Ravens and Seahawks Meet in Cross Conference Match-Up
By: Aidan Butler
1 November 2023
The Baltimore Ravens (6-2) following a late scare in the desert against the Cardinals find themselves at second place in the NFL power rankings after notching win number six on the year. This week they will have a more daunting test when they host the Seattle Seahawks (5-2).
The Ravens are coming off a 31-24 win over the Arizona Cardinals (1-7). Meanwhile, Seattle is coming off of their second consecutive win after knocking off the Cleveland Browns on Sunday 24-20, and now sits atop the NFC West standings.
The meeting will mark only the seventh time the two franchises have met, the first since 2019. It will also be the first time since 2015 that Ravens will host the Seahawks in Baltimore. The series is split 3-3 with the Ravens having the last laugh in a 30-16 victory. Lamar Jackson, in his second year with Baltimore completed 9-of-20 passes for 143 yards, and also posted 116 yards rushing with one touchdown. The defense came to play as well, with two of Baltimore’s three touchdowns coming on a Marcus Peters pick six and a Marlon Humphrey scoop and score.
The Ravens completed the most crucial task of all this past Sunday, getting the win. Lamar Jackson amassed 157 yards and one touchdown on 18-of-27 passing. Gus Edwards, amidst trade rumors toted the rock 19 times for 80 yards and three scores, while Mark Andrews and Justice Hill both chipped in 40 receiving yards on four receptions each. Andrews’ touchdown reception marked his sixth of the year, to lead all NFL tight ends.
The Cardinals have proven to be a scrappy team this season, but the final score of 31-24 was a little too close for comfort. “We weren’t great, we weren’t really as crisp and sharp as we wanted to be by any stretch”, Head Coach John Harbaugh said in his post game presser. “Yet we kept grinding, kept fighting and found a way to get the job done.”
Much like Baltimore it was not the flashiest affair for Seattle. Despite getting the win, the Seahawks as a unit seemed shaky throughout, without Geno Smith throwing two crucial interceptions, and the defense allowing the Browns to hang in the game.
Smith finished his day 23-of-37 passing for 254 yards, two touchdowns, and the aforementioned two interceptions. Kenneth Walker led the way on the ground with eight carries for 66 yards, and Tyler Lockett paced Seattle through the air with eight catches for 81 yards and a touchdown.
“I don’t care what it is, they’re going to be their personality, and that’s how they are again…”, Head Coach John Harbaugh said. “They play hard, they play with a ton of energy, a ton of confidence, they’re disciplined, they’re tough, that’s what you expect from a Seahawks team.”
The Ravens defense will have to contend with shutting down 2022 Comeback Player of the Year Geno Smith, who has stepped up well for Seattle following the departure of Russell Wilson. “He’s playing great, had a great year last year, they’ve settled in with him, makes a lot of throws; play-actions, boots, drop back pass, he’s scrambling, every now and then they’ll come up with a draw or quarterback run in a critical situation so he’s playing really good football”, Harbaugh said.
The Ravens are currently at 2nd place in the NFL in yards per game, giving up 276 yards per game.
While the Ravens posted 31 points against the Cardinals, the general feeling is that the offense is perfectly capable of producing at a higher level. “That’s two different defenses, Arizona did a lot of drop eight versus us so we weren’t looking forward to that. Seattle’s pretty much a three deep team, you know a zone team, so we’ve got to go in and prepare, that’s all”, quarterback Lamar Jackson said.
Gus Edwards stepped up big for the Ravens against Arizona, enough so that he earned Ground Player of the Week honors. Edwards is expected to get the rock a good amount again this weekend, “I’m ready for it. I hope I get a big load again this week”, Edwards said. Baltimore is currently at third place in the league in rushing, averaging north of 140 yards per game.
Sunday’s game against Seattle marks the first of three game home stand for the Ravens, with an opportunity to impress against their AFC North rivals the Cleveland Browns on November 12th, and a Thursday night bout with the Cincinnati Bengals on November 16th. “Honestly I don’t have to say too much to the guys about it”, Inside Linebacker Roquan Smith stated. “Everyone’s aware of what’s at stake, and at end the of day like I always say, ‘It’s your turf and our fans, and our family there so we have to defend that by any means necessary.’”
Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m., and it should be a perfect day for football with a temperature in the high 60s and mostly sunny with no chance of rain. The game will be broadcast on CBS.
Ravens Impress in Rout of the Seahawks
By: Aidan Butler
5 November 2023
It was a beautiful day in Baltimore, the football even more so for the home crowd as the Baltimore Ravens (7-2) earned their fourth consecutive win against the NFC opponent Seattle Seahawks (6-3) in a dominating 37-3 victory.
“Total team effort against a very good football team”, Head Coach John Harbaugh said. “As a coach it’s fulfilling.” Harbaugh also spoke highly of the defense’s ability to play complementary football between the pass rush and coverage.
Lamar Jackson finished his day 21 of 26 passing with 187 yards, and added ten carries for 60 yards on the ground. Jackson opened by saying, “Let’s start with the offensive line making great blocks and the running backs doing what they do”, he said. “We got guys who’re hungry on this team…guys who just want to win.”
Mark Andrews led all receivers with nine catches for 80 yards, while rookie Keaton Mitchell had a day posting nine carries for 138 yards and a touchdown.
On the day the Ravens defense tallied two takeaways, four sacks, five tackles for loss, seven pass deflections, and held Seattle to only 151 total yards. “We talk about dominating…we mean it”, Kyle Van Noy said.
It was a slow start in both directions with five straight punts, three by Seattle, and two by Baltimore to start the day. Neither team managed to cross midfield until the Ravens did so with less than one minute remaining in the first quarter, courtesy of Lamar Jackson and Odell Beckham Jr.
Baltimore would be the first to break the ice, with a long scoring drive, utilizing dink and dunk quick passes and modest runs to open up the stingy Seahawks defense. Gus Edwards would score from four yards out to give Baltimore the early 7-0 edge. Edwards finished his day with five carries for 52 yards and two touchdowns.
The Ravens came into the game ranking 2nd in the NFL in total defense, and that defense came to play on Sunday. On the next Seahawks possession, Geno Stone picked off Geno Smith, good for his 6th of the season, to set up the offense deep in Seahawk territory. The pick marked Stone’s fourth straight game with an interception. The opportunity was not capitalized on when Lamar Jackson lost the ball on his 9th fumble of the season. The melancholy did not last long as the Ravens defense held their ground.
Lamar Jackson then led the offense on another long scoring drive lasting 5:48, and culminating in Gus Edwards’ second touchdown of the day, making the score 14-0.
In a rare defensive misstep Geno Smith found DK Metcalf on the next Seahawks possession for a 50 yard gain. The Seahawks would only muster a field goal making it 14-3.
The contest took an interesting turn over the remaining 1:40 of the first half. Baltimore, looking to get in position for an end of half Justin Tucker field goal, turned the ball over a second time with Odell Beckham Jr. getting stripped of the ball as he tried to fight for extra yards. Once again, the change in momentum was short lived as Kyle Van Noy came up with back to back sacks, the second of which resulted in a strip of Geno Smith.
Justin Tucker would nail a 37-yard field goal to make it a 17-3 clip at halftime. Tucker would kick two more field goals of 45 and 31 yards respectively. The future hall of famer has now made 22 consecutive field goals from inside of 50 yards.
Lamar Jackson converted a 4th & 2 on a keeper on the drive resulting in Tucker’s third field goal. Jackson got up gingerly after being tackled, but would play on and seemed to be alright.
The remainder of the second half became the Keaton Mitchell show. It was only the second time on the field in the regular season for the undrafted free agent out of East Carolina, but he made the most of it. Mitchell turned on the jets for a 40 yard touchdown to make it a 30-3 game in favor of the home side. Mitchell, whose dad, Anthony Mitchell was also an undrafted free agent and won Super Bowl XXXV with the Ravens.
