Ravens Reacts: Week 9 vs. Broncos Recap
Ravens demolish Broncos 41-10 in historic outing from MVP-favorite Lamar Jackson
Welcome back to another edition of ‘Ravens Reacts’, a Cool Sports Newsletter series made by a die hard Ravens fan. In what was supposed to be one of the better games in the early-Sunday slate, the Baltimore Ravens were able to topple the Denver Broncos in a 31-point win, but the score doesn’t just define the performance. Record-breaking outings from both Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry helped propel the Ravens to a huge bounce-back victory on Sunday afternoon, one that reassured fans that the Ravens are still one of the best teams in the NFL.
Were My Predictions Correct?
Total game score goes under 46.5 points (Wrong; there were 51 total points)
Lamar Jackson has < 300 scrimmage yards (Correct; he had 284)
Bo Nix has 300+ Yds and 1+ INT’s (Wrong; he had 223 yards and 1 INT)
Derrick Henry scores 2+ scrimmage TD’s (Correct; he scored twice)
Adam Trautman has 65+ yards and/or 1+ TD (Wrong; he had four yards)
Diontae Johnson scores a TD (Wrong; he didn’t receive a target)
Ravens win 27-16 (Correct; more scoring from BAL, less from DEN)
Who Got Injured During the Game?
Nobody
For the first time in my career covering football, not once was there a game with no injuries until this Sunday between the Ravens and the Broncos. Despite all of the injury drama heading into the game, with Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson missing two days of practice earlier in the week, and with Baltimore being without Marlon Humphrey and Nate Wiggins the week prior. But in this game, everyone stayed healthy and on the field, which is always a great sign.
The Game Was Over When…
Lamar Jackson found Zay Flowers late in the first half for a 53 yard touchdown. The Ravens were the better team right out of the gate, but there seemed to be very little separation in scoring between the two squads. The Broncos had just got a field goal before half but had multiple red zone looks. Where it seemed the Ravens found their groove came on that drive, where Lamar took the game into his own hands and scored in just 38 seconds. Once that happened, it was obvious this game would favor Baltimore, who would also receive the ball to begin the second half.
Positional Grades
Quarterbacks: A+
Right out of the gate, it was obvious Lamar Jackson was going to have a fantastic day. He ended the first quarter 4-4, and had just one incompletion in the first half. Usually Jackson begins his games slow, but in this one he was able to control pace the right out the gate. Lamar showed all of the things you want out of.a quarterback. He was relaxed, he was patient, he made plays consistently, he was accurate, he put his receivers in position to go for more yardage after the catch, and converted inside the red zone. His pocket presence has been a tremendous improvement from just last season, where he was one vote shy of taking home a second unanimous MVP. Jackson finished his day 16-19 for 280 yards and three scores—once again throwing as many touchdowns as incompletions—along with a perfect passer rating (158.3), doing it for the fourth time in his career. That ties Ben Roethlisberger for the most in NFL history…and in 95 games.
According to Sal Paolantonio of ESPN, Lamar Jackson showed up to the stadium at just 10:55 am, while also not practicing for two days due to injury. And yet, he put together one of the best performances of his entire career in a 30+ point win at home. Legend. As said by Derrick Henry, “He’s the engine making this thing go.” After another jaw-dropping performance—most likely awarding him Player of the Week—Jackson should be first in line for the league’s Most Valuable Player award, an honor he’s received twice in his previous six seasons.
Running Backs: A-
Another day at work, another record-breaking day for King Henry. Henry not only eclipsed 1,000 yards in his ninth game (which puts him on pace to reach just under 2k yards for the season), but he also scored his 100th career rushing touchdown, tying him for 8th all time on the rushing touchdown leaderboard. He became only the fourth player in NFL history to run for both 10,000 yards and 100 touchdowns before turning 30. In this individual matchup, Henry found success—per usual—in the second half by wearing down defenses, though he also ran for a touchdown in the first half. He finished with over 100 yards and two scores, and he didn’t even have one large run that usually takes up a large bulk of his yardage. Justice Hill also got involved in the second half, rushing for 15 yards while also catching four passes for 43 yards. (Henry also had a 27-yard catch). He made a case to still be a pivotal part of the offense once Keaton Mitchell returns.
Wide Receivers: A-
The big question many Ravens fans had about Zay Flowers was if he was ready to be the top-tier wide receiver against elite secondaries. In this game, he had to deal with both Pat Surtain and Ja’Quan McMillian and had no problems, catching five passes for 127 yards and two touchdowns. He continues to thrive at finding ways to create separation between him and his defender, and his speed has been more of an asset than ever before for yardage after the catch. He now ranks fifth in the NFL in receiving yardage after five weeks. Outside of him, Jackson didn’t find many receivers consistently, though Nelson Agholor caught an important 29 yard pass in the first quarter and Rashod Bateman had three catches for 25 yards. However, Diontae Johnson was yet to be a part of the game plan, not receiving a target in this matchup.
Tight Ends: C+
The Ravens have always been a team to utilize their tight ends and fullbacks, but that just wasn’t in store with the offensive game plan during this matchup. Granted Pat Ricard caught a touchdown pass, but the Ravens tight ends only received three targets and caught two passes in this matchup, both from Mark Andrews. The 3x Pro Bowler accumulated 26 yards on those two receptions, while Isaiah Likely, dealing with injuries, wasn’t a significant asset in Week 9. And nor was Charlie Kolar, who’s incredible Week 5 outing hasn’t exactly translated into further matchups.
