After the "Battle of the Beltways," the Ravens are still moving in the right direction.
Winning their fourth straight game, the Ravens (4-2) prevailed, 30-23, at M&T Bank Stadium over the Washington Commanders (4-2), who entered the game riding a four-game winning streak.
It was an entertaining clash for neighborhood bragging rights and Baltimore got the last word. Lamar Jackson, Zay Flowers, and Derrick Henry led a potent offensive attack that was too much for Washington to handle, and the Ravens' 0-2 start is fading further into their rearview mirror.
Here are my thoughts as Baltimore continued to roll:
The Ravens' offense is humming in harmony.
Once Baltimore's offense got rolling, the Commanders couldn't stop it. Baltimore's final six possessions resulted in three touchdowns, two fields goals, and a seven-play drive that ran out the game's final 2:48 and ended in victory formation.
The Ravens did a masterful job using their many weapons. They averaged a season-high 7.4 yards per play, even better than Week 5 against the Cincinnati Bengals when they averaged 6.8 yards while scoring 41 points.
Jackson was less spectacular than he was in Cincinnati, but more surgical. He still threw for 323 yards and one touchdown and took advantage of Washington loading the box to stop Henry. Baltimore had touchdown drives of 93 and 94 yards. Those kind of long marches demoralize an opponent.
Jackson's main target was Flowers (nine catches, 132 yards), who used his quickness to take advantage of man-to-man coverage, getting open and picking up yards after the catch. Rashod Bateman caught every pass when he was targeted (four catches, 71 yards), and Mark Andrews (three catches, 71 yards) scored his first touchdown of 2024.
Meanwhile, Henry (24 carries, 132 yards) went over 100 yards for the third time in four weeks. He's called "The King," but maybe "The Closer" would be a better nickname. A long run by Henry in the fourth quarter is becoming like a victory cigar for the Ravens. One week after his 51-yard gallop in overtime helped subdue the Bengals, Henry ripped off a 27-yard run just prior to the two-minute warning that basically sealed Washington's fate.
Jackson describes Baltimore as a pick-your-poison offense, and recent opponents have been unable to find an antidote. This is what the Ravens envisioned in the second year with Offensive Coordinator Todd Monken, and with the addition of Henry. During training camp, they talked about running it effectively, throwing it effectively, and keeping opponents off balance with the diversity of their attack. That vision has come to fruition.
Being more physical is a winning formula for Baltimore's defense.
It wasn't a shutdown performance by the Ravens' defense, but it was a physical one. Michael Pierce, Roquan Smith, Kyle Hamilton, Tavius Robinson, and Travis Jones were among the Ravens who had bone-jarring hits against the Commanders.
Some of those tackles were inflicted on Jayden Daniels, Washington's rookie quarterback who looks like a budding star. The Ravens had seven quarterback hits and Daniels was sacked three times, yet he still made plays (24-of-35, 269 yards, two touchdowns) under the onslaught.
This was a big game for Baltimore's defense after giving up five touchdown passes to Joe Burrow in Week 5. The addition of veteran coach Dean Pees to Defensive Coordinator Zach Orr's staff was a storyline during the week leading up to the game, and Baltimore's defense knew it needed to raise its game, particularly against the pass. The Ravens did it by swarming to the football and eliminating glaring mistakes. Washington's longest play from scrimmage was 28 yards and the Ravens yielded just 56 yards rushing.
The Ravens improved their record against rookie quarterbacks to 19-2 under Head Coach John Harbaugh at M&T Bank Stadium, but while they left with a victory, Daniels left with Baltimore's respect.
"He's the truth, for sure," Smith said. "For him to come into a hostile environment and throw the way he did, I've got much respect for him. He took some licks, too. Knowing it's a rookie quarterback, you've got to lay the hits on him and try to affect the game."
The Ravens left this game feeling that their defense is trending upward.
Andrews getting his first touchdown is huge.
Andrews is a consummate team player, and his blocking has helped spring Henry for some big runs this season.
However, Andrews has been a special target since being drafted in 2018. He's tied with Todd Heap for the most touchdown receptions in Ravens' history (41) because he and Jackson have shared a special chemistry on the field.
Andrews has always been a confident player, but it had to feel good for him to finally get his first touchdown of the season. It could be the spark that leads to Andrews becoming a bigger part of the offense, particularly in the red zone where the Ravens have already been very efficient. If Andrews gets rolling as a receiver, Baltimore's offense could look even more unstoppable.
"It was dope, and [there's] many more to come," Jackson said.
A four-game winning streak has put a new perspective on the season.
Remember all the angst when the Ravens started 0-2? It seems like a distant memory now.
The season is still young, but winning four straight games has put the Ravens back in the thick of things in the AFC. The players and coaches deserve credit for not panicking, and Baltimore has righted itself the way some other teams that have started slowly have not.
With 11 games remaining, the story of this season is a long way from being written. But resiliency is one mark of a potential champion, and the Ravens have shown they have it.
Extra Points
- Yannick Ngakoue got his first sack of the season in only his second game, making a nice move from Daniels' blindside to corral the young quarterback.
- Bateman has eight catches for 129 yards and a touchdown in his last two games. His back-to-back catches jumpstarted the Ravens' 93-yard touchdown drive.
- Henry is the first player with a rushing touchdown in each of the first six games since Hall of Famer LaDainian Tomlinson in 2005.
- Ben Cleveland blocked a field goal attempt to end the first half, then the Ravens got a piece of Seibert's third-quarter extra point attempt but it still went through. Cleveland got a game ball in the postgame locker room. It was a good moment for a player that hasn't seen as much playing time as expected this season.
- Marlon Humphrey led the Ravens with nine tackles and had a strong defensive game against both the pass and run.
- A pass on Baltimore's first drive went off Andrews' hands and was intercepted. Both Andrews and Jackson bounced back quickly from the mishap for some big plays.