"Today the offensive line just gave him a bit of room and he did the rest...Sometimes I didn't carry out the fake because I wanted to see him run”, Lamar Jackson said. “He's a humble guy which we really appreciate and he works hard...he's been raised the right way, he's got an amazing family...he doesn't get frustrated…”, John Harbaugh added.
“It was a blessing, they keep my head up, they believe in me, we're a family in that locker room”, Mitchell said when asked about the team’s reaction to his touchdown run.
While Seattle would get deep into Ravens territory one more time, Baltimore’s defense held firm yet again. Geno Stone picked up his second pass deflection of the day on 4th down, effectively ending the last Seahawks drive of the day.
Tyler Huntley would enter the game for his second game action this season, and wouldn’t miss a beat. Huntley orchestrated a 78 yard drive resulting in a six yard touchdown pass to Odell Beckham Jr., making it a 37-3 affair. The touchdown came on OBJ’s 31st birthday, and was also his first of the season and as a Raven. The day was Beckham Jr.’s best for Baltimore so far, reeling in five catches for 56 yards and the aforementioned touchdown.
With the win the Ravens move to second place in the overall AFC standings, and join the Kansas City Chiefs as the only other AFC team with seven wins.
The Raven dominated time of possession, holding the ball for 40:04 minutes of game time, while limiting Seattle to only 19:56.
Baltimore now looks ahead to an AFC North clash with the rival Cleveland Browns next Sunday at 1:00.
Ravens Look to Stay Hot Against Rival Browns
By: Aidan Butler
8 November 2023
The Baltimore Ravens (7-2) impressed this past Sunday with a thumping of the visiting Seattle Seahawks (6-3) 37-3. Now a humming Ravens squad looks to stay on track in a big game against their longtime AFC North rival, the Cleveland Browns (5-3).
The Browns, like the Ravens, are coming off a dominant win, a 27-0 blanking of the Arizona Cardinals (1-8).
This will be the second time the two have met this season, the last back on October 1st, a dominant victory for Baltimore 28-3. The Browns were without Deshaun Watson as Dorian Thompson-Robinson, the UCLA rookie threw three picks on the day. Cleveland was stagnant on offense for much of the game, amassing only 166 total yards. Lamar Jackson was responsible for all four touchdowns, completing 15 of 19 passes for 186 yards for two touchdowns through the air, and rushed 27 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. Mark Andrews was the recipient of both passing touchdowns to go with 80 receiving yards.
Now at the halfway point of the 2023-2024 NFL regular season, the Baltimore Ravens have accumulated a buzz around the franchise. As of now the Ravens sit at number two overall in the NFL Power Rankings, and have begun to distance themselves as an AFC favorite.
“It doesn’t matter until the end”, John Harbaugh said of Batlimore’s position in the standings. “What the standings are now are not important, it’s what the standings are after the last regular season game. Our guys really understand that I think, you know and that’s something we’re working on one game at a time.”
While Baltimore was excited to boast its new look offense coming into the season, it has been their dominant defense as of late that’s really turned some heads. While it may not be as dominant, yet, Baltimore’s recent outings have recalled fond memories of their 2000 defense that played a heavy role in winning Super Bowl XXXV. Currently, Baltimore sits at 1st in the league in points per game (13.8), 1st in rush yards allowed per game (160.3), and 2nd in total yards allowed per game (262.2).
All told on Sunday, the Seahawks offense was limited to 151 total yards, Geno Smith was sacked on four instances, twice by Kyle Van Noy, and turned the ball over twice. Geno Stone picked off Smith, good for his sixth interception of the year, which currently leads the NFL.
Takeaway the two fumbles by Lamar Jackson and Odell Beckham Jr., and the offense played well. Jackson completed 21 of 26 passes for 187 yards to go with 10 carries and 60 yards on the ground. Beckham Jr. reeled in his first touchdown as a Raven to go with 56 yards, and Mark Andrews grabbed nine passes for 80 yards. Finally, rookie Keaton Mitchell had his coming out party with his first career nine carries for 138 yards and his first career touchdown.
