With the Ravens securing their first victory of the season at Dallas on Sunday to avoid an 0-3 start, I’ve offered a dozen thoughts, each in 50 words or less:
1. Derrick Henry had interest in playing for Dallas, but he instead ran right through a Cowboys defense that appeared allergic to tackling. The highlight was the 29-yard run that included a nasty stiff arm on rookie Caelen Carson, who also had the bad missed tackle on Nelson Agholor’s 56-yard reception.
2. Credit Daniel Faalele for turning in an improved performance. As John Harbaugh noted, “He played with more aggressiveness. He came off the ball. He moved people.” Faalele still has a long way to go to remain a long-term starter, but that was a needed step in the right direction.
3. The contrast in the Baltimore defense of the first three quarters and what we saw in the final period was maddening even reviewing the game a second time. The score and inability to run the ball made Dallas as predictable as possible, but that didn’t matter. Way too many mistakes.
4. The middle intermediate portion of the field remains a sieve in coverage that opponents will continue trying to exploit. Harbaugh said, “You have to get between the quarterback and the football, and we’re not doing a good job of that.” There’s plenty invested in that part of the defense too.
3rd and 6… Money throw by Lamar Jackson 🎯
📺: #BALvsDAL on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/8bOnIqCj1Z
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5. If you squinted hard enough, Lamar Jackson’s 9-yard completion to Zay Flowers on third-and-6 could have resembled Joe Flacco to Anquan Boldin once upon a time. Jackson had a career-low 15 pass attempts in a contest he started and finished, but that was massive as the game was really teetering.
6. Despite getting off to a slow 2024 start dealing with some nagging injuries, Kyle Hamilton had his best game of the season as he played extensively at the nickel and dime. The results of increased dime usage were underwhelming, but Hamilton playing closer to the line of scrimmage is preferred.
7. Though I’m sure Mark Andrews — not to mention his fantasy owners — wasn’t thrilled going without a catch for just the third time in his career, ask Trevon Diggs if the former All-Pro tight end lacked enthusiasm for blocking. The Ravens do need to get Andrews going sooner than later, however.
8. Surrendering 19 points in the fourth quarter is unacceptable by any standard of Ravens defense, but Justin Tucker missing a 46-yard field goal and Flowers failing to recover the onside kick were catalysts for the Dallas comeback. Special teams have been anything but special thus far. Not good at all.
9. I know old-school football folks hate going for fourth downs, but the Ravens punted on a fourth-and-1 from the Dallas 44, passed going for a fourth-and-2 on Tucker’s 46-yard miss, and punted on fourth-and-3 from the Dallas 40. Being conservative can also leave the door open for potential comebacks.
10. The telecast relayed Micah Parsons’ sentiment that the Cowboys needed to “fix the fundamentals before we worry about quarterback Lamar Jackson.” They failed miserably doing both. Say what you want about Baltimore’s difficulties finishing games, but you rarely ever see performances like that from Harbaugh-led teams. That’s a “Charmin” defense.
811. We’ve seen Jackson look displeased after uneven team wins in the past, but between his postgame interview with FOX and his reaction to Marlon Humphrey’s live video stream on the team’s flight home, the two-time MVP quarterback clearly wasn’t happy with Sunday’s finish. I respect that kind of leadership.
12. The Baltimore Ravens Football Experience™ is just part of the unpredictable week-to-week nature of the NFL. How else do you explain Las Vegas pulling off the upset in Baltimore before laying a home egg against Carolina? Pittsburgh is 3-0, and Cincinnati is 0-3. Buckle up for a long season.
