Baltimore rolls behind Jackson and defense
Quarterback accounts for 4 TDs as Ravens improve to 3-1
CLEVELAND — Every day after Ravens practice, players take shots on a basketball hoop set up in the center of the locker room. Lamar Jackson rarely partakes — he’s not a basketball player.
Sunday at Cleveland Browns Stadium, he only played like one.
“Lamar kept his poise,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “He was running the show out there. He was the point guard, he was the general, he was making the calls, making the changes, handling the shot clock. He played a fantastic game.
“The motions, the shifts, the checks at the line, changing the plays when we had to change the plays, single receivers when we had to single receivers, ball handling. That’s what makes him the quarterback he is, that’s what won us the game.”
He wasn’t the only one.
With the Cleveland Browns missing their starting quarterback, Deshaun Watson, and top running back, Nick Chubb, Baltimore had little trouble with their AFC North foe on a sun-splashed afternoon. The Ravens racked up 131 yards on the ground, Jackson ran for two touchdowns and threw for two more and the defense harassed rookie quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson in his first NFL start for most of the afternoon en route to an easy 28-3 win.
The victory improves the Ravens’ record against rookie quarterbacks under Harbaugh to 23-7. More importantly, it moves the Ravens (3-1) to alone in first place in the division, with the Pittsburgh Steelers losing to the Houston Texans, 30-6, to drop to 2-2 with the Browns and the Cincinnati Bengals getting blown out by the Tennessee Titans, 27-3, to fall to 1-3.
“It’s a good start,” Harbaugh said. “Our guys have taken advantage of that so far.”
The Ravens will try to complete the road sweep of their division opponents next week in Pittsburgh. But first, they let this win soak in, at least a little — and for good reason.
Though the Browns were without Watson — a game-time scratch with an injured right throwing shoulder after suffering the blow on a running play last week against the Titans — they boasted the NFL’s best defense. Coming into the game, Cleveland had allowed the fewest points per game (10.7) and yards per pass (4.7) in the league. They’d forced three-and-outs 61.5% of the time, the highest rate through three games of any team since 2000. They’d given up just one touchdown. They’d allowed just 2.8 yards per carry, the second lowest total in the league, and hadn’t allowed a rushing touchdown.
It took less than a quarter Sunday for that streak to end.
On the Browns’ second possession and with the ball on their own 45-yard line,
Thompson-Robinson threw a pass over the middle to wide receiver Amari Cooper, but cornerback Arthur Maulet tipped it into the air and defensive back Brandon Stephens swooped in to snatch his first career interception before hitting the ground. Untouched, the former college running back quickly spun back to his feet and weaved his way 52 yards to the Browns’ 10.
One play later, Jackson took the shotgun snap, held the ball out in front of a motioning Zay Flowers from the left slot, then tucked it and darted up the middle untouched behind tight end Mark Andrews and right tackle Morgan Moses for an easy 10-yard touchdown.
The Browns responded with a 53-yard field goal from Dustin Hopkins on their next possession, but those would end up being their only points of the game.
After the Ravens were pinned at their own 7 following a 38-yard punt by Corey Bojorquez, Gus Edwards plowed ahead for 6 and then 4 yards. Then Jackson did his thing, scrambling and throwing across his body and the field to hit Andrews on a short pass that turned into a 36-yard gain. Next it was Justice Hill’s turn, as he ripped off runs of 15 and 7 yards before Melvin Gordon III busted through the left side for 22 yards to the Browns’ 2. Jackson did the rest from there, jogging in for his second rushing score of the game with 4:21 left in the half.
But the Ravens weren’t done. Taking over with two minutes to go and the ball on its own 32, Baltimore leaned on its legs again. After a mix of runs and short passes brought up second-and-29 from the Ravens’ 46, Jackson scrambled until he found a streaking Flowers across the field. The rookie hauled in the pass for a 43-yard gain to Cleveland’s 11 with 36 seconds left. Three plays later, Jackson shuffled in the pocket before hitting a leaping Andrews over three Browns defenders for the touchdown to take a 21-3 lead into halftime.
“It’s something we work on,” Flowers said of the long connection. “You know Lamar’s going to run around and create plays ... so we just work on that every day. And I saw him running, and I just shot all the way to the corner, and he threw it to me.”
Added Andrews: “He’s the full quarterback. He’s not just the full quarterback, he’s able to do so many other things that other quarterbacks can’t do and that’s a beautiful thing. Lamar Jackson’s second to none.”
Jackson finished 15 of 19 passing for 186 yards and had 27 yards on nine carries, but that only tells part of the story. It was the first time he had at least two passing touchdowns and two rushing scores in the same game.
He did it despite fumbling twice, losing one of them, and with the Ravens dealing with their own share of injuries.
On offense, they were without their top two wide receivers, Odell Beckham Jr. (ankle) and Rashod Bateman (hamstring), as well as starting left tackle Ronnie Stanley. On defense, safety Marcus Williams (pectoral) was inactive despite being a full participant in the final two practices of the week. During the game, they also lost safety Daryl Worley (shoulder), cornerbacks Jalyn Armour-Davis (hamstring) and Moses (shoulder).
Still, they racked up 131 rushing yards, with Edwards leading the way with 15 carries for 48 yards. Andrews, meanwhile, led the way in catches with five for 80 yards. And they did it all against a defense led by All-Pro defensive end Myles Garrett, a talented secondary and new coordinator Jim Schwartz’s vaunted “Wide Nine” scheme. But rather than trying to outrun Cleveland’s defense, the Ravens ran right at it.
“There’ll be a lot of teams that come and play timid,” said Hill, who had 33 yards on three carries. “We’re going right in to attack them.”
The same was true of the Ravens’ defense against a clearly overmatched Robinson.
A fifth-round draft pick out of UCLA who at times was dazzling in the preseason, he was anything but against a Ravens defense that seemed to be flying all over the field. Inside linebacker Roquan Smith led the way with 10 tackles, including one for loss, while fellow inside linebacker Patrick Queen and defensive tackles Broderick Washington and Justin Madubuike each racked up one sack apiece.
Outside linebackers Jadeveon Clowney, who had a tumultuous exit from the Browns last season, and newly signed Kyle Van Noy made their presence felt, too, either chasing the rookie quarterback from the comfort of the pocket or knocking down passes.
Thompson-Robinson finished 19 of 36 for just 121 yards with three interceptions. He also had 24 rushing yards on four carries.
“We got a lot of dogs, a lot of hungry guys on this defense, a lot of guys that just want to compete and make plays,” said Clowney, who also called Smith the best linebacker he’s ever played with. “That’s what makes us better.”
It helped, too, to have an offense that put up 28 points, with Jackson hitting Andrews from 18 yards out in the fourth quarter for the game’s final score.
“You get the other team out of their game plan sometimes, because you have to drop back more than you want to and try to play catchup,” Clowney said. “When you can get points put up, we know that we get to go out there, pin our ears back and rush the passer. That’s a good situation for the defensive line.”
And with two road wins against AFC North opponents, a good situation for the Ravens to be in.