Offensive Line: B+
The Ravens O-Line did a pretty solid job in this game. Outside of a few lousy penalties from Patrick Mekari, the offensive line didn’t play sloppy, gave Lamar Jackson tons of time (his only sack was on the first drive of the game), and the Ravens were able to lean on the rushing attack in the second half. And Mekari, outside of the two penalties, had a stellar day with one of the best PFF grades of the week. However, the Ravens running game was very inconsistent and struggles to find consistent rushing lanes, the key reason why Baltimore ran for just 3.7 yards per carry.
Defensive Line: B-
Bo Nix sacked four times for a loss of 28 yards does not give a good perspective as to how poorly Baltimore’s defensive line played. They stepped up—as did the entire defense—during the second half, but Nix was given plenty of time to throw and evade tacklers, and Baltimore simply struggled to take him down. There were many plays where the Ravens generated solid pressure but weren’t able to bring the rookie to the ground. He was then able to take off for 36 yards on the ground. And the Broncos were able to run for over 100 yards with very little plays of negative yardage, something this defense has actually done a great job with during the season. The losses in the interior of Travis Jones, Brent Urban and Michael Pierce due to injury definitely stood out in this game. However, they were able to generate those four QB takedowns, two of which from Tavius Robinson in a career-best outing for him.
Linebackers: A
Roquan Smith and Trenton Simpson continue to build more chemistry and play more productively each week, and this was by far their best performance. According to PFF, Trenton Simpson has done a great job at limiting separation with receivers in coverage, and that showed in this matchup with a pass defended and great lateral movement. He also accumulated nine tackles, a QB hit, a sack and two tackles for loss. PFF gave him the best tackling grade of his season. Malik Harrison also had six tackles and a sack, while Smith was actually not needed of an incredible performance. A great game with several impactful pieces from this corp.
Secondary: B
Let’s get this straight: this was, by far, the best performance from the Ravens secondary the entire season. Nix had an early interception, the passing attack wasn’t overly powerful in the third and fourth quarters like they have been in the past for Baltimore, and the tight end position and secondary option production was minimized. Kyle Hamilton and Ar’Darius Washington (with his first career INT) both had top five weeks for safeties by PFF, Marlon Humphrey and Nate Wiggins did fine jobs in coverage, and Brandon Stephens came up with a huge tackle on fourth down. The problem: it came against the worst quarterback and the worst passing game the Ravens have faced all season. Even against Jameis Winston, Baltimore knew that the former first overall pick has the talent and ability to win a game for his team based on years of experience. But the Ravens played a rookie in Nix, Courtland Sutton and virtually no other notable names at pass catcher, and were a few made-passes away from this game coming down to the wire. When Patrick Mahomes sees that in the playoffs, or Josh Allen, or Joe Burrow (faces Baltimore on Thursday), or even Jared Goff, those QB’s will make the plays Nix didn’t. More of a long-term concern, though passing productions was minimized in Week 9.
Special Teams: A-
The Ravens special teams didn’t have many notable moments, good or bad, during this game. Tylan Wallace and Chris Collier both had decent returns while possessing great speed. Justin Tucker made both of his field goals and his five extra points. And Jordan Stout was able to pin Denver deep in the first half. A productive day, but with nothing far too memorable.
Coaching: A
The Ravens had a near perfect day coaching wise. John Harbaugh, who had to rally a team without their quarterback for two days during practice, had his boys ready to battle from the first snap, making a huge interception in the first half to gain momentum early on. And he was able to make a huge challenge call on an early Denver fourth down attempt that was initially ruled a 1st down but was overturned to a turnover on downs thanks to Harbaugh’s efforts. The individual coordinators were also outstanding. Lamar had an all time low one direct running snap due to his injuries, yet plays were called to offset that by Todd Monken and exploit perhaps the league’s top secondary. He also stuck with the rushing attack for the Ravens 42nd consecutive game rushing for over 100 yards, one away from the all time record set by Pittsburgh, and then Baltimore back in 2021. And defensively, Zach Orr coached his best game by getting his best players involved and finding production from unknown stars like Harrison and Robinson. The Ravens also limited penalties early. A great game from a great team who’s coaches had them dominating from the get-go.
Overall: A
This was Baltimore’s best game of the season, top to bottom. They saw production from all areas on both sides of the ball, and did it against a 5-3 team going into Sunday (whether their record represents how good of a team they are or not). Lamar was stellar, Derrick Henry showed great success against an elite run defense, Zay played like the elite receiver he is, the defense made many unexpected plays, the coaching was smart, the time management was fantastic, and the score shows it with a 31 point win. The Ravens schedule does not get easier, with Cincinnati, Pittsburgh and the Los Angeles Chargers coming up next, which includes a tough Thursday Night matchup just two days from now at home against the Bengals, whom they went to overtime with just a few weeks ago. But they showed everything a championship squad needs in this game, and skills they can bring in those future tough outings.
Signing off from the Flock, I’m Chase Coburn!
Chase Coburn
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