The Baltimore Ravens make a statement with their 2nd win, beating the previous undefeated Buffalo Bills 35-10 at M&T Bank Stadium on Sunday Night Football. The home team finished with 271 yards on the ground, as Derrick Henry continues his consecutive rushing touchdown streak since Week 1.
This is big for the Ravens to go up 2-2, as the Pittsburgh Steelers lose their first game to Anthony Richardson/ Joe Flacco and the Indianapolis Colts. Cincinnati got their first win against the Carolina Panthers and the Cleveland Browns dropped to the Las Vegas Raiders. Week 4’s performance will follow up with a key division rival game against the 1-3 Bengals.
Raven’s Offense is Unstoppable on the Ground
Like last week against their win against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 3, the run game with Derrick Henry and Lamar Jackson looks to be the staple for Todd Monken’s offense. Along with Justice Hill, who they extended this month, this trio of rushers seems unbeatable when they get going and all complement each other well in Baltimore. The biggest factor with the execution compared to Week 1 seems to be the offensive line performing well like last week for the second time this season.
Henry was 1 yard short of 200 yards on the ground, on 24 carries and a touchdown. He also had a receiving touchdown through the air, with 3 catches for 10 yards. The first play was an 87-yard rushing touchdown for Henry, the longest touchdown run in Baltimore Ravens’ franchise history.
Action Jackson finished with 6 carries for 54 yards and a touchdown as well for the Ravens, as this game was over mid-4th quarter. Even Hill had a few first-down runs, going for 18 yards on 4 carries, along with 6 catches and 78 yards, plus a receiving touchdown out of the backfield. The passing game was barely used like last week, but it was needed so that is how this offense will operate till it’s stopped by opposing defenses.
Baltimore’s Pass Rush Came to Play against Buffalo
Veteran Kyle Van Noy was relentless, with 2 sacks on Josh Allen leading the way. He is at 6 on the year, with three consecutive 2 sack games starting with Week 2. Odafe Oweh almost marked one, with 3.5 on the season. David Ojabo was also noticeable with a few pressures and stops in the run game.
The Raven’s pass rush helped out a struggling secondary, as the unit improved against Buffalo. Kyle Hamilton was everywhere once again, and Marlon Humphrey had a few key pass breakups. The rookie first-rounder Nate Wiggins almost had his first career interception and Brandon Stephens was picked on by Allen and second-round rookie Keon Coleman.
Final Thoughts On SNF vs. Josh Allen and the Bills
On both sides of the ball, the Baltimore Ravens were relatively clean, besides one turnover on Lamar Jackson with his fumble, which Buffalo recovered. However, besides one broken pass play with Josh Allen‘s heroics, the Raven’s secondary was much better than in previous weeks. The run defense was solid once again and the Baltimore run game was consistent throughout the night.
The good news is if they can keep this up on the ground, they should win and be favored in almost every game. However, it will be interesting how their offense adapts if they are down early or have to adjust against a defense that can stop the run. That shouldn’t be the case in Week 5, as the Ravens visit Cincinnati to take on a Bengals team that has a prolific offense but a struggling defense.
