The Ravens remained sizzling hot, as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers couldn't handle the smoke.
Undaunted by an early 10-point deficit, Baltimore (5-2) scored 34 unanswered points and continued to look like one of the NFL's best teams during a 41-31 victory on "Monday Night Football."
It was another vintage game for Lamar Jackson (17-of-22, 281 yards), who equaled his career high with five touchdown passes, including two to Mark Andrews.
Here are my thoughts after the Ravens won their fifth straight game:
Jackson is picking apart defenses like never before.
Jackson seems in sync with every target, and he's often a step ahead of the defense with his mind.
During the five-game winning streak, Jackson has thrown 17 touchdown passes with just one interception. That's playing quarterback at the highest level.
Perhaps his most impressive toss against Tampa Bay was a perfectly thrown 49-yard touchdown pass to Rashod Bateman, who made beating Buccaneers cornerback Zyon McCollum look easy.
Throwing the deep ball hasn't been Jackson's greatest strength, but the bomb to Bateman was a dime.
Opponents enjoyed success blitzing Jackson earlier in his career, but now he's making them pay. He's anticipating where the blitz will come from, changing protections, routes, and play calls when necessary, and finding vulnerable spots in the secondary.
Jackson is destroying defenses from the pocket, and when he puts on his dancing shoes, he's often looking to run downfield. He's using his elusiveness to extend plays and give targets more time to uncover.
Jackson has taken the offense to another level and is raising the offense with him.
"I'm chasing something right now," Jackson said. "Trying to win, that's all that's in mind, trying to win."
This may be the most dynamic offense in franchise history.
Good luck trying to contain Baltimore's attack. Where do you begin?
Jackson is the general of a potent offense loaded with explosive pieces. Derrick Henry (15 carries, 169 yards) leads the league in rushing and has averaged 148.6 yards over the last five games. Andrews has caught three touchdown passes in the last two games. Bateman is on the best three-game stretch of his career and set a new career-high in receiving yards Monday night. We've seen Zay Flowers and Isaiah Likely be the top target in games, and at any time the Ravens can hit you with a huge play.
After the first half, it looked Henry was going to have a quiet night. Then he exploded with an 81-yard run that showed his amazing speed at age 30.
The Ravens lead the NFL in both total offense and rushing and have scored at least 30 points in four straight games. Offensive Coordinator Todd Monken is doing a superb job as a play caller, finding the right mix to keep opponents off balance and keeping the Ravens in rhythm.
Justice Hill's 18-yard touchdown reception on a screen pass in the second quarter was another example of how Baltimore's offense has become more diverse. After rarely calling screen passes for years, the Ravens are now using them as an effective weapon. Monken dialed up the screen at the perfect time on Hill's touchdown, right after Daniel Faalele was called for holding which nullified a touchdown run by Jackson.
Their defense isn't playing up to its standards, but if the Ravens keep scoring more than 30 points a game, they can keep winning anyway.
The Ravens will pray that Marlon Humphrey's knee injury isn't serious.
Humphrey had two interceptions in a game for the first time in his career, but the three-time Pro Bowler didn’t return after a knee injury suffered on the second pick.
Head Coach John Harbaugh remained optimistic about Humphrey's status after the game but said more would be known on Tuesday.
"We'll know more tomorrow, he's walking around in there, I can tell you that," Harbaugh said. "He's in good spirits, but I don't know if it's too serious."
Humphrey's team-leading four interceptions have been crucial for a defense still struggling to find its stride. His second-quarter pick in the end zone with Tampa Bay threatening to take a 17-7 lead was a momentum-changer. The Ravens almost surely wouldn't have beaten the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 5 without Humphrey's fourth-quarter interception that helped Baltimore force overtime.
Humphrey's ability to play outside and in the slot only adds to his value. Even with the Ravens' secondary depth, Humphrey will be difficult to replace if he misses time.
The Ravens are contenders yet know they have work to do.
The Ravens held Tampa Bay scoreless in the second and third quarters and at one point, they held the Buccaneers scoreless on six consecutive drives.
However, giving up 21 points in the fourth quarter was not how the Ravens wanted to finish. And early in the game, the Buccaneers had Baltimore's defense on the run, jumping to a 10-0 lead and moving the ball methodically. It looked like the Buccaneers were going to score again on their third drive until Humphrey's interception. Had Tampa Bay star receiver Mike Evans (hamstring) not left the game in the first half, the Buccaneers would've been harder to contain.
The Ravens had to overcome penalties, they gave up big plays, and they surrendered 125 yards rushing. But they continued to win in a league where every victory is precious, keeping pace with the Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2) for first place in the AFC North.
The Ravens are winning and feel they can play better, especially on defense. That's a good place to be heading into Week 8.
Extra Points:
- Bateman had a career-high 121 yards receiving on four catches. He's had four catches in each of the last three games, averaging 83.3 yards.
- The Ravens have beaten the Buccaneers six consecutive times.
- For the second time this season, the Ravens failed to recover an onside kick which gave the Buccaneers an extra possession during their fourth quarter comeback attempt.
- Justin Tucker made both field goal attempts, including a 52-yarder early in the third quarter.
- Roquan Smith had some ferocious hits and led the Ravens with a season-high 18 tackles.
