Do the Ravens have the NFL's Best Offense?
On Sunday, the NFL's two top-ranked offenses squared off as the Ravens hosted the Washington Commanders in a highly anticipated matchup. The Commanders came in at No. 1 in scoring and the Ravens at No. 2.
Pundits hyped up the potential "Game of the Year" as both Lamar Jackson and Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels led early MVP discussions.
After a 30-23 win for the Ravens, in which they outgained the Commanders in yardage 484-305, it was clear which offense was better Sunday.
The result has pundits considering if the Ravens have the best offense in the NFL.
The Athletic's Jeff Zrebiec: "When Derrick Henry barreled through the middle for a 7-yard touchdown run, the Ravens regained a two-possession lead and even more fodder for the argument they have the best offense in the NFL. The Ravens' offensive versatility was on full display in a 30-23 victory over the Commanders that never felt in hand for the home team until the final seconds. The Commanders challenged the Ravens to pass the ball against a packed box and Lamar Jackson threw for 323 yards and a touchdown. When the Ravens needed to run the ball, they were able to do that, too, racking up 176 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. … The Ravens have now scored 28 or more points in four straight games. During their four-game winning streak, they're also averaging 472 yards of offense a game. On Sunday, they set an NFL record as the first team to post six straight games with at least 150 yards and one touchdown through the air and on the ground."
Pressbox’s Bo Smolka: "Lamar Jackson is playing at an MVP level again, Derrick Henry is exactly who he has been, and Zay Flowers is emerging as a slippery, shifty No. 1 receiver on pace for 1,136 yards. The offensive line, maligned after two weeks, has steadily improved and appears to have found a winning formula with Patrick Mekari at left guard and rookie Roger Rosengarten at right tackle. It's still a long season that is less than half over, and nothing will be given, all will be earned. But like a boxer that took an early shot, the Ravens staggered but have recovered and gotten their legs back. Six weeks in, they and the Pittsburgh Steelers appear to be the class of the AFC North."
NFL.com’s Kevin Patra: "There isn't an offense in the NFL that is more dangerous than that of the Lamar Jackson-led Baltimore band. The Ravens can torture defenses in every way imaginable. Sunday it was Zay Flowers dominating Washington on short and intermediate passes. The wideout generated nine catches for 132 yards in the first half. He didn't see a target for the rest of the game, and the Ravens still rolled. … Its final six possessions went touchdown, TD, field goal, TD, FG, iced game. The Ravens can pummel you with the ground game or pick you apart through the air… They gobbled up 176 rushing yards on a day in which the reigning MVP threw for 323 yards. When Jackson is right, this is the truest pick-your-poison offense in the NFL."
Sports Illustrated’s Gilberto Manzano: "The Ravens might have the best offense in the league and appear to be the one team that can truly knock off the Chiefs in the AFC. It's way too soon to discuss potential playoff meetings, but the Ravens should rank among the top contenders after their 30–23 victory over the Commanders. … Again, it's way too early to look that far ahead, but it appears the elite class in the AFC only has two teams: the high-scoring Ravens and the 5–0 Chiefs."
CBS Sports’ John Breech: "For the second straight game, Jackson threw for over 300 yards and he did a good job of spreading the ball around with three receivers all finishing with at least 60 yards. Zay Flowers was the star of the show with nine catches for 132 yards, which all came in the first half. Henry – AKA the human steamroller – tacked on 132 rushing yards and two touchdowns. This offense was already scary and it seems to be getting better every week, which should frighten the rest of the NFL."
The Baltimore Sun’s Childs Walker: "The Ravens separated from the Commanders with a 94-yard touchdown drive in the third quarter that put them up 27-13. To that point, they had outplayed their upstart southern neighbors but had allowed Washington to hang around. A shaky Commanders defense simply could not stop a Baltimore offense that's looking like the NFL's best."
The Baltimore Sun’s Bennett Conlin: "The Ravens are a Super Bowl contender. The Commanders aren't there yet. Washington hung tough for much of the game, but the Commanders had no answer for Lamar Jackson and the Ravens' offense. At no point during the game did I ever think the Ravens would lose. Baltimore held the ball for well over 30 minutes, outgained Washington by a significant margin and committed fewer penalties. With four consecutive wins under their belt, the Ravens have reestablished themselves as the top contender to Kansas City in the AFC."
Jackson's 'Intergalactic' Performance Sparks More MVP Talk
Following Week 5, chatter of Jackson being an MVP candidate yet again sprouted. After he threw for more than 300 yards in back-to-back games with only six incompletions Sunday, more are taking Jackson's third MVP bid seriously.
The Athletic's Tim Graham: "Baltimore's offense is a wagon. [Josh] Allen doesn't have anybody like Derrick Henry to help carry the load, but Jackson looked intergalactic against the streaking Commanders on Sunday. A week after lighting up Cincinnati, he threw just six incomplete passes while rolling up 323 yards in the air and a TD, and rushing eight times for 40 yards before killing out the clock. Your move, Josh."
