Thursday night was a who’s who game for the Baltimore Ravens and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In posting a 27-22 win at Tampa Bay, the Ravens moved to 5-3 while looking a lot like the best team in the AFC North. By contrast, the Buccaneers, now 3-5 after a third straight loss, looked like a team that has no legitimate chance to play until January.
Tampa Bay got off to a hot start before fading over the final three quarters of the game. Baltimore’s pass rush made life miserable for Tom Brady, who in the first half passed Ben Roethlisberger as the most sacked quarterback in NFL history. It was a much better night for the visiting quarterback, as Lamar Jackson threw two touchdown passes on 27-of-38 passing. Jackson was also part of a 233-yard rushing game that helped chew up more than 38 minutes of game clock.
At halftime, the Ravens took the lead on third-quarter touchdown passes from Jackson to Kenyan Drake and Isaiah Likely. Baltimore took a double-digit lead on Devin Duvernay’s 15-yard touchdown run with 6:35 left, less than six minutes after the Buccaneers scored their first points of the half on a Ryan Succop field goal.
Brady kept hope alive briefly with a touchdown pass to Julio Jones. But the Ravens got the ensuing kickoff, sealing the victory while snapping Brady’s 302-game hitting streak.
The Buccaneers went into halftime with a 10-3 lead after making two red-zone stops in the first 30 minutes of the game. Tampa Bay also got a decent first half from Brady, whose 44-yard completion to Chris Godwin set up Leonard Fournette’s touchdown midway through the first quarter.
Both teams suffered significant injuries Thursday night. The Ravens lost receiver Rashod Bateman (foot) and Mark Andrews (shoulder) for the first three quarters of the game, then lost running back Gus Edwards (hamstring) in the fourth quarter. The Bucs lost linebacker Shaquil Barrett in the second half. Barrett is feared to have suffered a torn Achilles injury, via NFL Media.
Here’s a closer look at what happened in Tampa.
Why the Ravens won
Baltimore dominated on the floor while controlling the ball for more than two-thirds of the game. Led by Edwards and Drake, Baltimore dominated on the ground while overcoming first-half mistakes in the red zone. The Ravens also got big contributions from Likely and Demarcus Robinson, who combined to catch 12 of 15 targets for 141 yards.
Defensively, the Ravens shut down Brady and the Buccaneers for most of the final three quarters of the game. Justin Houston sipped from the Fountain of Youth, recording two sacks and two tackles for loss. Houston and the rest of his teammates shut down Tampa Bay’s running game while holding Brady to just 26-of-44 passing.
Why the Buccaneers lost
Tampa Bay’s offense completely dried up after the first quarter. The unit punted five straight while giving its defense little to no rest. While his running game didn’t do him any favors, Brady also didn’t complete several third-down passes that would have kept the chains moving. Penalties, such as Fournette’s false start with the Buccaneers down 11 and facing a fourth-and-goal from the 3-yard line with 4:57 left, also hurt the Buccaneers’ offense.
While their offense didn’t help them, the Buccaneers’ defense couldn’t come up with a momentum-changing play in the second half. The unit also couldn’t contain Baltimore on the outside as the Ravens ran all over Tampa Bay’s defense.
One bright spot for the Buccaneers was the connection between Brady and Mike Evans. Evans caught 6 of 11 targets for 123 yards which included a 51-yard catch that set up the Buccaneers’ first score of the second half.
Crucial moment
Baltimore dominated the third quarter, outscoring Tampa Bay 14-0 and controlling the ball for nearly 13 minutes. The Ravens’ offense started the half with a 9-play, 77-yard drive that ended with Jackson’s touchdown pass to Drake.
The Ravens defense then forced a Tampa Bay punt before Baltimore’s offense embarked on an 11-play, 80-yard drive that was capped by Jackson’s nifty touchdown pass to Likely with five seconds left in the third quarter.
game of the game
With Andrews and Bateman out, Likely stepped up and made a critical touchdown catch that gave the Ravens the lead for good. The rookie tight end caught six passes for 77 yards Thursday night after having just 10 catches through the first seven games of the season.
quotable
Jackson let some of his fans do the talking for him after the win. The former league MVP enjoyed a sign that alluded to his current contract situation, as Jackson plays under his fifth-year rookie option after he and the Ravens couldn’t come to terms on long term last offseason.
What follows
The Buccaneers will host the Rams in a rematch of January’s thrilling divisional round matchup. Like the Buccaneers, the Rams have gotten off to a slow start this season. The reigning champions said goodbye with a 3-3.
Baltimore will head to Baton Rouge on Nov. 7 to take on the Saints on “Monday Night Football.” Offensive injuries have plagued the Saints thus far, as New Orleans is just 2-5.