Everything seems right again in the world of the Baltimore Ravens. After a tough start to the season, the Ravens got nice Sunday night work from star quarterback Lamar Jackson. He even self-critiqued about one mistake. And the Ravens’ blowout victory over the Bills proves they are still a true Super Bowl contender.
In a wings-up mode, the Ravens soared to a 35-10 kick-pound of the previously undefeated Bills. Prime time. National audience. For the second week in a row, the offense racked up over 270 yards on the ground and dominated at the line of scrimmage throughout the game.
Here are several reasons why the victory provided a strong early season statement that the road to the Super Bowl can’t be navigated without somebody taking care of the Ravens.
QB Lamar Jackson gives Ravens a head start
John Harbaugh doesn’t have to say it, even though he often does. But Jackson is a premier talent and no other team has a player in his mold. Harbaugh said Jackson is No. 1 at his position in the NFL, according to baltimorebeatdown.com.
“(Lamar is the) best weapon in football right there, and everybody rallies around him, and he distributes to everybody else,” Harbaugh said. “That’s where it starts, but the run game is massively important to us.”
The Ravens totaled 271 yards on 34 attempts, thanks in a big way to Derrick Henry’s massive 199-yard effort. Also, Henry authored an 87-yard touchdown burst that set the Bills on a ledge and they weren’t able to escape.
Harbaugh said running the ball is a Ravens’ staple.
“That’s kind of always what we’ve been about,” Harbaugh said. “If you look back at the history of the organization, even before (I was the head coach). Running the ball and playing great defense, and then we have weapons. We’re blessed with weapons.”
It’s not such a shock the Ravens are going to run the football, as Harbaugh pointed out. But this year they didn’t seem to have to moxy up front to keep the team at the elite level in the NFL. Scratch that, rewind. This offensive line is just fine, thanks.
This even caught Pro Football Focus off guard. The stat crunchers had the Ravens at No. 25 in the first week of September. Word got out, and now they stand at No. 13, with a bullet.
“The Ravens’ offensive line played a perfect game in pass protection — a rare feat at the NFL level,” Zoltán Buday of PFF wrote. “The unit did not allow a single pressure to Buffalo in Week 4. They are the first team to do so in a game since the start of the 2021 season. Baltimore once again relied on Patrick Mekari’s versatility, who played at left guard instead of his normal right tackle spot because Andrew Vorhees was inactive. As a result, rookie offensive lineman Roger Rosengarten played all snaps at right tackle for Baltimore.”
Rosengarten said Henry makes the offensive line look better.
“The reality is he doesn’t need much room to run,” Rosengarten said. “If you give him a little sliver of space, he’s going to take advantage of it. He’s ‘22’ for a reason. He’s ‘King Henry’ for a reason. He shows it week in and week out and we just have to give him a chance. He’ll do the rest.”
Look for the Ravens to continue their climb in the PFF rankings.
The Ravens beat another Super Bowl contender
Folks, there are only so many true Super Bowl contenders. And because they have Josh Allen, the Bills are in that mix.
Who else is in there? The Chiefs, right? Who else? Yep. It’s a short list with the Dolphins falling apart without Tua Tagvailoa, and the Bengals looking awful on defense. Maybe the Texans deserve to be on the fringe.
The Ravens disposed of one of their biggest postseason obstacles. And they did it emphatically. Still safety Justin Hamilton cautioned about not putting too much stock in the win, according to a post on X by Ravens reporter Jamison Henlsey.
“I think it says a lot, but at the same time we didn’t win a Super Bowl today,” Hamilton said. “We’ve got to come out against the Bengals next week, a division game, going on the road. Big one for us today, but we’ve got to move forward to next week.”
RB Derrick Henry still has it
It’s impossible to write off Henry, even at age 30 and ticking fast toward 31. It looks like Henry is going to look more like Tom Brady than running backs who typically hit the cliff at age 30 or so. Henry’s $250,000 annual expenditure on body maintenance is clearly extending his career.
He may not look as good as ever, but he’s awful close. He’s averaging an incredible 6.0 yards per carry, although the recent 87-yard jaunt currently skewers it. He has scored five touchdowns, and shows no signs of slowing down. The Ravens’ biggest challenge is avoiding the temptation to overuse him the regular season. Can you imagine a dose of 25 carries from a Super Bowl-hungry Henry in a playoff game?
And it certainly helps Henry with the way the offensive line is playing.Her averaged 5.5 yards BEFORE contact against the Bills, per Pro Football Focus. Henry said the line turned in a superior performance.
“I just think they took a lot of heat during the season,” Henry said of his blockers. “They didn’t complain (and) went back to work and kept improving. I told them, ‘I go as they go.’ (We’re) all tied in together. When they’re getting criticized, then I’m with them. I’m just proud of them, and they’ve been playing (their) butts off.”
It helps that Jackson and Justice Hill take some of the pressure off of Henry, who had to carry a man-sized portion in his years with the Titans. Combine Jackson, Henry, and that gnarly defense, and it appears the Ravens are not only a Super Bowl contender, but one of the best bets to win it. At least that’s how it looks through five weeks.
