Knee-Jerk Reactions: Ravens 41 Bucs 31

The Baltimore Ravens defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 7 by a score of 41-31.

RSR staff react to the win here.

Rob Shields

What was a great win turned into another game you leave feeling a little “wtf was that?”  The Ravens were up 34-10 and feeling great. But then the offense got cute and stupid for no reason, which caused a fumble and then the floodgates opened a little bit. Yes, some of this was garbage time bs and most of it seems inconsequential but the Ravens gave up 202 yards on the first three drives and then they shut down the Bucs until the fourth quarter.

And on top of the defense giving it up and the offense having the one bad play to allow the Bucs to get back into the game, you get another onside kick that goes against the Ravens due to poor execution (and a great kick by TB).

They just keep making mistake after mistake and these are the types of things that will have you lose to KC in January.

Yes, the offense is elite and they have another game of getting over 100 yards rushing more than the other team but the penalties, ST errors and propensity on the defense to give up big plays has to stop. They can not win in January playing like this.

Chris Schisler 

I am in love with this team. I love this team almost as much as the NFL officials in the MNF contest love throwing laundry. This reminds me of the Dolphins game last year. Just like in that game the defense had no answer in the beginning and it turned into a Ravens blowout win.

Marlon Humphrey changed the complexion of this game. His two interceptions before leaving the game with an injury were beyond pivotal. The first pick was in the end zone and he did a phenomenal job using his eyes to get in position. That was a veteran play of veteran plays.

Lamar Jackson was absolutely incredible. After taking a couple of very rough looking sacks he picked the Buccaneers apart. It was like a game of purple Blackjack. They blitzed, Jackson hit. The Lamar to Mark Andrews connection looked old fashioned, like they could do it in their sleep. Rashod Bateman‘s beautiful deep route was the Ravens’ mic drop moment.

Things got interesting in the wrong way as Jackson’s uncontrolled backwards pass to Zay Flowers caused a turnover. The Buccaneers made it a two score game with the need of two-point conversions for Tampa Bay.

The bottom line is that this game looked like it would be horrible for Baltimore. They looked unprepared and dropped to a 10-0 deficit. The Ravens turned on the jets and a couple big runs from Derrick Henry ultimately put the game away. The game got more interesting than it had to be. The onside kick team needs practice, yet the Ravens had full control. Look, you try to be objective and write about the facts and really be analytical. My question is how do you not completely fall in love with this team? You just can’t say enough about the Ravens right now.

Jared Pinder

Tonight on the Peyton and Eli broadcast Bill Belichick said that the only team that can beat the Ravens are the Ravens. That is the best way to describe this team, a team that is unbelievably talented but is held back by something. They make more mental mistakes than a team this good should make, and it is frustrating.

On the positive side the offense looked awesome once again, and the defense made some plays.

But the main issue with this team is still the awful mental mistakes. This team is good, good enough to make a Super Bowl, but they have to clean up these issues man, no excuses.

Kevin McNelis

Man, that first quarter feels like a lifetime ago now, huh? Isn’t it nice watching a team that makes adjustments?

The Ravens got hit hard early in the game, but they fought back with a vengeance on the back of a Jackson 5 and a pair of picks from Marlon Humphrey (who we’re all REALLY hoping is ok) to surpass his previous season high in picks. Rashod Bateman’s long TD reception was where we saw the game pretty much get out of hand. Absolutely love seeing these guys keep the offense going.

We expected an offensive shootout, but it really got to be a one-sided affair as the game progressed and the Ravens rattled off a whopping 41 points after a scoreless first quarter.

Baltimore has now won their last six games against the Buccaneers dating all the way back to 2002, and the Ravens now have five straight wins.

Ben Dackiw

In case anyone was wondering, there are six players in NFL history who won MVP three times. Just some food for thought.

Defensive issues aside, there’s just no stopping this offense. They can kill you in a million different ways and have the talent up and down the depth chart to support their golden goose wearing the number eight.

Sadly, something still doesn’t feel right. The team hasn’t lost a game in over a month, they’re dominating playoff teams, and yet the little voice in the back of my head is still talking about the AFC Championship. That’s the problem. No matter how good Lamar Jackson and the Ravens look over the next two months, none of it really matters unless they can beat that team in Missouri.

I like what I’m seeing. I’m incredibly optimistic about what I’m seeing, but the Ravens are still two games back of the team they’re trying to catch up to.

