With the Ravens winning a third straight game in a 27-19 final in Minnesota on Sunday afternoon, I’ve offered a dozen thoughts, each in 50 words or less:
1. Lamar Jackson didn’t put up big numbers, but that was a veteran performance amidst a very difficult matchup for this offensive line. He was effective enough using quick game, taking only one sack and throwing the ball away when necessary against Brian Flores’ blitz-happy defense. That’s what it takes sometimes.
2. After plenty of early-season overreaction, Malaki Starks is looking more and more like the impact safety the Ravens envisioned upon making him the 27th overall pick in April. There’s a learning curve covering that much space at the next level, and the Georgia product is making plays every week now.
3. Dre’Mont Jones earned high marks with John Harbaugh describing his physicality and quickness as adding “a good flavor” in his team debut. PFF credited Jones with four pressures as he moved inside a handful of times. Next Gen Stats tracked Baltimore with its best pressure rate since Week 3. Progress.
4. Ravens cornerbacks deserve much credit for their coverage, but Sunday was an odd day for Vikings star receiver Justin Jefferson, who appeared disinterested at times despite having a good reputation around the league. I’d guess J.J. McCarthy’s accuracy — or lack thereof — probably had something to do with that.
5. Considering McCarthy’s struggles, Minnesota not leaning harder into its ground game did the Ravens a big favor. Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason combined to average 5.5 yards per carry despite rushing a total of just 13 times. Throwing deep balls in short-yardage situations is quite a choice.
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6. With Roquan Smith’s return obviously helping, Teddye Buchanan continues improving and might have had his best game as a pro as he closed quickly to deliver some big hits and forced a fumble on special teams. He still struggles to shed blocks, but he’s looking more comfortable in coverage.
7. Keaton Mitchell provided a spark in the second quarter when Baltimore was really struggling offensively, so why he received only one touch in the second half is a good question. Lining up in heavy and running Derrick Henry isn’t working to the degree it did last year. More change of pace.
8. Speaking of special teams, Keondre Jackson continues to shine as he made one of the game’s biggest plays with his forced fumble and recovery to set up Baltimore’s first touchdown. The undrafted rookie from Illinois State had a solid summer to earn a practice-squad spot and has maximized his opportunities.
9. Though there’s no replacing Nnamdi Madubuike’s inside pass-rush ability, Travis Jones has played excellent football since the bye week, an indication that he’s fully past that early-season knee injury. The defensive tackle was credited by PFF with a season-high six pressures to go with his first full sack of 2025.
10. This doesn’t qualify as a concern yet, but the eyeball test has been shaky for Tyler Loop lately with some near misses to go with his 56-yard try that went wide left Sunday. That’s not a chip shot, of course, but a contender needs those in today’s NFL, especially indoors.
11. Back-to-back drops from Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely torpedoed a promising early drive that resulted in a field goal rather than a touchdown. That said, drops hadn’t been much of a problem with PFF crediting Baltimore with a total of four over its first eight games before four on Sunday.
812. Running the ball consistently remains a struggle, but I liked the creativity on the “tush push” pitch to Jackson and even giving Patrick Ricard his first carry in nearly three years. That said, it might be time to erase handoffs to Zay Flowers from the playbook after another fumble.
