OTL: Ravens’ Stars Shine in Another Dominant Win

Week 9 of NFL Football saw the Baltimore Ravens improve to 6-3 as they beat the Denver Broncos 41-10. It was their second game of the season scoring 41 points, though it came with much less late-game drama. The Baltimore defense pitched a second half shutout and Lamar Jackson had a perfect passer rating. In doing this, Jackson made history.

Lamar Jackson looked like a 2x MVP today:
16/19
280 yards
3 TD
PERFECT 158.3 passer rating pic.twitter.com/DAusnSqJpL

— NFL (@NFL) November 3, 2024

Lamar Jackson's day is done. He finishes with a perfect passer rating (158.3) for the fourth time in NFL history.

Of all the other legendary QBs who've played, only Ben Roethlisberger got to 158.3 four times.

— Jonas Shaffer (@jonas_shaffer) November 3, 2024

It must be an AFC North thing. This was the Ravens’ least dramatic win so far, but that can’t be used to diminish how perfect Jackson played. He missed on only three passes and two of them were plays where he chucked the ball out of bounds to avoid a negative play, while on the run. The bottom line is that Jackson got what he wanted. The two-time MVP was in complete control of the game, playing as perfectly as his statistics suggest he did.

TRENDING: #Ravens QB Lamar Jackson was wearing a friendship bracelet during his presser that says, “GOAT” that he got from a little girl in the stands.

🥹🥹🥹@Lj_era8 SO WHOLESOME

(Powered by https://t.co/F4JjLr3AvF) pic.twitter.com/4CZu276AA4

— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) November 4, 2024

Jackson’s biggest win of the day may have been off the field. A young fan made a friendship bracelet for the MVP quarterback and Jackson walked over to her in the stands after the game. He made a memory with that little girl (and her mother) that will mean more to her than any touchdown, for the rest of her life. Jackson wore the friendship bracelet to the post-game presser. This is the kind of thing that makes Jackson easy to root for. A moment like this should always be applauded. The fact that Jackson made the choice to embrace this fan and to show his appreciation to the fans in the stands when he probably just wanted to get to the locker room is beyond commendable.

Kyle Hamilton is one of the best football players in the NFL. Top 10 regardless of position!

— Torrey Smith (@TorreySmithWR) November 3, 2024

The Baltimore defense had a strong second half that was encouraging to see. Kyle Hamilton made a few big plays including tipping a screen pass that he anticipated in an All-Pro fashion. Torrey Smith tweeted out that Hamilton is a top 10 player regardless of position. The fact that the defense has talented foundational blocks like Hamilton is also a strong supporting argument to why they might be able to turn the defense around into a stronger unit.

Tavius Robinson led the Ravens defense with 2 sacks, 4 total QB hits, 1 TFL and 1 PD.

📸: @Ravens pic.twitter.com/W1un6aYIQf

— Sarah Ellison (@sgellison) November 3, 2024

Tavius Robinson had the best game of his young career, as he was involved positively on a long list of plays. Robinson generated the strongest pressure from the Ravens’ defensive font, making life hard for Bo Nix. Robinson turning on the jets could be beneficial for a team that desperately needs more pass rush and impact from the defensive front.

It's Derrick Henry's world pic.twitter.com/kFNkKvzzZA

— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) November 3, 2024

In addition to Jackson’s dominance, the Ravens continue to be the Derrick Henry show, or as CBS states “It’s Derrick Henry’s world.” CBS Sports put together a graphic showing that Henry is leading the NFL in rushing attempts, rushing yards, yards per rush and rushing touchdowns. At this point you’d be hard pressed to find another signing that worked out this incredibly for the Ravens. In the beginning of the season, some in the football world doubted that Henry and Baltimore were quite the perfect fit both sides hoped. That was a very short lived concern.

Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports wrote an article giving you the winners and losers from Week 9 in the NFL. One interesting winner, which he led his article off with, was Derrick Henry’s MVP odds.

Quarterbacks are always going to get more love for the NFL’s top honor, but the Baltimore Ravens running back remained a powerhouse in his club’s rout of the Denver Broncos, breaking 100 yards to eclipse 1,000 on the season. With eight games to go, a second career 2,000-yard campaign isn’t impossible.

The case for Henry’s MVP bid (not that he seems to be invested in it) is the historical nature of his accomplishments this season. You have one of this generation’s best running backs having his strongest season with a new team, at 30 years old. You have a running back that is putting up numbers that are astronomically high in comparison to his peers, numbers that make you wonder if he’s the most important ingredient to delicious cake that is the Ravens offense. When you consider that the NFL MVP is not typically won by the same player consecutively, there could be an argument for Henry that picks up steam.

