With the Ravens improving to 8-4 and moving into the top AFC wild-card spot with a 30-23 road win over the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday, I’ve offered a dozen thoughts, each in 50 words or less:
1. “Safe” decisions also carry risk. What if you punt from the 16 and shank it? What if Los Angeles drives for a touchdown anyway after you surrendered a possession you had a high-percentage chance of extending? Credit John Harbaugh for being open-minded when needing less than a yard. Possessions matter.
2. Remember those questions in recent years doubting Baltimore’s ability to come from behind? The Ravens are now 4-1 in games in which they’ve trailed by 10 or more points this season. Per Action Network, the rest of the NFL is 18-130. Nobody wants to fall behind, but that’s valuable experience.
3. That said, this high-octane offense has developed a habit of slow starts and has now failed to score in the opening quarter in five of the last six games. The Ravens still scored at least 30 points in three of those contests, but Todd Monken certainly wants to start faster.
4. Derrick Henry didn’t score a touchdown for the first time all season, but Monday was arguably his best game as a Raven with PFF charting him with a season-high 101 yards after contact and Next Gen Stats counting 113. The run blocking wasn’t bad, but Henry definitely earned his yardage.
5. While Lamar Jackson threw two beautiful touchdowns and ran in one reminiscent of his viral high school juke, my favorite play was his sidestep of the unblocked Teair Tart to find Charlie Kolar for a completion rather than a sack to start a touchdown drive. Jackson makes it look effortless.
6. After taking the snap and converting the “tush push” that marked the game’s turning point late in the first half, Mark Andrews caught his sixth touchdown in the last seven games. This offense may no longer need Andrews to be a 1,000-yard receiver, but he’s still Jackson’s top red-zone target.
7. Malik Harrison headlined an encouraging defensive performance without Roquan Smith, but it’s interesting that Trenton Simpson played a season-low 30 snaps while Harrison and special-teams veteran Chris Board both saw more action. That position is certainly worth monitoring after Board took a handful of Simpson’s snaps in Pittsburgh as well.
8. His production has slowed since October, but Rashod Bateman remains on track for more than 800 receiving yards after catching his fifth touchdown of 2024. Per Next Gen Stats, Jackson’s four longest completions of the season have all been to Bateman. I’d say that chemistry has come a long way.
9. Slow starts aside, you know this Ravens offense is humming when Diontae Johnson and Keaton Mitchell have remained non-factors for multiple weeks. That’s not a knock on either player as I suspect finding ways to better incorporate them for the stretch run will be an objective during the bye week.
10. There are only so many opportunities for Mitchell, however, when Justice Hill explodes for a 51-yard touchdown run for a two-score lead on the drive that followed his terrific blitz pickup on Jackson’s touchdown to Andrews. Hill’s improvement over the last few seasons has been extremely impressive.
11. There wasn’t a worse player on the field for either team than Los Angeles receiver Quentin Johnston, who had three drops and didn’t record a catch on five targets. Though Johnston has shown some growth in his second season, he was drafted just before Zay Flowers last year. Ouch, Chargers.
12. Right call or not, there was probably something fitting about Baltimore being flagged for a leg whip, a penalty a casual fan wouldn’t even know. The Ravens eclipsed 100 yards in penalties for the third time this season and have now surpassed 75 yards in penalties seven times. Maddening.
