Ravens News 9/9: Week 1 lessons, rewind and more

NFL Week ReFocused: Baltimore Ravens 59, Miami Dolphins 10 - PFF

BALTIMORE RAVENS

Lamar Jackson and Marquise Brown lit up the Dolphins secondary for multiple explosive touchdowns. Brown was nearly unstoppable and showed his elusiveness by avoiding tackles. Jackson’s accuracy on down the field throws was on point, having himself the best passing performance of his career with five touchdowns.

Anthony Averett was targeted a lot today and had an up-and-down day in coverage. He made some really nice plays but also allowed the Dolphins receivers to get open deep a couple of times.

Rookie Takeaways

Marquise Brown is really, really fast. He looked every bit healthy coming back from his foot injury and made Minkah Fitzpatrick look silly on a handful of plays.

Baltimore Ravens rewind: Stock watch from win over Dolphins, telling quotes, lineup notes and more - Aaron Kasinitz

STOCK WATCH

OLB Pernell McPhee: Rising

Jackson and wide receiver Marquise Brown were the brightest stars Sunday, but the Ravens’ defense also stifled the Dolphins. And it’s worth noting that the 30-year-old McPhee helped set the tone with one sack (his first since October 2017), two quarterback hits and three combined tackles. McPhee held firm against the run and supplied pressure on Miami’s passers, providing evidence that he can serve as a solid starter for Baltimore this year.

STATS THAT TOLD THE STORY

Dolphins averaged 1.8 yards per carry

Miami gained just 21 yards on 12 carries — and the Ravens didn’t have any trouble keeping their opponents in check with a light four-man rotation along the defensive line.

RAVENS LINEUP NOTES

-- Kenny Young started at weak-side linebacker, and he and Chris Board alternated drives at that position for much of the game.

What we learned from Sunday’s Week 1 games - Adam Maya

All Lamar Jackson did was throw touchdowns. Playing just a half-hour from his hometown, the Ravens quarterback made good on his vow to put on a show. He completed his first 10 passes, including four for scores. The dual-threat demon exhibited his usual scrambling ability, only it was often a means for more throwing. (Jackson ran just three times.) Perhaps most impressive was the how. Jackson beat the coverage on multiple downfield throws, while finishing with a career-best five touchdown passes and 324 yards and playing just three quarters. That his 17 completions were also a career-high speaks to his limitations as a passer last year, and perhaps a new era in Baltimore. Everything won’t come this easy, but the Jackson-OC Greg Roman arrangement definitely takes on another level of intrigue.

The Breakdown: Five Thoughts on Ravens vs. Dolphins - John Eisenberg

Bradley Bozeman won the Left Guard Derby, opening the season as the starter at the one position on either side of the ball that was up for grabs. He fit right in, excelling with the rest of an offensive line that pounded and completely dominated Miami’s defensive front. Jackson had all the time he needed pretty much whenever he dropped back to pass, and the Ravens’ running backs, led by Mark Ingram II, totaled 190 yards on the ground. “The offensive line did great; I barely had any pressure,” Jackson said. A lot of people, myself included, thought veteran James Hurst might end up playing left guard, but it seems the Ravens are committed to keeping him in the “swingman” backup role and developing new blood to start. Bozeman, a 2018 sixth-round pick, had a solid preseason and certainly followed that up impressively in this game. The uncertainty at one position led to plenty of concerns about the O-line being expressed as the season opened, but it was a team strength Sunday.

Cornerback Jimmy Smith Does Not Have Season-Ending Knee Injury - Garrett Downing

Head Coach John Harbaugh announced after the win that the injury is not expected to put Smith’s season in jeopardy.

“It’s not a season ending injury, as far as we know right now,” Harbaugh said. “It does not look like that at all. I’m sure he’ll get an MRI tomorrow. We’ll just have to see if it’s days, or weeks, or what. We’ll know tomorrow when we get the MRI.”

Smith suffered the injury at the at the end of a 13-yard pass to Kalen Ballage. Safety Earl Thomas made the tackle and linebacker Patrick Onwuasor slammed into Smith’s right knee. Smith walked off under his power but did not return.

A good sign, however, was that Smith was back standing on the sidelines by the end of the game.