Baltimore Beatdown
The Baltimore Ravens earned a 28-6 victory over the Miami Dolphins on Thursday night, improving to 3-5 on the season. Here are Baltimore Beatdown’s Roundtable Reactions to the Ravens’ primetime win in Week 9:
It’s incredible what a difference a two-game winning streak can make after starting the season 1-5. The Ravens made a statement against the Dolphins, and while there are plenty of things to clean up and improve, they are finally starting to resemble the Super Bowl favorites they were pegged as going into the season. Lamar Jackson’s return to the field was everything you could have hoped for (although throwing one more touchdown pass to make it a Jackson Five would have been nice.) Similar problems persisted, however, as the offense struggled at times to convert short-yardage situations on the ground. The offensive line remains a concern and a potential cap for what this offense could be.
A week ago, the Ravens turned on the turnover faucet with a Nate Wiggins interception, and it just kept flowing this week with three more takeaways. The defense gave up plenty of yards throughout the game, but they ultimately stepped up and kept Miami out of the end zone. A bend-but-don’t-break defense with the ability to force turnovers could go a long way for this team. The pass rush is still an issue but I am hopeful that Eric DeCosta will leave no stone unturned before the trade deadline to address it. — Dustin Cox
The Ravens did exactly what they needed to: had a homecoming in South Florida, went in, got a win, and left relatively healthy. It was a tale of two halves though. The Ravens went into halftime up 14-6 but it felt like Miami should have been winning themselves. The offense was inconsistent and the offensive line poor. The old issues of being unable to stay on the field showed again. The defense went bend-don’t-break but was saved by penalties, miscues and some questionable play calling. The first half was a lot uglier than the score showed. But the Ravens cleaned it up. The offense sustained drives in the second half and the defense made plays to get off the field without needing help from the other side.
Mike Green got his second sack, Malaki Starks got his first interception showing tremendous ball skills from deep centerfield, and the defense forced two fumbles, totaling three turnovers and two sacks as a team. Lamar Jackson looked a little off and rattled by the bad offensive line play in the first half but settled in, making some tremendous throws down the field and going four touchdowns and a casual 143.2 rating. Now its onto a 10-day break and five days until the trade deadline, where Eric DeCosta has a lot of work to do. — Zach Canter
Lamar Jackson’s return went as well as the Ravens could’ve hoped. Even though he wasn’t impacting the game significantly as a runner, his arm looked in mid-season form....
