The Baltimore Ravens return to M&T Bank Stadium Monday night against the Detroit Lions. Baltimore looks to win two in a row after beating the Cleveland Browns last week in their home opener, 41- 17, which saw the Ravens celebrate their 30th season in the league.
Baltimore got defense back on track in Week 2, after a jaw-dropping collapse to the Bills to open the season, but the Lions present a much more difficult challenge than the Browns. The Ravens will need their defensive stars to step up and continue to share the ball on offense if they want to walk out of Week 3 above .500.
Roquan Smith Leads Dominant Defense
Against the Bills, the Ravens’ defense collapsed, surrendering 41 points, 22 of which came in the fourth. The defense bounced back with a much better showing in Week 2, giving up only 17 points and 208 passing yards to Cleveland’s offense.
Leading the charge was inside linebacker Roquan Smith, who delivered the best performance of his career. Smith recorded a staggering 15 tackles, returned a fumble for a touchdown, and had three tackles for a loss.
Smith was the first player since 2008 to record a stat line of at least 15 tackles, three tackles for loss, and a defensive touchdown in a single game. His performance earned him his first career recognition as the AFC defensive player of the week.
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While the spotlight was on Smith, the rest of the defense also stepped up. Not only did they limit Cleveland to just 208 passing yards, they also consistently pressured Flacco throughout the game.
The defense recorded nine quarterback hits and two sacks. Their effort spoiled Flacco’s return to M&T Bank Stadium — his first game in Baltimore since he last played for the Ravens in 2018.
Offense Spreads the Love Around
The Ravens offense operated like the mythical hydra; when one of its heads gets cut off, two more appear.
Cleveland went all in on stopping Derrick Henry, and it showed, holding him to just 23 yards on 11 carries, but Baltimore took advantage of their sell out by deploying the other weapons in their arsenal.
Lamar Jackson threw for 225 yards and 4 TDs — his favorite target, Zay Flowers, caught seven passes for 75 yards. The Ravens favored throwing the ball around, with six players tallying two or more receptions. Devontez Walker caught two passes for 26 yards, with both receptions going for touchdowns; he now has three receptions for three TDs in his career.
Besides Flowers and Devontez, DeAndre Hopkins also joined Baltimore’s passing party, going for 64 yards on two receptions with one TD. Baltimore’s passing attack operated like an unstoppable machine, as it plowed right through Cleveland’s defense all game.
While Baltimore enjoyed the dominant display over the Browns, the real test starts now, as the Ravens play last year’s NFC No. 1 seed, the Detroit Lions.
What Must Carry Over to Beat Detroit
For the Ravens to win their game on Monday night against the Lions, the team will need their defense to step up once again. Baltimore enters the game with a 6-1 record against Detroit all-time, with the Lions’ last win against the Ravens coming in 2005, when they defeated Baltimore 35-17.
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The Lions, led by Jared Goff and Jahmyr Gibbs, are really good. If Baltimore wants to win this game, they’re going to need to stop the run, as the Lions are currently averaging 4.3 yards per carry and 111.5 rushing yards per game. Gibbs leads the team with 113 yards rushing, and the Ravens will need to find a way to slow him down, as he is averaging 5.4 yards per carry.
Besides another strong defensive display, Baltimore will also need an MVP performance from Lamar Jackson and a bounce-back game from Derrick Henry, as Detroit is currently allowing teams to run 106 yards a game and 4.1 yards per carry.
If Baltimore can replicate another strong defensive performance and can get their rushing and passing attack going, the Ravens will have a good chance of walking away on Monday night with a win and moving to 2-1 on the season.
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