The Athletic's Mike Jones: "Jackson is a perennial MVP candidate. He makes the Ravens legit contenders in the AFC every season, and this year will be no different. So, yes, if Baltimore winds up with one of the top seeds in their conference and look like Super Bowl contenders, we certainly could see him repeat as MVP. But, I will say, the addition of Derrick Henry to the offense to lighten Jackson's rushing load could prompt him to lose some votes. (I'd also still like to see the Ravens figure out how to add another receiving threat before the trade deadline to make that offense even more explosive). However, if the addition of weapons like Henry and others translates into a deep playoff run and a long-craved Super Bowl victory, Jackson would gladly trade that for another MVP award."
The Athletic's Ted Nguyen: "Jackson is certainly one of the front runners. He's been remarkably efficient this season, throwing 9 touchdowns to only one interception. He also is one of the most productive runners in the league, among quarterbacks and running backs (it does hurt Jackson's MVP statline that Derrick Henry has hawked a few of his touchdowns at the goal line). The Ravens look like they'll finish as a top seed in the AFC and they'll have one of the top offenses. Stats, wins, and a top offense are usually the makings of an MVP campaign."
ESPN’s Jamison Hensley: "Lamar Jackson is putting together another MVP-like season, throwing 300-plus yards in back-to-back games for the second time in his career. Zay Flowers solidified himself as a No. 1 wide receiver with his second consecutive 100-yard game, recording a career-high in receiving yards in the first half alone (132 yards)."
Pundit Pushes Back on Jackson Disrespect
Each week, talking heads throw out superlatives for the NFL's beloved quarterbacks. They stack them against one another, picking their favorites and making assertions as to who is the best and why.
Frequently, they ignore or overlook the obvious question – be it for the sake of ignorance, garnering engagement, or otherwise. And for the past four weeks, they've overlooked the reigning league MVP, and The Baltimore Banner's Kyle Goon pushed back.
"Four weeks in a row, the Ravens have taken apart quarterbacks who are MVP candidates or possess MVP talent. Four weeks in a row, Jackson has gotten the last laugh," Goon wrote. "Give a two-time MVP some love already. Jackson's in the driver's seat to be named the league's best player again.
"For the last three weeks, in my self-imposed sentence of watching Monday morning talk shows, I've heard analysts opine that Jackson wasn't the best quarterback on the field in his own wins. It's Sunday afternoon as I write these words, but I can already foresee the league's punditry hyping up Daniels' 269-yard, two-touchdown performance in the latest bid to humble Jackson and the Ravens. Let's get ahead of this. No, Daniels wasn't better than Lamar. Neither was Joe Burrow. Neither was Josh Allen. Neither was Dak Prescott."
Daniels earned MVP talk after his rapid turnaround of the Commanders into a competent, winning team. And with him being a dual-threat quarterback producing highlight throws and runs, he was compared to Jackson, with some claiming he was better than Jackson. He wasn't and isn't, Goon wrote.
"[Jackson] had a higher completion percentage than Daniels. A better quarterback rating. He accounted for more passing yards and more rushing yards, and he won," Goon wrote. "Daniels had a few exceptional pinpoint throws that will stand out in highlight tapes — but there's no other way you could gauge that he's a better player than Jackson, who has never lost to a starting rookie quarterback in his career (7-0)."
Clips of pundits disparaging Jackson have annoyed Ravens fans for years now. This season is no different. But the annoyance has reached new heights.
"I'm tired of watching analysts cherry pick highlights to discredit Jackson or hype up his competition," Goon wrote. "I'm tired of his teammates being used as a way to diminish his week-to-week greatness. I'm tired of the narrative of voter fatigue working against him – if anything, Jackson's previous MVPs should count as a strength because no one has figured out how to stop him in his seventh year in the league. Jackson isn't perfect, but show me who has been better than him thus far – and find a guy who hasn't lost head to head against him. Even [Patrick] Mahomes, who beat Jackson again to start this season, has as many touchdowns as interceptions (6)."
What Jackson is doing this season is unprecedented, Goon continues, as he is throwing for career bests while contributing for the NFL's most elite rushing offense. And while Henry commands undivided attention, he is proceeded by Jackson, who is making life easier for him.
"[Jackson's] also presiding over the NFL's best rushing offense, which of course has Derrick Henry but also relies on the threat of Jackson's legs and arm. The biggest difference for Henry this year is how many yards he's gained before contact — a reflection of better blocking but also a defense's indecision when facing Lamar freaking Jackson," Goon wrote.
"It just so happened that Jackson moved past Cam Newton on the all-time quarterback rushing list Sunday. Now he's chasing only Michael Vick (6,109 yards), a player he's surpassed in touchdown passes (135) in just 92 games. When it's all said and done, Vick, Newton and McNair will be grateful to be in discussion with Jackson."
