Ravens News 11/8: Win is a Win and more

2021 NFL season, Week 9: What we learned from Sunday’s games - Kevin Patra

No lead is safe against Lamar Jackson and the Ravens. Trailing by 14 points two separate times, Baltimore didn’t blink. After giving up a kick return for a touchdown to open the third quarter, going down 24-10, the Ravens ripped off 21 unanswered points to take the lead and eventually get to overtime. Jackson was superb once again in the second half and OT. The QB overcame some early bad throws, missed deep connections and lack of help in the ground game to toy with a tired Vikings defense late. Jackson went 27-of-41 passing for 266 yards, three TDs, two INTs, and led the Ravens with 120 rushing yards on 21 attempts. Jackson found Marquise Brown (9/116) repeatedly short, putting the ball in spots where the wideout could gobble up YAC. In overtime, Jackson overcame a bad-luck INT on a tremendous defensive effort by Anthony Barr. The Ravens D forced a three-and-out, and Jackson and the offense took care of the rest, getting into field-goal range for another Justin Tucker game-winner. Jackson once again showed that even when Baltimore’s offense struggles for stretches, it can get hot in a hurry and lean on defenses.

Next Gen stat of the day: Sunday was the Ravens’ fourth win this season when having a win probability of 15% or lower at some point in the second half (also Week 2 vs. K.C., Week 3 at DET, Week 5 vs. IND).

NFL Week 9 grades: Jaguars get an ‘A+’ for shocking upset of Bills, Cowboys get an ‘F’ for blowout loss - John Breech

Ravens B

It wasn’t a perfect outing for the Ravens, but they got the win and that’s what matters. Lamar Jackson and Co. came out looking like they had a major bye week hangover, but they were able to rebound in the second half with three straight touchdown drives. There are still questions when it comes to the defense and then of course overall consistency, but a win is a win.

Baltimore Ravens star Lamar Jackson sets NFL quarterback record with 12th career 100-yard rushing game in overtime victory - Jamison Hensley

Jackson has produced 10 100-yard rushing games during the regular season, which ties Vick.

As usual, Jackson was at a loss for words when asked about the record after the win.

“Of course, I respect [Vick’s] game. That’s cool,” Jackson said, lifting up his arms. “I don’t know what to say. That’s pretty cool, though.”

Jackson’s 120 yards rushing in the win tied for the third most of his career, and an inside look into the numbers tells a broader tale:

He averaged 5.7 yards per rush, the sixth game this season he has averaged at least 5 yards per rush.

He produced 15 rushes of at least 5 yards, the most by any player in a game this season.

And he totaled 92 rushing yards before first contact (4.4 yards before contact per rush). He has 447 rushing yards before first contact this season, the most by any quarterback.

“We just had to do what we had to do to get the victory,” Jackson said. “We just ran for a lot today. That’s just what it was.”

Asked if this amount of running is sustainable, Harbaugh said, “There are no long-term sustainability observations. That’s not even relevant. Would you rather not run 21 times and lose the game? It’s crazy to even suggest that.”

NFL Week 9 Game Recap: Baltimore Ravens 34, Minnesota Vikings 31 - Seth Galina

Wide Receiver/Tight End

The only receiver to finish above 2.00 yards per route run was Marquise Brown, who was targeted 10 times and hauled in eight catches for 76 yards at an average of 2.10 yards per route run.

Offensive Line

The line was charged with three sacks. Ben Powers gave up two, and Alejandro Villanuevagave up one. Powers also led the team in pressures allowed, with four.

Defensive Line

It was a rough day for the defensive line in the pass rush, but they fared well against the run. As a unit, they stopped the Vikings six times on the ground.

Justin Madubuike notched two solo defensive stops, while Justin Ellis, Calais Campbell, Broderick Washington Jr. and Justin Houston had one.

Linebacker

The linebackers showed up against the run, too. Josh Bynes had three defensive stops, while Patrick Queen and Tyus Bowser each had two. Bynes also added a forced incompletion against the pass.

Secondary

Marlon Humphrey continues to be the team’s most targeted player, but aside from a long 50-yard completion against him for a touchdown, he was excellent. On five targets, he allowed just that one catch.

Five Thoughts on Ravens’ Overtime Win Over Vikings - John Eisenberg

You can’t give the Ravens’ defense an “A.” It allowed huge plays on two touchdown drives to start the day. It allowed Minnesota’s Dalvin Cook to rush for more than 100 yards. It couldn’t protect a late lead after the Ravens scored 21 straight points to seemingly win the game. That’s not “A” defense. But the thing is, beyond all that rough stuff, the defense played well. Quite well. The tackling, a huge point of emphasis coming in, was sounder across the board. The interior stopped the run. The edges brought consistent pressure that forced a run of third-down incompletions. The defense allowed just one first down over a 39-minute stretch, and biggest of all, forced a three-and-out on Minnesota’s only possession in overtime, setting up the winning drive. Josh Bynes was a standout with eight solo tackles and Justin Houston had three of the team’s five quarterback hits, but overall, it took a multitude of solid efforts for the defense to make the stops that gave the offense a chance to engineer the comeback. “We got a lot of stuff cleaned up,” linebacker Patrick Queen said.