ExtremeRavens Posted 17 hours ago Posted 17 hours ago Here’s what The Baltimore Sun sports staff had to say immediately after the Ravens’ 23-10 win over the New York Jets in Week 12 of the NFL season on Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore. Brian Wacker, reporter It was ugly but effective. The Jets simply don’t have enough on either side of the ball to beat many teams, though Baltimore kept them in it for at least a little while. The Ravens’ offense has been inconsistent at best and that trend continued with a first half in which they tallied just 72 yards on 24 plays and were 0-for-5 on third down. Of course it was only a matter of time before New York yielded, though. Baltimore’s stop on fourth-and-2 in the third quarter sparked a bit of a turning point and Lamar Jackson and Zay Flowers, along with a few crushing penalties and pair of turnovers, proved enough. There won’t be much to celebrate, but winning ugly is still winning. The Ravens also won’t have much time with the Cincinnati Bengals and Joe Burrow coming to town Thursday night. Mike Preston, columnist The Ravens continued their trend of beating up on bad teams Sunday and now have won five in a row. It was a game for a half, and the Jets even had a 7-3 lead at the end of two quarters. But the turning point came midway through the third quarter. On third-and-4 from its own 42, New York ran running back Isaiah Davis for no gain off left tackle. A play later, quarterback Tyrod Taylor threw a short pass intended for receiver John Metchie III that fell incomplete. Why did coach Aaron Glenn make that decision? Why did the Jets even go for it on fourth down at their own 42? Maybe that’s why he needs to be fired. On the Ravens’ following series, they went 42 yards on seven plays on a drive that was finished by a short touchdown run by Derrick Henry. Game over. It’s the second straight week that the Ravens have beaten up on poor offensive teams, but they need to address their own shortcomings on offense. The Ravens aren’t sound on defense either, but at least they have gotten better. Offensively, no one knows what to expect from the Ravens. Josh Tolentino, columnist When Sunday’s game clock mercifully reached triple zeros, the scoreboard declared the Ravens victors over the visiting Jets. It was another ugly win for the home team that climbed above .500 for the first time this season. Nothing has come quite easy for the Ravens during this five-game win streak with Baltimore’s offense often lagging as it did for much of the Week 12 contest. At some point, coordinator Todd Monken needs to figure things out, especially if Baltimore aspires to reach its mountaintop. The personnel, including the underwhelming offensive line, is not changing, so the team’s play calling must adapt. Defensively, Zach Orr’s unit continued to impress, limiting their sixth straight opponent to under 20 points. General manager Eric DeCosta might’ve done the offense a disservice by not supporting the offensive line in the offseason, but his acquisition of pass-rusher Dre’Mont Jones continues to pay off; Jones had two sacks against the Jets, while his 29 pressures lead the team. For the second time this season, the Ravens will now play two games in five days, with the Bengals scheduled to visit on Thanksgiving night. Sam Cohn, reporter Each week, the Ravens find new ways to win ugly. In this one, they were bailed out enough times to beat one of the worst teams in the NFL. Both of Baltimore’s touchdown drives appeared to stall out on third down when a piece of yellow cloth, each for defensive pass interference, awarded the Ravens a chunk pickup with which they were able to punch it in. Then, when Breece Hall ran amok (over 100 total yards), on track to single-handedly bring New York back within striking distance, Marlon Humphrey jarred the ball from his grasp at the goal line. All of M&T Bank Stadium sighed some relief. The Jets haven’t won in Baltimore since 1983. That didn’t change Sunday — but it wasn’t pretty. Ravens vs. Jets, November 23, 2025 | PHOTOS Taylor Lyons, reporter That Jordan Stout played such a significant role in a game against the Jets should be worrisome for the Ravens, whose offense continues to be uninspiring and create questions of the unit’s long-term viability. But it was enough Sunday against one of the worst teams in football. The Ravens again struggled in short yardage and the red zone and leaned on Derrick Henry to bail them out. Lamar Jackson looked off again and is clearly hampered by lingering ailments. His offensive line didn’t help him or Henry, and calls to shake the starting five up will grow louder, especially with third-round rookie Emery Jones Jr. being active for the first time this season. Another concern is Kyle Hamilton, who exited the game twice with separate injuries, the last sending