Nick Polinsky

I think it’s safe to say this offense is without a doubt the most dangerous Ravens offense we’ve ever seen. Lamar Jackson has had two MVP seasons yet we’ve never really seen the offense like this. The new addition of the king in the backfield has moved mountains; Derrick Henry is nearly unstoppable, and Lamar Jackson is doing whatever he wants at will. Everything is clicking offensively – just please stop holding.

After the defense struggled early, the secondary tightened up with Marlon Humphrey making two key plays to flip possession back with the Ravens. The pass rush gained steam later in the game, but early on it seemed like Baker Mayfield had far too long in the pocket. Fortunately everything seemed to sort itself out by the end, and it resulted in a nice Monday win.

It feels like a repeating trend where the Ravens struggle early, lose to a terrible opponent, then go on to steamroll everyone in their path through the rest of the regular season. This team has a real shot, and if everything stays mostly the same it should be fun to watch the rest of the way.

Darin McCann

We got some confirmation in this one on some trends we’ve seen all season long. The Ravens build a lead with Lamar, and then like to lock it down with Derrick Henry. The offense has continued to find itself in disadvantageous situations because of penalties — but continues to get out of trouble with relative ease. The defense can go from a unit that hovers somewhere between competency and a disorganized mass of poor communication and bewilderment. And the Ravens recover onsides kicks kind of like my daughter picks up her socks. They do not.

And, oh yeah… the combination of Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry has the potential to be one of the most dynamic duos the National Football League has ever seen.

Let’s throw out some flowers to Rashod Bateman, Marlon Humphrey, Odafe Oweh and Justice Hill — who all put their stamps on this one.

Derek Arnold

After coming out flat and falling down 10-0, the Ravens bounced back in a big way. We have to thank Baker Mayfield for feeling generous, as his first interception to Marlon Humphrey was a terrible decision. Kudos to Marlo for capitalizing, of course. The second was aided by some pressure up front, but before those interceptions, the Ravens couldn’t stop a nosebleed. We have to commend Humphrey for being opportunistic (especially as Ar’Darius Washington let a pick slip through his fingers for the second straight week later on), and we all hope he just banged knees with Nate Wiggins and will be OK after some ice and rest.

What is there to say about the Ravens offense? They can’t be stopped, simply slowed down. Derrick Henry busted off ANOTHER 80+ yard run, Lamar Jackson is a willing downfield blocker who tossed five touchdowns in primetime yet again, Mark Andrews is BACK, Justin Tucker is BACK, Rashod Bateman is HERE, Zay Flowers is Zay Flowers…they get in their own way sometimes, which is frustrating – see the sequence starting on 2nd and 2 in the 2nd quarter that went backwards, and the backwards pass that resulted in a turnover – but ultimately they keep showing they can do whatever they want when they need to.

Ed Reed, on the ManningCast, was asked by Peyton about the Ravens giving up easy touchdowns late. Ed said that “The game is over in their minds. They don’t understand the other side of finishing and being a championship team right now.”

John Harbaugh’s squad needs to take that message to heart.

Nikhil Mehta

Lamar Jackson got hit a few times by the Bucs on his first drive, went to the sidelines to figure it out, and played near-flawless football the rest of the way. Tampa Bay had no answers for his poise inside the pocket or his agility outside of it. The playmakers took turns stepping into the spotlight: two touchdowns for Mark Andrews, plenty of YAC by Justice Hill, and of course the deep bomb to Rashod Bateman that will be the lasting highlight of the game. And of course, Derrick Henry came in to bully the defense in the second half, giving Baltimore a comfortable cushion as the Bucs attempted a comeback.

And come back they did, cutting the Ravens’ lead to just 10 points by the end of the game. That’s partially due to some conservative playcalling by Zach Orr, but the defense was still too leaky on the back end against a solid Buccaneers offense. Their route combinations put the secondary in a bind, but the Ravens imposed their will at the catch point with several big hits and two interceptions from Marlon Humphrey that completely changed the outcome of the first half. The pass rush couldn’t get home without blitzing against a talented Tampa Bay OL, and the Ravens struggled after the catch more than in previous games.

But 41 points on the road in primetime is never something to sneeze at, especially not against a 4-2 Bucs team that took down the Commanders and the Lions to open the year. Jackson’s dominance against the NFC continues, and the Ravens are onto Cleveland.

Chad Racine

This was quite a fun game to be at.  A slow start but once the Ravens got rolling the stadium was deflated. Lamar and Henry look nearly unstoppable.  The defense just needs to catch up a little bit.

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