Quarterback Lamar Jackson starred in the Ravens’ win over the Lions on Sunday, as Detroit routed Baltimore 38-6. Here’s what you need to know:
- Jackson went 21-of-27 passing for 357 yards and three touchdowns for a 155.8 passer rating. He added a score on the ground on Baltimore’s opening drive.
- It was Jackson’s first game with at least three TD passes and a rushing touchdown since Week 3 of last season against the New England Patriots.
- Baltimore held Detroit scoreless through the first three quarters. The Lions got on the board in the fourth via a 21-yard TD run by Jahmyr Gibbs.
- Detroit quarterback Jared Goff completed 33 of 53 passes for 284 yards with no TDs and an interception.
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NFL’s ‘sleeping giant’ wakes up
Some Ravens offensive players in recent weeks had taken to describing themselves as a sleeping giant. The suggestion was that the offense had so much potential once it stopped making mistakes and started putting together something resembling a complete game. The Ravens weren’t perfect offensively in their rout of Detroit. They had their weekly fumbled exchange when they were deep in Lions territory late in the second quarter and looking to build on a 28-0 lead. But the performance was pretty close to perfect offensively and it rolled up over 500 yards against the NFL’s seventh-ranked defense coming into the game. It was clear that the “sleeping giant” has awoken. Now, the Ravens need to build off this and they’ve struggled to do that off big wins this year. — Jeff Zrebiec, Ravens senior writer
Mike Macdonald, Ravens defense shine
Mike Macdonald will be getting head-coaching buzz soon.
Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson is considered one of the NFL’s hottest head-coaching candidates and for good reason. However, the Ravens’ young defensive coordinator Macdonald seems to be on the verge of getting some head-coaching buzz of his own. The Ravens entered the day with the NFL’s second-ranked defense and tied for the league lead in sacks.
Macdonald’s group then went out and completely overwhelmed one of the league’s hottest offenses. Detroit had just 97 yards of total offense. It didn’t have a first down until midway through the second quarter and it was a shutout until early in the fourth quarter. Macdonald’s star is on the rise. — Zrebiec
Baltimore dominates first half
Ravens coach John Harbaugh typically defers when his team wins the coin toss. On Sunday, the Ravens took the ball. It was as if Harbaugh wanted to send a message. Consider it sent. The Ravens scored touchdowns on their first four possessions. Only a botched handoff late in the second quarter prevented the damage from being worse.
The Ravens have been saying for a few weeks that they believe they are close to an offensive breakout in Todd Monken’s new system. That breakout came in the first half. — Zrebiec
Disappointment for Detroit
A terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day for the Lions. A loss to the Ravens would’ve been understandable. They’re a good team that matches up well against the Lions. But a 38-6 loss? That’s going to put a damper on Detroit’s Super Bowl parade. Truthfully, though, this wasn’t the Lions’ day. You could tell from the opening drive.
They went on to allow 503 yards of offense while mustering up just six points. They haven’t been roughed up like this since the Carolina game late last year. This might’ve been worse, considering the expectations for this team. This was a burn-the-tape game.
How the Lions handled Jackson and this Ravens offense doesn’t inspire much confidence. Jackson went off for 357 passing yards and four touchdowns overall. They couldn’t stop him. If there’s a silver lining, it’s that the Lions won’t face many quarterbacks as good as Jackson the rest of the way. But they had a chance to prove their defense was for real, and didn’t make much of it. — Colton Pouncy, Lions staff writer
Highlight of the game
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Key stats
This was the 14th game of Jackson’s career with touchdowns via pass and rush, tied for third-most in the NFL since his first season in 2018.
It was the biggest first-half deficit the Lions have faced under coach Dan Campbell and is the largest first-half deficit overall since Week 16 of 2020 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (trailed 34-0).
Required reading
(Photo: Patrick Smith / Getty Images)
