In a thrilling overtime win, the Baltimore Ravens managed to top the Atlanta Falcons despite missing Lamar Jackson. The 30-23 win moved the Ravens to 4-1 in sole possession of first place in the AFC North. It was mostly good on Sunday night, with two glaring issues:
The Good
Backup quarterback situation: Fans were caught up in the Joe Fagnano hype during the preseason, but in Atlanta, Tyler Huntley reminded the NFL world why he is Lamar Jackson’s backup. He wasn’t perfect and waited to fully turn it on until
the end of the game, but Huntley simply knows how to win as a spot starter. He’s now 3-0 in his starts dating back to last season. When the Ravens needed a quick drive and couldn’t lean on the run, Huntley drove the Ravens 71 yards in under two minutes to tie the game. When they needed to kill clock, he confidently commanded the offense down the field. The dude is simply a gamer who does what is needed to win.
The WR trio: Zay Flowers with eight catches and 53 yards. Rashod Bateman with five catches and 62 yards. Tez Walker with the back shoulder fade ball touchdown catch. The Ravens needed offensive skill players to step up with Lamar Jackson out and the wide receivers did just that. This passing game officially runs through them, and now they’re finally getting Ja’Kobi Lane in the mix, too.
Run defense: Michael Penix came into Sunday’s game hot, but the entire football world that the Ravens would have to find a way to stop (or at least slow) the even-hotter Bijan Robinson to beat the Falcons. Robinson is the best running back in the NFL this season and a monster primetime performer. He had games of 194 and 145 yards coming into this one since Penix’s return. And instead of allowing him to tote the rock all night, gashing them for first down after first down, and draining the clock, the Ravens held him to 86 yards. They allowed rushes of 20 and 38 yards and otherwise kept a lid on his carries. Baltimore also contained Robinson in the red zone and didn’t allow him to score.
The coaching staff: This was a big moment for this new young staff. No Lamar Jackson, no Trey Hendrickson, a reshuffled offensive line, on the road, in primetime, against a red-hot team. All of those questinos, and the coaching staff answered. Jesse Minter and Anthony’s Weaver’s defense kept this game in striking distance all night, only allowing one defensive touchdown and containing Robinson. Declan Doyle dialed up plays and kept the game simple for Huntley. This staff made a plan that gave this team a chance to win.
The Bad
Third-and-long defense: The most concerning negative out of this game was the third-down defense. It continues to be a problem. The Ravens allowed multiple third-and-10s, a third-and-11, and a third-and-15 to be converted. The plan was clearly to force Penix to beat them after shutting down Robinson in the run game, and Penix did, multiple times, often to Drake London, the Falcons’ No. 1 receiver. Coverage on the back end still seems to be struggling if the rush doesn’t get home on third down. Jesse Minter took the blame on himself, saying his play calling left them in bad spots.
Either way, it’s an issue that has to get fixed, and I believe it will. Trey Hendrickson returning to the lineup will help out a ton. It’s also something that will simply get better with time as Minter and the defense get more comfortable in their identity. As the comparison that everyone wants to look to, Mike Macdonald’s defense in Seattle struggled their first season as Macdonald adjusted to being a headcoach and a play calling while installing his vision. Minter’s unit will adapt.
The Ugly
Mark Andrews: I have been an advocate for Mark Andrews’ play this season. Not to say that I agreed with the decision to re-sign him, but Mark Andrews is still very much capable of playing the tight end position. He is still a good blocker and capable of being a possession tight end, as we saw in the last couple of weeks. But what occurred on Sunday was atrocious and near malpractice. Mark Andrews directly influenced a 13-point swing in favor of Atlanta. First, a dropped touchdown that traded three instead of seven for the Ravens. Then a fumble that was recovered for a touchdown by Atlanta. Then a dropped two-point conversion in the third quarter.
Andrews did manage to make some pivotal catches on the last drive in regulation that led to the tie and the overtime drive for the game-winner. But the Ravens could have won this in regulation if not for his mistakes. Still, Baltimore’s offense is stuck with Andrews after Durham Smythe’s injury. They simply don’t have a choice. He’s the most experienced tight end with only two rookies and Nick Vannett joining him on the active roster in an unfamiliar scheme. He needs to transition into being a possession tight end and stop trying to be the player he once was.