The NFL’s trade deadline is approaching and the Ravens have only made one move thus far, trading for Diontae Johnson from the Carolina Panthers in a move nobody really saw coming. It was a “why the heck not?” kind of a trade with the cost being essentially swapped late round picks. The Ravens are positioning themselves for a playoff run and this is why Chris Bumbaca with USA Today thinks the Ravens should go get a pass rusher.

The Ravens entered the game with a sack rate of 7.8%, 14th in the league. Come crunch time – and this team will be playing important football games this year, assuming good health for its stars – it will be imperative to make opposing quarterbacks, such as Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen, move off their spot despite their abilities to make plays on the run. DeCosta bolstered the defensive line back after the season started by signing veteran Yannick Ngakoue. And with 28 sacks, the Ravens rank fifth in the NFL – not an alarming figure. But rushing the quarterback becomes paramount later in the season, and staying pat is not in the best interest of a contending team.

These numbers actually sound more encouraging than most of the Flock would expect. The Ravens defense certainly has some other numbers that paint a much bleaker story. The eye test is just as important as the numbers. With that in mind the Ravens pass rushing department is in great need of improvement. The loss to the Browns painted a very clear picture as to what the team’s woes are. Jameis Winston had all day to throw the football which cost the Ravens dearly.

David Latham, the managing editor of Last Word On Sports, looked into the idea that Jadeveon Clowney is a viable target for the Ravens. While many fans want to see a big name like the Raiders’ Maxx Crosby, Clowney is far more realistic. Latham broke down what it would take for Eric DeCosta to pull of the trade.

The hardest part of a Jadeveon Clowney trade is coming to terms on a fair deal for both sides. Clowney is still a good player, but he’s no superstar and is on the wrong side of 30. Seeing as he’s under contract for 2025, the Panthers have no incentive to trade him, as they’ll need someone to rush the passer next year. The Ravens will need to make a trade worth Carolina’s effort, so it will probably take more than the fifth- and sixth-round pick swap that landed Diontae Johnson.

Looking across the league, the only trade we’ve seen for an edge defender is when New England sent Josh Uche to the Kansas City Chiefs in exchange for a 2026 sixth-round pick. Clowney is better than Uche and has an additional year under contract, so he should net a larger return. The Ravens would likely need to give up a fourth-round pick to reunite with Jadeveon Clowney, but is that a price worth paying? Carolina already has Baltimore’s fifth-round pick, and the Ravens love to build through the draft. Perhaps they decide Clowney is worth the price, or perhaps they look for a cheaper option.

The Ravens do love hoarding draft picks – yet I think this is a very reasonable trade proposal that the Ravens would have to entertain. The Ravens don’t have the option of sitting on their hands and hoping the defense returns to 2023 form, plus they have a cruising offense they can’t waste. One could argue that DeCosta’s number one job is to do everything he can to help the team this season. Watching Jackson and Henry make history on offense is a great reason to make sure the defense has enough pieces for a Super Bowl run. Clowney was productive last season for the Ravens, making this a low-risk move. The Ravens know what they would be getting. This defense doesn’t need to be a top 10 unit for the Ravens to win it all, but getting better would certainly help the championship aspirations.

Kevin Patra of NFL.com sees Za’Darius Smith as the Ravens best fit on the trading block.

Smith (who spent the first four seasons of his career in Baltimore) is one of several former Ravens who could potentially return to provide a boost, with Calais Campbell (currently in Miami) and Jadeveon Clowney (currently in Carolina) being others. Yes, this move would be an in-division trade between rivals, but even after Sunday’s upset, the 2-6 Browns should be in sell mode. The Ravens, meanwhile, should be heavily motivated to make the most of 2024; Tuesday’s addition of Diontae Johnson to the passing attack should not preclude them from shoring up this weakness.

The biggest stumbling block here is that the Browns are a division rival, though it could happen. Patra makes a compelling argument that the Ravens have the need and ability to pick up Smith and that Cleveland may be motivated to move Smith to keep building for better seasons. A Calais Campbell reunion, by the way, would be as good for the soul as Campbell’s chicken noodle soup.

Will the Ravens have another defensive piece when they host the Bengals on Thursday Night Football? Stay tuned.

Not like anything else is going on…