Ravens 'Looked Like the Ravens Again' in Dominant Win over Dolphins
Lamar Jackson threw four touchdown passes in his first game in more than a month and a rejuvenated defense got three takeaways, as the Ravens rolled to a 28-6 win over the Dolphins in Miami on "Thursday Night Football."
After losing five of its first six games due in part to a slew of injuries, a healthier Ravens team has won two in a span of five days to move within 1.5 games of the first-place Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC North.
It wasn't a perfect performance, as miscues by the Dolphins (2-7) played a role in the lopsided score, but the Ravens (3-5) served notice to the other AFC contenders that they aren't going away.
The 33rd Team's Steve Palazzolo: "The Ravens looked like the Ravens again. … Lamar Jackson, the underlying efficiency throwing the ball, throwing the ball, throwing the ball down the field, creating big plays is still there. If they continue to cut down on the sacks, ease him back in as far as the run game goes, it's the same Ravens for the most part we expected. The defense, even with the improvement, is maybe not as good as we expected, but they're going to be a tough team to beat every week now."
The 33rd Team's Sam Monson: "They've gone from a one-win football team and right up against it, to two games later, they're clear favorites in the division."
The Baltimore Sun’s C.J. Doon: "That 1-5 start already feels like a distant memory. Those losses all came against division winners from last season, a brutal stretch that any team would struggle against, let alone one without its two-time MVP for an extended period. That's not to say it doesn't matter, but at this point … does it really matter? All the Ravens need to do now is win the games they're favored to win (likely all of them depending on what the Patriots and Packers look like late in the season) and get to the playoffs with Jackson healthy. We've seen enough teams get hot at the right time and make a deep playoff run, regardless of record. Maybe it's actually a silver lining to have the team locked in starting in November as opposed to cruising through the regular season before trying to ratchet up the intensity in the playoffs. This early season adversity might make Baltimore better in the long run."
Press Box’s Bo Smolka: "This is what the Ravens were supposed to look like all along: Lamar Jackson and the offense carving up the opposing defense, and a fast, opportunistic defense wreaking havoc on the opposing offense. All of that was on display in Miami … in perhaps [the Ravens'] most complete game of the season."
NFL.com’s Eric Edholm: "All of a sudden, the Ravens are 3-5, and the November schedule looks very friendly before the Week 14 showdown with the Steelers. Who knows what the AFC North will look like by then if the Ravens are playing this well?"
Jackson Delivers Efficient Performance in Return
Jackson looked rusty early, but he ended up delivering another sterling performance in prime time.
The Ravens went three-and-out on their first possession, and two of Jackson's first three pass attempts were incomplete, including one intended for wide receiver Rashod Bateman that was thrown into the ground. Jackson went 17-for-20 the rest of the way and finished with four touchdown passes and a 143.2 passer rating.
It wasn't Jackson's most dazzling performance, but it was an efficient one. He only ran the ball five times for 14 yards, as he did his damage in the pocket.
CBS Sports' Bryant McFadden: "He will get healthier, and that twitchy, jukey Lamar Jackson will surface. But when that player surfaces, along with what he did in terms of dissecting and working within the pocket, good luck. … It was a quiet four-touchdown night for Lamar Jackson. You know why it was quiet? Because he was just working from the pocket. He wasn't running around making highlights outside the pocket and becoming a runner. That's why it felt quiet, but yet so efficient."
Smolka: "With Jackson back in command, the offense looked crisper, more fluid and more potent. There's a reason he's been named the league's Most Valuable Player twice, and why the Ravens feel like they are back in business."
USA Today’s Joe Rivera, Tom Viera, Jack McKessy: "Jackson is still on pace for his best passer rating and completion rate of his career, and if this is what he looks like in just his first game back from a hamstring injury, the AFC really might be in trouble."
Tight End Trio Has Terrific Night
Jackson is a true force multiplier. Just ask his tight ends.
The Ravens' tight end trio flourished against the Dolphins. Mark Andrews (two catches, 22 yards, two touchdowns), Isaiah Likely (three catches, 60 yards), and Charlie Kolar (two catches, 23 yards, one touchdown) combined for seven catches for 105 yards and three touchdowns.
"Lamar Jackson hadn't played in four weeks. Over that stretch, the Ravens' talented tight end room, almost always a fixture in the offense over Jackson's career, seemed to disappear, too," The Baltimore Sun’s Taylor Lyons wrote. "In Thursday's win, Likely and Kolar set season highs in receiving yards and Andrews posted his 12th career multi-touchdown game in a result that showed how the trio can best complement each other. All three have largely never been in such lockstep as they were Thursday. But they haven't had Jackson throwing to them in a long time, either."
Edholm wrote: "The entire run-blocking operation, including the tight ends, started slowly but improved throughout the course of the game. This is a signature position of the Ravens offense with Jackson at QB, and the tight ends stood tall against the Dolphins -- another sign this team is climbing back and regaining its identity."
Defense Again Bends But Doesn't Break
After the Ravens defense played well for the second straight game in this past Sunday's win over the Chicago Bears, safety Kyle Hamilton said the unit went from bend-and-then-break to bend-but-don't-break.
That was the case again against the Dolphins, who went 0-for-3 in the red zone. Miami had 225 total yards and 10 first downs in the first half, but just six points to show for it.
After getting just two takeaways in their first five games, the Ravens have five in their past three games.
The addition of safety Alohi Gilman in a trade with the Los Angeles Chargers three weeks ago and the defense's improvement is not a coincidence. Gilman's forced fumble and recovery in the first quarter set up the Ravens' first touchdown.
"The acquisition of safety Alohi Gilman has paid off, not just because he forced and recovered a vital fumble Thursday but because he has freed Hamilton to play as a third inside linebacker or edge rusher, roles the Ravens badly need their best defender to fill," The Baltimore Banner’s Childs Walker wrote. "Hamilton was the best player on the field Thursday, and he'll have to continue being the queen on Defensive Coordinator Zach Orr's chessboard for this thing to work."
The Ravens got two more takeaways in the fourth quarter: a forced fumble by Marlon Humphrey on a tackle by Teddye Buchanan and rookie Malaki Starks' first career interception.
"A bend-but-don't-break defense with the ability to force turnovers could go a long way for this team," Baltimore Beatdown’s Dustin Cox wrote. "The pass rush is still an issue but I am hopeful that [General Manager] Eric DeCosta will leave no stone unturned before the trade deadline to address it."
