With the Ravens improving to 6-2 with their 24-10 victory over Indianapolis on Sunday, I’ve offered a dozen thoughts, each in 50 words or less:
1. The second-half revival of the offense garnered the attention, but the Baltimore defense was the real hero again with Marcus Peters and Chuck Clark headlining the effort. Wink Martindale did a brilliant job positioning his group to navigate a disruptive practice week and overcome the absence of some key players.
2. Though a 10-7 score isn’t the dramatic kind of deficit to which critics have been referring, the Ravens snapping a streak of losing 20 straight games in which they trailed at halftime is a step in the right direction. The last time they’d done that was in 2016.
3. As brutal as the first half was for the offense, Lamar Jackson reminded of his 2019 level of play by going 10-for-10 for 119 yards after intermission. The unit played with better tempo, and Jackson was on the money with those in-breaking throws using play-action fakes and run-pass options.
4. It would be naïve to think an offensive line that was already missing Marshal Yanda and is now without Ronnie Stanley won’t have issues, but that group rebounded nicely against a tough front in the second half. It doesn’t have to be the best, but the first half was substandard.
5. I’m still unsure whether Peters’ catch should have been an interception, but credit John Harbaugh, who saw enough to challenge despite being crushed by critics initially. Like a baseball third base coach, you’re weighing the reward and chance of success against the risk of losing or not even attempting it.
6. After I wrote about the lack of a “soul crusher” in Philadelphia last month, the Ravens possessed the ball for all but 79 seconds in the third quarter. Those stretches of complementary football have been more fleeting in 2020 after they did that over and over again last year.
8
7. Success on first down made that possible. After gaining a total of two yards on nine first-down snaps in the first half, the Ravens picked up 101 yards on 13 first-down plays in the third quarter, which included six completions for 78 yards. The best offenses avoid third downs.
8. Penalties were again pivotal as the Ravens committed five for 55 yards in the first half and weren’t flagged a single time after halftime. A little more discipline goes a long way.
9. Despite not reaching 50 receiving yards or scoring a touchdown for the third straight game, Mark Andrews produced one of the highlights of the game with his block on Jackson’s touchdown run in the fourth quarter. A thing of beauty.
10. Sam Koch is busier these days as he punted at least six times for the second time in three games. He punted four or more times only twice last season and is just nine punts shy of last year’s total, which remains more of a compliment to a historic 2019.
11. Some of the bitterness held for the Colts has faded over the years, but the Ravens winning in Indianapolis for the first time still feels good for a few generations of Baltimoreans who remember when such a feat was nothing more than a dream. It’s important not to forget that.
12. Time will reveal whether this win serves as somewhat of a turning point, but this felt like a bit of a separator between a championship contender and a more run-of-the-mill playoff team. After the Kansas City and Pittsburgh losses, the Ravens beating a quality team on the road felt important.