“I think we’re getting better on offense right now, we’ve got a lot of work to do still, there’s so many things we can be more efficient at”, Harbaugh said. “Just talking to Lamar I know he feels that way, everyone on offense feels that way.”
Cleveland’s defense made it a rough day for first time Cardinals starter Clayton Tune, racking up seven sacks, forcing three turnovers, two of which were picks thrown by Tune, and holding Arizona to just 58 yards of total offense.
The Browns defense has dominated as well, sitting at 3rd in the league in points allowed per game (17.4), 3rd in rush yards allowed per game (144.1), and ahead of the Ravens at 1st in the league in total yards allowed per game (234.8). It will be interesting to see how the Ravens O-line contends with Myles Garrett.
“I don’t think it’s any secret, they’re just really good. They can rush the passer and they can cover, that’s kind of the combination on third down…they get people into third and long a lot because they’re so dominant on first and second down”, Harbaugh said of the Browns defense. “Those guys just fly around…they’re just flying around trying to attack with aggression, and that’s pretty much what stands out to me”, Lamar Jackson added.
With the defense dominating, the offense did not have to do much. Deshaun Watson completed 19 of 30 passes for 219 yards and two touchdowns. Jerome Ford led the Browns in rushing with 20 attempts for 44 yards. The primary source of offense came through the air as Amari Cooper led the way with five receptions for 139 yards and a touchdown.
“He’s a great player, but at the end of the day he’s coming to our stadium, with our team, with our defense, with our fans, so that place is going to be rocking, we’re going to have it rocking, and we’re going to do what we need to do on defense to get them jumping, and try to shut them down”, Patrick Queen said. “We all lock in, just do what we’re capable of. Each play just lock in, communicate, play as hard as we can, have the best technique that we can… the only people that can stop us is us.”
Sunday is the second of a three game home stand for the Ravens that are looking to pick up another big divisional win before facing the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday night next week. “I think the big key is just locking in on the task at hand, not looking forward, just take each day one at a time. When the game presents itself, get out there and dominate…”, Queen said when asked about the two upcoming games. “After that game, whatever you’ve got to do to recover, recover and come into that next game on that short week and just get ready to dominate again.”
Baltimore currently leads the all time series 36-13. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 with football temperatures. Partly cloudy with a high of 52 degrees and a low chance of rain. The game will be broadcast on Fox.
Lamar Jackson Named Mid-Season MVP
By: Aidan Butler
9 November 2023
It was announced Wednesday that Lamar Jackson has been named the NFL Midseason MVP, as the Baltimore Ravens (7-2) prepare for their second meeting of the season against their AFC North rival the Cleveland Browns (5-3).
So far this season through nine games, Jackson has completed 181 of his 253 passes for 1,954 yards and nine touchdowns against three interceptions. At the moment good for a 71.1 completion percentage at 7.7 yards per completion. On the ground he has toted the rock 84 times for 440 yards and five touchdowns. While the passing touchdown numbers may not jump off the page, Jackson is currently tied with CJ Stroud for fewest interceptions thrown by a quarterback with at least 1,000 passing yards.
Lamar Jackson proved to be a special player harking back to some of his earliest days playing the game, and was consistently electric for the University of Louisville. When the Ravens selected him 32nd overall in Round 1 of the 2018 NFL draft, they were thinking about the future. The future has arrived and Jackson has developed into one of the more dynamic quarterbacks in the league.
Jackson spent some crucial time off the field due to injuries last season, a total of five games, including a disappointing wild card loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. Not to say Jackson was not the only piece that the Ravens would have liked to have had healthy the whole season, but his absence was felt.
With Jackson healthy, a new look on offense courtesy of first year Offensive Coordinator Todd Monken, and a dominating defense, Baltimore has itself positioned to make a deep playoff run, with potential Super Bowl aspirations. Currently the Ravens are atop the AFC North and sit at 2nd in the AFC rankings and NFL power rankings.
When asked about if he looks at his stats, after practice on Tuesday, Jackson said, “Probably after the game if they tell me about it but I’m not just going to look and see what I did. I’m trying to win, I don’t really care about the stats.”
