Ravens News 10/2: Complete Control

NFL Week 4 Game Recap: Baltimore Ravens 28, Cleveland Browns 3

Gordon McGuinness, PFF

The Ravens controlled the game from the get-go, with a pair of Lamar Jackson rushing touchdowns and a throw from Jackson to tight end Mark Andrews giving them a 21-3 lead at halftime.

The Jackson-to-Andrews connection hit again in the fourth quarter and was the only score of the second half.

Offensive spotlight: The Ravens asked Jackson to pass the ball only 19 times in this game, but the former Heisman Trophy winner completed 15 of them for 187 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He also picked up 27 yards on the ground, scoring twice in the process.

Tight end Mark Andrews was Jackson’s top target through the air, seeing five targets and catching all five for 80 yards and two touchdowns. First-round draft pick Zay Flowers picked up 56 yards on three receptions.

Defensive spotlight: The Ravens’ linebackers delivered in this contest, with Roquan Smith and Patrick Queen combining for four tackles for loss in the win. Smith also led the team with two pass breakups, while Kyle Hamilton, Brandon Stephens and Geno Stone all secured interceptions.

NFL Week 4: Big questions, risers, fallers and takeaways

Jamison Hensley, ESPN

Will the Ravens run away with the AFC North title? It’s starting to look that way. Baltimore seized control of the division by routing the Deshaun Watson-less Browns while the Bengals and Steelers were upset on the road. The Ravens, who now sit alone atop the AFC North, have a 54% chance of winning the division, according to ESPN’s Football Power Index. If Baltimore wins in Pittsburgh next Sunday, the Ravens will sweep all of their AFC North road games for the first time since 2019. Lamar Jackson and the Ravens scored three touchdowns in the first half against the NFL’s top-ranked defense, which had given up one touchdown in the first three games.

Stock up after the win: Jackson in the red zone. Jackson has scored two rushing touchdowns in each of the past two games to become the eighth quarterback since the 1970 merger to record multiple touchdown runs in consecutive games.

Stock down after the win: Baltimore’s offensive line, which committed four penalties in the first half; in addition, right tackle Morgan Moses left the game with a shoulder injury. This is just more bad news for Baltimore, which hasn’t had left tackle Ronnie Stanley (knee) for the past three games.

Report card: Position-by-position grades for Ravens’ 28-3 win over Browns

Mike Preston, The Baltimore Sun

Offensive line

Browns defensive end Myles Garrett caused problems, especially against left tackle Patrick Mekari, who is filling in for Ronnie Stanley. Garrett was a nuisance because Cleveland moved him along the defensive line. Right tackle Morgan Moses had his weekly illegal procedure penalties, only this time he got nailed twice. Moses also suffered a shoulder injury and left the game in the first half. Overall, though, the Ravens pushed Cleveland around inside, especially guards John Simpson and Kevin Zeitler and center Tyler Linderbaum. The Ravens pummeled the NFL’s supposedly best defense to the tune of 296 yards of total offense. Grade: B-

Defensive line

The Browns were pathetic on the offensive line and the Ravens punished them. Cleveland had only 93 rushing yards, most of which came on a 40-yard run in the final minute of the game. All of the Ravens’ linemen — Justin Madubuike, Michael Pierce, Broderick Washington and Brent Urban — played well and finally got pressure up the middle. The Ravens recorded three sacks and eight quarterback hits. Grade: A

Coaching

The Ravens rebounded after last week’s 22-19 upset loss to the Indianapolis Colts. The Browns came into the game with the NFL’s top-ranked defense, but the Ravens pummeled them into submission. By halftime, Cleveland’s defense had surrendered because the Ravens had smothered the Browns’ offense. Offensively, the Ravens got off to a slow start but showed patience throughout the game. Thompson-Robinson never had a chance. Grade: B+

2023 NFL season, Week 4: What We Learned from Sunday’s games

Nick Shook, NFL.com

Lamar Jackson carries the Ravens to another win. Baltimore’s strange Week 3 overtime loss to Indianapolis didn’t feature many highlights outside of Jackson’s heroics. A week later, Jackson deserves a game ball for a victory. His Ravens arrived in Cleveland with many expecting them to face a stifling Browns defense that would undoubtedly keep the game close, and early on, it seemed to be following such a narrative. Eventually, though, Jackson’s improvisational magic chipped away at Cleveland’s defense, paper-cutting the Browns with scrambles and out-of-structure completions. His successes softened Cleveland’s defense enough to open up the running game, helping the Ravens find a flow that would guide them to victory. Jackson finished with four total touchdowns and only four incompletions on the day, dominating the game almost singlehandedly. He even provided a bonus by rekindling his connection with tight end Mark Andrews, who caught two touchdown throws.

Next Gen stat of the game: Lamar Jackson was excellent under pressure on Sunday, completing 8-of-9 passes for 136 yards and a touchdown against the Browns despite facing a pressure rate of 53.8 percent.

NFL Research: Lamar Jackson had his first career game with two-plus passing touchdowns and two-plus rushing touchdowns on Sunday, which is also the first such game by any player in the NFL in 2023, and only the second time it has been achieved in Ravens history.

NFL Week 4 grades: Bills earn an ‘A’ for destroying Dolphins, Bengals and Steelers both get an ‘F’

John Breech, CBS Sports

Ravens: A

John Harbaugh has a long history of destroying rookie quarterbacks, and that’s what the Ravens did to Dorian Thompson-Robinson in this game. Brandon Stephens set the tone early for Baltimore’s defense by picking off Thompson-Robinson in the first quarter, which set up an easy 10-yard TD drive for the Ravens. Baltimore’s defense was so good that the Browns only had one drive all day that got inside of the Ravens’ 20-yard line and that came in garbage time. The Ravens offense wasn’t perfect, but it did manage to come up with some big plays against a Browns defense that had shut down nearly everyone this season. It might only be Week 4, but it feels like the Ravens now have firm control of the AFC North.