future contests, but the Zach Orr-led defense aspires to provide the two-time NFL Most Valuable Player margin for slight error. The Ravens know exactly who they have at quarterback. The defense just doesn’t want to rely on him every week. “We got punched in the mouth early in the season, but now, I think we’re responding well,” safety Kyle Hamilton said. “We’ll just have that scar tissue going forward when we just start stacking wins.” Carrying that scar tissue will be key as the Ravens push forward. The defense’s new-look pass rush, joined by recent acquisition Dre’Mont Jones, left sacks on the field and allowed McCarthy to escape on multiple occasions in just his fourth career game. To its credit, Baltimore recorded a season-high 12 quarterback hits against McCarthy. A more seasoned quarterback, though, will make the Ravens pay. Sure, winning off turnovers is electric, but it is also partially volatile. Takeaways come in streaks — or “in bunches,” as many Baltimore defenders referred to in recent days; the Ravens have six takeaways over their past two games. Pressure, meanwhile, is a critical factor that can be replicated more frequently, but too often has been missing from Baltimore’s defense despite its recent surge. To contend into January, the Ravens must convert their uptick in quarterback hits to more impactful sacks and pressures. If the Ravens sustain this turnover surge and clean up their rush as Jones continues to adjust to his new surroundings, the defense will really turn a corner. Baltimore’s next three games — Sunday at Cleveland, Nov. 23 vs. Jets and Nov. 27 vs. Bengals — offer a realistic path to a 7-5 record ahead of the team’s Week 14 showdown against the first-place Pittsburgh Steelers on Dec. 7 at M&T Bank Stadium. “A [grind-out win], extremely important, especially [because] in our division, we play these types of [close] games a lot,” Jackson said. “Hopefully we’re not in these types of games, but we have to get used to it, get accustomed to it.” Humphrey’s “smoke break” comment was a joke, as the defensive back chuckled right after, but his intent was palpable. “It’s rewarding to play OK and win, that’s great,” Humphrey said. “But the key going forward is getting all three phases playing elite.” On Jackson’s 100th start Sunday, he didn’t have to be at his best, the one pulling the Ravens out of the fire. The defense finally returned the favor. Have a news tip? Contact Josh Tolentino at jtolentino@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200, x.com/JCTSports and instagram.com/JCTSports. Ravens players celebrate with safety Malaki Starks, second from right, after his interception Sunday against the Vikings in Minneapolis. (Abbie Parr/AP) View the full article Quote
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