BALTIMORE — Asked this past week about Sunday’s game being a measuring stick, Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith complimented Detroit’s 5-1 start before reminding that the NFL is a “show me” business.
The same was true for Baltimore, who’s spent the last few years as arguably the NFL’s ultimate “woulda coulda shoulda” team because of late-season injuries to star quarterback Lamar Jackson and a series of inexplicable losses snatched from the jaws of victory. A 4-2 start to 2023 was good enough for the Ravens to be viewed as a legitimate playoff team, of course, but the eyeball test hadn’t screamed serious Super Bowl contender with choppy offensive showings and a top-shelf defense not facing an imposing slate of quarterbacks.
After a 38-6 demolition of a previously-red-hot Jared Goff and the Lions that didn’t even feel that close, the Ravens were the ones showing how seriously they should be taken. That the all-around dominance came on the heels of their return from London — and three straight road games — made it that much more impressive.
“I think it’s time. You talk about the time of year that it is,” said tight end Mark Andrews, who caught two touchdown passes. “It’s time to separate and become the team that you want to be if we can continue to stack, continue to get better, and take it week by week.”
Jackson was nothing short of spectacular from the opening drive until being replaced by backup Tyler Huntley with just under five minutes to play, going 21-for-27 through the air for 357 yards and three touchdowns — both season highs. Sporting a perfect 158.3 passer rating until late in the third quarter and finishing at a whopping 155.8, the 2019 league MVP also added a rushing touchdown and wasn’t sacked once behind a stout offensive line.
It was the kind of performance the Ravens envisioned upon hiring offensive coordinator Todd Monken, who received a game ball for his play-calling efforts.
Not to be outdone, Mike Macdonald’s defense didn’t allow as much as a first down until midway through the second quarter and sacked Goff five times. The Lions didn’t get on the scoreboard until early in the fourth quarter when it was already 35-0.
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The victims of the bludgeoning said it all.
“They kicked our ass. It’s a credit to them,” Lions head coach Dan Campbell said. “Lamar beat us. He hammered us with his arm. He threw the ball extremely well. He ran when he needed to, and we did not handle it well.”
But Jackson wasn’t overly jovial after the game, lamenting mistakes — few as they were — such as the fumbled handoff between him and running back Justice Hill that cracked open the door for Detroit to gain momentum going into halftime. However, the Baltimore defense didn’t allow the Lions to drive past midfield before intermission and then stopped them again on the opening drive of the second half, which squashed any lingering chance for a comeback.
The Ravens’ 355 yards in the first half marked their most ever at home and third most in team history while their 28 points scored in the first half were their most since the Monday night demolition of the Rams in Los Angeles in 2019. The 38 points overall were Baltimore’s most in a game since Week 2 of last season.
“It’s pretty good. That’s what we expected,” said Jackson, who won his 50th game in just his 68th career regular-season start. “That’s what we expect out of each other [for] our offense to be moving the ball down the field no problem and putting points on the board. But we need to just keep being consistent. That’s the biggest aspect I got out of this game.”
You never take blowout victories for granted in a week-to-week league in which anything can happen, but all the talk that the Ravens should have been 6-0 rather than 4-2 rang hollow without putting together a complete and convincing performance such as Sunday’s. In fact, it was so thoroughly impressive over three quarters that John Harbaugh was able to call off the dogs in the final period.
After saying earlier in the week that the Lions needed to prove themselves, Smith was asked whether the Ravens had shown the visitors something instead.
“I’ll let you be the judge, you know,” said Smith, cracking a smile. “I think the score’s the judge. They got cheap yards at the end, but hats off to just the way we played as a team. I’m just proud to be a part of it.”
After months of talking about the kind of complete team they could be, the Ravens played a “show me” game that had to make the rest of the NFL take notice.