him to the locker room with 1:56 remaining in the game. He left in the second quarter with an apparent shoulder injury, then looked to hurt his ankle or foot late in the fourth. He’s perhaps the defense’s most important player. Any absence for the star safety would be detrimental for a defense that’s finally starting to figure it out. The Ravens are winning ugly, which is OK for now during an easier stretch of the schedule. They’ll need more to get them deep into the postseason. C.J. Doon, editor That was probably the Ravens’ worst first half with Lamar Jackson in the lineup. This offense just isn’t the same with Jackson clearly operating at less than 100% while dealing with hamstring, knee and ankle injuries this season (note his heavy tape job on both ankles Sunday). With his rushing ability compromised, defenses clearly aren’t as worried about containing the two-time NFL MVP. Todd Monken hasn’t been doing Jackson any favors, either. The blame for Baltimore’s 0-for-5 showing on third down in the first half is as much on the offensive coordinator as it is his players. A heavy dose of Derrick Henry on the touchdown drive that opened the second half — which included as many first downs (4) as the Ravens produced in the opening 30 minutes — was exactly what the doctor ordered. Why not just start with that, especially when your star QB is banged up? Don’t overlook the absence of Rashod Bateman, who is underrated for his ability to get open downfield. Zay Flowers, Mark Andrews and DeAndre Hopkins look much better on paper than they do in practice, especially when Jackson’s accuracy and timing are a little bit off. Without Jackson at full speed, the offense looks old and slow. Henry hasn’t exactly been prime King Henry this season, either, as he was held to just 2.2 yards per carry through three quarters before finding some late running room. Flowers has barely been targeted despite being the most explosive playmaker on the team. Perhaps this offensive line is an even bigger problem than we thought (and we already thought it was a huge problem). Emery Jones Jr., are you ready yet? Fortunately for the Ravens, they were playing perhaps the most hapless franchise in the league. Trailing by just three in the third quarter, New York decided to go for it on its half of the field, turned the ball over on downs and promptly allowed a touchdown on a drive that included a back-breaking defensive pass interference penalty. Then, with the Jets seemingly poised to pull back within three in the fourth quarter, Breece Hall fumbled near the goal line. Talk about getting bailed out. At least Baltimore won’t have to linger on this game for long, with a short turnaround before the Bengals (and maybe Joe Burrow?) visit on Thanksgiving night. It will be interesting to see which version of the Ravens shows up for that one. Tim Schwartz, editor Not great! We are still waiting for the Ravens to look like a real Super Bowl contender, and we did not see that Sunday against perhaps the worst team in the NFL. We didn’t see it last Sunday against perhaps the other worst team in the NFL. Will we see it at all at this point? Lamar Jackson looks like a quarterback who has a hamstring, ankle and knee ailment. Derrick Henry is running right into the tacklers near the line of scrimmage far too often. The schedule has been a gift for Baltimore, which somehow has won five straight games looking average more often than not. The defense, to its credit (and Zach Orr’s), has turned a corner, and Dre’Mont Jones made a significant impact rushing the passer. If the offense can figure it out, I’ll believe this team can win a playoff game. But until then, these Ravens are pretenders. Bennett Conlin, editor The Ravens are playing ugly football, but they’re winning. Lamar Jackson clearly isn’t 100% as he battles, ankle, knee and hamstring ailments this season. Even with a hobbled Jackson, Baltimore is on a five-game winning streak and squarely in the AFC North hunt after overcoming a sluggish start Sunday vs. the lowly Jets. But Jackson’s health is a concern, especially with a short week coming up. He’s developed into one of the best passers in the league, but it’s his rushing ability that makes him perhaps the best quarterback on the planet. Without his same scrambling ability and open-field elusiveness, it hampers Baltimore’s offense significantly. Derrick Henry hasn’t picked up the slack, either. The defense is improving, but can Baltimore win the division with Jackson moving a step or two slower than usual? It hasn’t looked pretty in recent weeks, which will be a concern as the schedule toughens in coming weeks. Have a news tip? Contact sports editor C.J. Doon at cdoon@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/CJDoon. View the full article Quote
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