“It’s so cool that the game has evolved from what would have been considered years ago, quarterbacks. The offenses have changed, there was pocket passers, you were either a running quarterback or you were a throwing quarterback. You were one or the other”, OC Todd Monken said. “Now you’re at the point where you’ve got really athletic guys with arm talent, and size, and really understand the passing game, and the game has changed forever, in a good way. To me it’s fun to watch.”
“You’re not going to see those YouTube videos and see those arm angles of me…He’s got a unique ability to still be accurate with multiple arm angles, which you’re seeing with a lot of these quarterbacks.” Monken said of Jackson’s throwing abilities. “The other thing is 20 years ago, you didn’t have nearly as many quarterback coaches that train young kids at an earlier age. Because of their athleticism, they’re working a lot more off schedule throws.”
Jackson’s latest viral moment came from the stands more recently. During the Ravens previous outing in a 37-3 drubbing of the Seattle Seahawks, a Baltimore staff member pointed to a fan in the stands that had made a carpet in the likeness of the Ravens quarterback. Jackson bluntly stated, “I want that damn carpet.” The creator, Cassie Cherigo, is now reportedly working on a rug of Zay Flowers.
Should Jackson’s production and team success continue, he may begin to have a solid case for league MVP. Jackson did place second in MVP voting back in 2019 when he led the league in touchdown passes and rushing yards by a quarterback.
“We got guys who’re hungry on our team…guys who just want to win”, Jackson said following the victory over the Seahawks.
Baltimore will have a chance to further distance themselves from the rest of the AFC North and sweep the Cleveland Browns in the regular season on Sunday. Kickoff is set for 1:00 on Fox.
Browns Best Baltimore in Come From Behind Victory
By: Aidan Butler
12 November 2023
The Baltimore Ravens (7-3) were brought back down to Earth on Sunday as their four game win streak was snapped at the hands of the rival Cleveland Browns (6-3) in a 33-31 game.
“I’m proud of our guys, I thought they played really hard, we fought, we competed, but we did not play well enough, we did not play well enough to win the kind of game like that. Different situations, all three phases, and the coaching staff, so we’ve got to put it behind us”, Head Coach John Harbaugh said in the post game press conference. “It’s a long season in the NFL, you have games like this, you do lose games like this in this league, and we’ve got to bounce back and play our best football on Thursday night.”
“It's disappointing but we have to learn from it and get better because we have a game 85, 90 hours from now”, Justin Madubuike said.
Lamar Jackson finished his day at the office at 13 of 23 for 200 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. He was also the leading rusher for the Ravens at eight carries for 41 yards. “Hats off to Myles Garrett and those guys…those guys were doing a lot of T stunts and playing a good defense”, Jackson said. Cleveland finished with three sacks, 1.5 for Myles Garrett to go with a tackle for loss. “I mean I just know we’ve got another division opponent this Thursday so we have to win this game, see the Steelers again, and win the North.”
Some notable injuries for Baltimore during the game were offensive lineman Ronnie Stanley and cornerback Marlon Humphrey. Coach Harbaugh offered no update on either of their health after the game.
The game started heavily in Baltimore’s favor as on the second play from scrimmage, Kyle Hamilton on a corner blitz deflected a Deshaun Watson pass to himself and walked it in for an 18 yard touchdown. The pick was good for Hamilton’s second of the season and his first career touchdown. Like clockwork the offense would get the ball back and Keaton Mitchell after impressing with last week’s performance followed it up with a 39 yard touchdown scamper the first time he touched the ball. Just like that it was 14-0 in favor of the Ravens.
The teams would trade field goals to make it 17-3 after the first quarter, 36 yards by Dustin Hopkins and 37 by Justin Tucker respectively. The Ravens dominant performance was not to last however. Both the Browns offense and defense began to settle in the 2nd quarter, moving the ball more effectively and putting pressure on Lamar Jackson and the offense.
