BALTIMORE — The Baltimore Ravens are coming off a stellar performance against the Detroit Lions, but the players are not letting the win hype up their heads.
Head coach John Harbaugh took to the podium after the game celebrating the win, but also reminded the fans that this was more than just a statement game.
“You guys can define all that stuff the way you want, and it’s cool. We’re just going to define it in terms of what we think we’re capable of playing like, and I promise you all the different things in that game that we feel like we can do better. But the things that we did well, and we stand on and we build on. The things we can do better, we have to take with us out there to Arizona and find a way to keep getting better. So, that kind of creates a vision for what we can be, but let’s go be even better,” Harbaugh said.
Ravens wide receiver Rashod Bateman, who caught two crucial passes in the first half, shared that same sentiment, stating that it was only a matter of time before the team began to click offensively.
“Stuff just takes time. You have to be patient, we really had a good week of practice [and] good preparation. We just came out there, and we played all four quarters. I think we showed them," said Bateman.
The Ravens played well in every aspect of the game, but the headlines came from quarterback Lamar Jackson's stat line.
393 total yards, 4 total touchdowns, and a 155.8 passer rating.
A picture perfect game for Jackson, but a picture can tell a thousand words.
After the game, a photo of Jackson surfaced on social media with him not looking to happy even after the great win.
He says he is happy about the improvement but the offense needs to continue to show consistency.
“I believe, when you’re playing regular season games, you should be OK. We’re winning. I’m all right with winning, but still, it’s [the] regular season. We made strides for improvement last week and earlier in the season. I believe we did, but it’s just one regular season game,” Jackson said.
Jackson would go on to praise the whole team's performance, especially the offensive live, who allowed zero sacks during that game.
He also added that he was satisfied with the win, but their are still things to clean up, such as the fumble on the botched hand off to running back Justice Hill.
"Little stuff like that – that's why I’m not pleased with the win, because we were trying to strive for it. Every drive we were going to score [and] put points on the board, but we didn’t because of that fumble. It’s pretty good [that] we got the win, so I’m satisfied,” Jackson said.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Ravens held the Lions to only 6 points.
In the first half, Detroit was held to under 100 yards of total offense.
“Our collective effort was great. The secondary played great. [On] defense, I felt like we played – on the defensive line – just in sync, in terms of the pass rush and stuff like that [and] stopping the run early, lowering their confidence. [Defensive coordinator] Mike [Macdonald] reiterated all the time throughout the week that if you startle [Jared] Goff early, he starts to get panicky; That’s exactly what happened. I feel like we just did a good job. It was just a great team win,” said Ravens defensive tackle Justin Madubuike.
Baltimore finished the game with 5 sacks and 1 interception from none other than safety Geno Stone, who is currently leading the league in intercepitons.
“The game turned into a passing game, and I liked that because the rush was getting there, and it flustered him [QB Jared Goff]. In a situation like that, for me, I like that because he was overthrowing the ball and that is an opportunity for takeaways,” Stone said.
Of course, the defense had to show out with Ravens' legends, Terrell Suggs, Ed Reed, and Ray Lewis in the building.
During halftime, Suggs was inducted into the Ring of Honor.
Patrick Queen says the motivation was high to put on a show in front of the Ravens legend.
"Just growing up watching those guys, how they ball out ... For them being at the game, and it being such a special game for [Terrell Suggs], we definitely wanted to go out there and perform. We didn’t want to lose on our home field while he was having his introduction, so it was definitely a high bit of motivation,” said Queen.
Through 7 weeks, the Ravens have shown flashes of what this team can look like, this game against Detroit was one of them.
But many will speculate if can they continue to click on all cylinders as their schedule gets tougher.
With games against the 49ers, Dolphins, Jaguars, and Chargers still on the docket, and more divisional games left, Baltimore will have their work cut out for them during the later stretch of the season.
They now prepare for their next match-up against the Arizona Cardinals where they will face a familiar face in wide receiver Marquise Brown.
That game is set for October 29 at 4:25 p.m.
