After enduring some early-season struggles, it’s safe to say the Baltimore Ravens have regained their status as one of the NFL’s elite teams.
On Monday, Baltimore (5-2) rallied from an early 10-point deficit to secure its fifth consecutive victory, a 41-31 road win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-3) in a matchup that featured several noteworthy injuries.
Here are three of the biggest takeaways from Baltimore’s win:
Ravens prove their offense should be considered one of, if not the best, in the league
Baltimore sparked its turnaround by establishing an identity through a run-first offensive approach, which helped the team average a league-leading 205.3 rushing yards per game entering Monday’s action. Even so, while the running game was effective, particularly in the second half, the Ravens showed their offense is anything but one-dimensional.
The Ravens racked up 508 yards of total offense, and outside of separate 81-yard and 39-yard runs by RB Derrick Henry, their rushing attack wasn’t heavily leaned on as we’ve seen in recent weeks. This was due to QB Lamar Jackson’s success in the passing game, with the two-time MVP completing 77.3% of his passes for 281 yards and five touchdowns while posting a near-perfect 158.1 passer rating.
Perhaps the most encouraging development for the Ravens, and potentially bad news for the rest of the NFL, was the continued success of WR Rashod Bateman and TE Mark Andrews.
Bateman, who hasn’t been all that productive since being drafted in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft, hauled in four passes for a career-high 121 yards and a touchdown. Meanwhile, Andrews reestablished himself as a key target for Jackson after scoring his first touchdown of the season in last week’s home win over Washington, catching four passes for 41 yards and two TDs.
The Ravens have proven they can beat teams in a variety of ways, and if their collection of talented offensive weapons continue to click, it’s going to be difficult for any defense to slow them down.
Bucs QB Baker Mayfield struggles after WR Mike Evans’ injury
The Buccaneers offense got off to another hot start on Monday, as Mayfield connected with Evans — who entered the contest questionable with a hamstring injury — for a 25-yard touchdown on the team’s opening drive. The touchdown marked the 100th of Evans’ career, making the five-time Pro Bowler the 11th player in NFL history to reach that milestone.
However, disaster struck in the second quarter for Tampa Bay. With 7:37 remaining in the period while Tampa Bay was at Baltimore’s 24-yard line, Mayfield threw a beautiful pass to Evans in the end zone. However, the 11-year veteran dropped the ball and reaggravated his hamstring injury, which knocked him out for the remainder of the game.
Mayfield was quickly affected by the absence of his favorite red zone target, throwing an interception to Ravens CB Marlon Humphrey three plays later. The struggles only got worse from there for Mayfield. The former No. 1 overall pick was intercepted by Humphrey again on his next possession and led Tampa Bay on three scoring drives for the rest of the contest, all coming after Baltimore jumped out to a 34-10 lead.
Overall, Mayfield stat padded his way to 370 passing yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions after completing 10-of-12 passes for 118 yards before Evans got injured.
Buccaneers HC Todd Bowles’ careless decision made a bad night a whole lot worse
Unfortunately for Tampa Bay, Evans wasn’t the only star wide receiver to suffer a signifcant injury on Monday.
Despite Baltimore pulling most of its starters and the Buccaneers being down 10 points with under two minutes remaining in regulation, Bowles questionably left his starting offense in the game, which quickly proved costly. With less than a minute remaining, Mayfield completed a 21-yard pass to wideout Chris Godwin, who suffered a gruesome leg injury after being tackled by Ravens LB Roquan Smith.
The ESPN broadcast refused to show a replay of Godwin’s injury due to its severity, and the Penn State product was carted off the field with his leg in an air cast.
There was no reason for Godwin or any of Tampa Bay’s starters to still be in the game at that point. One could also argue that Bowles should’ve put in his second and third-stringers earlier in the fourth quarter, considering the game’s outcome was decided well before the period began.
Strangely enough, Godwin’s injury didn’t stop Bowles from aggressively trying to put points on the board, with the Buccaneers attempting six more plays after it occurred.
After the game, Bowles told reporters that Godwin suffered a dislocated ankle, sidelining him indefinitely. With Tampa Bay set to face Atlanta, Kansas City and San Francisco over its next three games, it’s possible Bowles’ careless decision could ultimately derail his team’s season.
