Baltimore Beatdown
The Detroit Lions ran all over the Baltimore Ravens’ defense and sacked Lamar Jackson seven times on their way to a 38-30 victory that was more lopsided than the score suggests.
The Ravens drop to 1-2 with the loss and currently sit third place in the AFC North.
Outside of their two scripted drives at the start of either half, Baltimore’s offense never found their footing against the Lions’ physicality on defense with a series of familiar mistakes. Once again, they got down to first-and-goal from inside the five-yard line and came away without a touchdown. Once again, Derrick Henry fumbled the ball in a crucial moment. And once again, the Ravens took their best player – one of the best players in the league – off the field with the game on the line.
Gone was the dynamic downfield threat of Zay Flowers, who was held to just two catches for 13 yards. Gone was Henry’s penchant for chunk gains and long touchdowns; outside of his longest run of 28 yards, he averaged just 2.0 yards per carry. Mark Andrews and Rashod Bateman both stepped up in their best games of the year, but neither could make a play when it mattered most in the fourth quarter.
Things were even uglier on the defensive side of the ball. The Ravens’ uncanny ability to annihilate screens helped them force two punts in the first half, but between them was an 18-play, 98-yard touchdown drive by the Lions that made it clear which side had the advantage. For much of the game, Detroit’s offensive line was blowing holes in a Baltimore front seven that was badly missing Nnamdi Madubuike, and Lions offensive coordinator John Morton had Ravens defensive coordinator Zach Orr’s number at nearly every turn.
Despite hopes that one of the Ravens’ young pass rusher would step up with Madubuike and Kyle Van Noy sidelined, none did, and Orr’s pressure packages were no more effective in throwing Lions quarterback Jared Goff off his game. After notching two takeaways against the Browns in Week 2, the Ravens couldn’t force a single opportunity for a turnover on Monday night.
Most of the Ravens’ losses raise questions about their ability to close out games on a week-to-week basis, but the Lions exposed significant weaknesses that can’t be neatly addressed before the next game. Baltimore’s pass rush and run defense collapsed with the loss of a single player and their vaunted secondary couldn’t fill any of the gaps. Their offensive line was manhandled at the line of scrimmage, taking the whole offense out at the knees for most of the night. It’s too early to cast aspersions on the Ravens’ playoff chances, but they’ve inspired little confidence that they can overcome their postseason demons if and when they get the opportunity.