Cleveland worked its way down the field on a 70 yard drive that culminated in a 28 yard Hopkins field goal. Baltimore would have a chance to answer but a 55 yard attempt from Justin Tucker was blocked by Jordan Elliot and returned for 27 yards by Anthony Walker. Throughout the first half, the Ravens defense managed to hold in the red zone and did so again, forcing another field goal to make it a 17-9 affair.
Penalties were a theme on the day with both teams benefitting from drives being extended due to them. The Browns were flagged ten times for 55 yards while the Ravens drew seven for 64 yards.
The end of the first half was interesting to say the least. Lamar Jackson underthrew a pass intended for Rashod Bateman, leading to a Mike Ford interception. Deshaun Watson was shaken up moving the Browns to mid field, but rather than letting Dustin Hopkins attempt a 60 yard field goal, Cleveland opted instead to let backup quarterback PJ Walker attempt a hail mary. Walker's throw would come up short of the endzone, and the teams would head to the locker room still at 17-9 despite the late half theatrics.
The Ravens offense emerged from the locker room after halftime with a sense of urgency and much more of a pep in their step. Having marched into Cleveland territory, Lamar Jackson connected with Odell Beckham Jr. on a slant that he took 40 yards and a touchdown to make it 24-9 Baltimore. The 15 point difference was the largest lead on the day for the Ravens.
The Browns would respond in kind and in expert fashion. A prolonged 17 play, 75 yard drive taking 10 minutes and seven seconds off the clock, culminating in a three yard touchdown run by Kareem Hunt. Deshaun Watson then took it in on the ground for the two point conversion to make it a seven point ball game. On the drive, the Browns converted on third down twice and on fourth down once.
As the fourth quarter began it looked as if the Browns would get the ball back following a stalled Baltimore drive. Former Raven, James Proche was back to return the punt but muffed it. The loose ball was recovered by Devin Duvernay at the Cleveland 12 yard line. Despite two penalties, the Ravens, after a hold was called on the Browns, punched it in with Gus Edwards to distance themselves yet again, 31-17.
Cleveland’s resilient offense struck again, on a six play, 75 yard march, ending in a ten yard touchdown pass from Watson to Elijah Moore. The score made it 31-24 still in favor of Baltimore.
It was Cleveland’s turn to come up with a defensive score on the next Baltimore drive. Jackson, attempting to pass to the right flat, had it deflected high in the air and returned for a 34 yard touchdown by Greg Newsome II. The pick and touchdown were both career firsts for Newsome. Hopkins would however hook the PAT, allowing Baltimore to still lead 31-30.
The Ravens could not mount another prolonged offensive possession and the Browns would get the ball back at their own 25 yard line with 4:55 to go.
First down runs by Deshaun Watson and Jerome Ford would get the Browns in position to kick the walk off field goal. From 40 yards out, Dustin Hopkins split the uprights to hand the Ravens their third loss of the season. The kick was Hopkins’ 12th career game winner.
“Our big emphasis was to keep him in the pocket”, Harbaugh said of Deshaun Watson. “We didn’t want him to get out of there and he still did.” Watson finished his day 20 of 34 for 195 yards, one touchdown and one interception.Watson also added 37 yards on the ground off of eight carries. “A lot of QB scrambles, that's something throughout the week we emphasize on stopping and we didn't do that...We've gotta learn from it, you got to bring your best everyday and we didn't do that”, Madubuike said.
Other stats of note, Amari Cooper led the Browns in receiving with six catches for 98 yards and Jerome Ford served as the workhorse with 17 carries for 107 yards. Baltimore was led through the air by Zay Flowers who cataloged five catches for 73 yards. The Browns held the advantage in time of possession 34:15 to 25:45 and did a good job keeping the Ravens offense on the sideline.
Despite the loss, the Ravens still retain first place in the AFC North, and will be back in action on Thursday night where they’ll take on another divisional rival in the Cincinnati Bengals (5-4) at 8:15 on Thursday night. The Bengals dropped their game on Sunday as well, a 30-27 loss at the hands of the Houston Texans (5-4).
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