Ravens Deliver A 32-Point Whipping Of The Lions -- A Win So Thorough Even FOX Loses Interest
There was a moment in the first half of Sunday's game between the Detroit Lions and Baltimore Ravens where the lopsided score could be guessed by this statistic: The Lions had 36 total yards; the Ravens had seven plays of 20 yards or more.
Not surprisingly the Ravens were dismantling the Lions at the time. It was 14-0 after one quarter. And that grew to 28-0 at halftime.
The 28-point halftime deficit was historic in every wrong kind of way for the Lions. It was the largest deficit in franchise history since 1991.
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - OCTOBER 22: Keaton Mitchell #34 of the Baltimore Ravens carries the ball in the second quarter of the game against the Detroit Lions at M&T Bank Stadium on October 22, 2023 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)
Ravens Drop Lions From Among NFL's Best
The game was such a blowout that FOX dropped it for parts of the country and switched to the Falcons game at Tamp Bay instead.
The Ravens ultimately closed out the game, winning it 38-6.
So Baltimore just hammered one of the NFL's top teams coming into Sunday -- the Lions were one of five teams with a league-best 5-1 record -- by 32 points.
And this result immediately means a couple of significant things:
It means the Ravens are indeed starting to resemble the Super Bowl contender the fan base is hoping for.
"That creates a vision of what we can be," Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. "But let's go be even better."
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - OCTOBER 22: Lamar Jackson #8 of the Baltimore Ravens runs with the ball in the fourth quarter of the game against the Detroit Lions at M&T Bank Stadium on October 22, 2023 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)
Lamar Jackson Authors A Masterpiece
And the offense is starting to be the dynamic unit quarterback Lamar Jackson has promised multiple times this season --- even after losses.
Jackson completed 21 of 27 passes (a whopping 77.7 completion percentage) for 357 yards with 4 TDs and no interceptions. It was a game that should silence the Lamar Jackson isn't a fine quarterback crowd for at least a little while.
"When we do what we're supposed to do, like I've said, the sky's the limit for us," Jackson said.
Amazingly, Jackson said he wasn't pleased with the victory but satisfied.
"We had one hiccup me and Justice (Hill) but we talked about it on the sideline and we shouldn't have that problem any more," Jackson added, noting a turnover . "But little stuff like that, that's not why I'm not pleased with the win because we were trying to strive for every drive we want to score and put points on the board but we didn't because of that fumble.
"But it's pretty good. We got the win so I'm satisfied."
That may sound like Jackson is nitpicking but it's the smart thing to do because the Ravens have had big regular season wins in the past that have not led to postseason success. And they still have tough games left this regular season. They still have to play the Bengals, the Jaguars, the 49ers and the Dolphins.
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - OCTOBER 22: Patrick Ricard #42 of the Baltimore Ravens carries the ball in the first half of the game against the Detroit Lions at M&T Bank Stadium on October 22, 2023 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
Ravens Stomp Lions Despite No Lack Of Energy
It's not going to be easy. But they seem to have the team they want to be in their sight.
"One thing about these guys, they are not turned to the right nor to the left, they are like this," Harbaugh said signaling straight ahead. "That's how they're focus is right now. You love it as a coach."
The Lions?
The fair-haired team of the Earth's pundit class is a solid club. It's even an emerging contender in the NFC. It's even, perhaps, the best team in the NFC North.
But it is also a humbled club that obviously wasn't prepared this day to prove it is elite.
"Those guys they played well, they kicked our ass," Lions coach Dan Campbell said without apology. "It's a credit to them. Lamar beat us. He hammered us with his arm. He threw the ball extremely well. And he ran when he needed to and we did not handle it well."
"Our energy was good which was crazy. You come out of a game like that and you look at the score ..."
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - OCTOBER 22: Lamar Jackson #8 of the Baltimore Ravens greets Jared Goff #16 of the Detroit Lions after the gameat M&T Bank Stadium on October 22, 2023 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)
Ravens Took Jared Goff Out Of His Element
The expectation in such a blowout is the Lions maybe lacked urgency. But that wasn't the case.
"Our energy was good," Campbell added. "But our detail and discipline, which has been so good over the last four or five weeks, was not good enough."
The Lions turned the ball over only once, that on a Jared Goff interception. But there were obvious problems in the secondary and although Detroit's front seven is stellar, there were mistakes and the Ravens made them pay with 146 rushing yards and a 5.4 yard per rush average.
"So, self-induced," Campbell said. " That was a combination of a lot of different things, you know. And just like we win as a team, we lose as a team. And that was one of those."
The Lions are a great team to play with a lead. They have a great running game and get after the passer.
But when they have to play from behind, Goff isn't nearly as good as a dropback passer as he is a play-action quarterback. And the pass rush, well, that fades because it's not obvious the other team has to pass.
So the blueprint for beating the Lions is out there now. It may be hard to duplicate, but it's available.