Ravens Defeat Browns With Complementary Football

Lamar Jackson Bolsters Early MVP Campaign

If it feels like every time the three-time First Team All Pro selection steps onto the field for a game, history of some kind winds up being made, you're not crazy. It does occur more often than not, and that trend continued in Week 2 after he shook off a rocky start, where he was uncharacteristically off-target on multiple throws in the first half. In the final two quarters, he was back to being his typical surgically precise self, and by the end of the game, he had thrown 4 touchdowns on 19 completions and improved his career passer rating to 102.6 and adjusted yards gained per pass attempt to 8.25, both of which now rank first all-time in NFL history.

Jackson has already established himself as the best dual-threat quarterback of all time. With all the tremendous improvement he's made in the passing attack since entering the league and especially since joining forces with offensive coordinator Todd Monken, he is poised to go down as one of the best passers to ever play the game. His 6 touchdowns, 12.5 touchdown percentage, 11.54 adjusted yards per pass attempt, 136.6 passer rating and 94 QBR all lead the league through the first two weeks and he has yet to turn the ball over.

Ravens Depth Shines

On both sides of the ball, the Ravens had players who aren't starters step up and play significant roles in helping them weather the storm early and ultimately prevail in such an overwhelming fashion in the end. Jackson's first three touchdowns went to fifth-year veteran Tylan Wallace, who hauled in the first after saving the drive on the play before he scored by recovering Henry's fumble, and second-year wideout Devontez Walker, who reeled in the other two and now has three career receptions, all of which have been in the end zone and resulted in points.

The Ravens had young players step up at all three levels of their defense in this game and make a difference. After Pro Bowl veteran outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy left the game with a hamstring injury and did not return, third-year pro Tavius Robinson rose to the occasion and finished with 6 total tackles, including 4 solos and one for a loss to go along with a quarterback hit and the strip sack that led to Smith's scoop and score.

Even though he essentially lost his starting job to fourth-round rookie Teddye Buchanan, who out-snapped him 60-15, third-year pro Trenton Simpson still made the most of his limited playing time by recording 4 total tackles, including 3 solos and finishing as the Ravens' second-highest graded defender with an overall of 89.6.

With two-time cornerback Jaire Alexander being a surprising healthy scratch, second-year pro T.J. Tampa rotated in at the perimeter spot opposite of Wiggins for 16 snaps when Humphrey was inside playing in the slot. Undrafted rookie Keyon Martin also saw a season-high in defensive snaps with 22 as he stepped in at nickel after Humphrey exited the game with a reported groin injury.

"It was good to see those guys step up and play well when the opportunity presents itself," Harbaugh said. "We want everybody to be able to respond that way."

Underrated Veteran Additions Provide Spark

The Ravens didn't make any huge splashes in the early waves of free agency to bring in an outside veteran this offseason, opting to prioritize retaining two-time Pro Bowl left tackle Ronnie Stanley instead. However, they signed a trio of experienced players to inexpensive deals to bolster their roster in each phase of the game. On offense, they upgraded at No. 3 wide receiver by replacing Nelson Agholor with DeAndre Hopkins , brought in cornerback Chidobe Awuzie, who was a salary cap casualty and added inside linebacker Jake Hummel, a renowned special teams ace.

Against the Browns, all three players came up big with clutch plays that contributed to the Ravens' victory. Hummel blocked a punt that set the offense up with a short field for its first touchdown drive. Hopkins made a pair of impressive contested catches, one that put the ball half a yard away from the goal line and another that extended their lead to 31 points in the fourth quarter. Awuzie played the fourth-most snaps of any Ravens defender and made an impact in coverage, as an open-field tackler and on corner blitzes.

Special Teams Played Major Role

Hummel wasn't the only player who made notable and highly impactful plays in the third phase of the game in Week 2. After not having to be called upon to do anything but hold until the third quarter in Week 1, fourth-year punter Jordan Stout saw the field early and too often in the first half against the Browns and was a field-flipping weapon that helped the Ravens win the battle for field position. He had two of his five punts downed inside the Cleveland 20-yard line and averaged 51.8 yards per boot with a long of 58.

While rookie kicker Tyler Loop is still struggling with making sure all of his kickoffs make it to the landing zone, he made all of his extra points and field goals, both of which were under 50 yards. Fellow late-rounder, wide receiver LaJohntay Wester, nearly took his lone punt return opportunity to the house on a 23-yard return that set up the Ravens' first scoring drive.

"Special teams is big, because [when] you get in that kind of a game where the defense is going to really make it tough on you and you don't have field position, you need to play defense and you need to play special teams," Harbaugh said. "You need to give your offense a chance to get rolling. As soon as our offense got [some] breathing room, then we made plays."

Offensive Line Got Bullied

One of the lowlights and most glaring takeaways from the Ravens' win was how they lost the battle in the trenches on offense. They were dominated at the point of attack and were the main reason their top-ranked rushing attack wasn't able to gain any traction, with the longest run being an 11-yard scamper from Jackson. Their 49 rushing yards on the ground prior to three straight kneel downs at the end of the game marked their lowest total since Week 16 of the 2021 season.

All Pro Myles Garrett lined up on the left and right sides of the line and gave both fits as he accounted for half of Cleveland's 3 sacks with 1.5, which included beating two-time Pro Bowl left tackle Ronnie Stanley for a third-down sack in the red zone. The former Defensive Player of the Year wasn't the only one giving them fits in the run and pass blocking either so while the Browns clearly have one of the best defensive fronts through two weeks, the Ravens need to do better across the board on their offensive line because there other teams in the league who have dominant fronts and capable offenses that could cause them to fall behind if they struggle to establish the run move the ball consistently like they did in the first half in Week 2. Thankfully, their date with Micah Parsons and the Green Bay Packers on the road at historic Lambeau Field isn't until Week 17.