The Baltimore Ravens pulled out an incredible 31-25 victory over the Indianapolis Colts in overtime. The win moves Baltimore to 4-1 and gives them sole possession of first place in the AFC North, while Indianapolis falls to 1-4.
It was a game where the Ravens dug themselves into a massive hole over the course of the first three quarters, but ended up digging themselves right back out of it during the fourth quarter and overtime periods. Quarterback Lamar Jackson was extremely impressive, while wide receiver Marquise Brown and tight end Mark Andrews each had big days.
We look at five takeaways from Baltimore’s win over the Colts below.
QB Lamar Jackson is playing like an MVP
(AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Don’t look now, but Jackson is currently in the middle of campaigning for his second MVP trophy. The fourth-year quarterback all but confirmed that on Monday night, going 37-of-43 and putting up a career-high 442 passing yards, four passing touchdowns, and 62 rushing yards. He played well for the majority of the night, but took his game to a completely different level in the fourth quarter and overtime.
Jackson now holds the record for most passing yards in Ravens franchise history. He also is the most accurate 400 yard thrower in NFL history, as he completed 86% of his passes. The leap that Jackson has taken as a passer this season has been monumental, and Baltimore has an absolute superstar on their hands.
The Ravens need to figure out how make their running back group work
Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
The running game has the heartbeat of the Baltimore offense over the last few seasons. However, with J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards unable to suit up this season, the ground game hasn’t been the same. With Latavius Murray, Ty’Son Williams, Devonta Freeman and Le’Veon Bell now in charge of production from the position, the rushing attack has been largely ineffective over recent weeks.
On Monday night against the Colts, the Ravens averaged 3.4 yards per carry. Most of their success on the ground came from quarterback Lamar Jackson who carried the ball 14 times for 62 yards. Murray had six carries for 17 yards, Williams had four carries for six yards, and Freeman rounded out the group with one carry for one yard. Baltimore’s running back room will have to be more effective moving forward, especially because they’ve each had over a month to gel with their new team.
WR Marquise Brown and TE Mark Andrews are a top receiving duo
Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Both Brown and Andrews feasted on the Colts’ defense during the Ravens’ Monday night win. Andrews caught 11 passes on 13 targets for 147 yards and two touchdowns, while Brown hauled in nine of his 10 targets for 125 yards and two scores himself.
Each of them brings a different skillset to the table but are extremely good at what they do. Defenses find it extremely difficult to account for both players, especially when having to worry about Lamar Jackson, the running game and other receiving threats. The pair of Brown and Andrews is one of the top receiving threats in the NFL, and they proved that in Week 5.
OLB Odafe Oweh is a budding star
Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Oweh has truly made a name for himself over the first five games of his NFL career. On Monday night against Indianapolis, the rookie outside linebacker recorded three tackles, but none were bigger than his sack on Colts quarterback Carson Wentz that forced the veteran to fumble and gave the Ravens the ball back after Indianapolis had started to gain some momentum early in the contest.
Oweh now has 11 total tackles, a team-leading three sacks, and two forced fumbles. He has been one of the most impactful defenders on the team so far this year, and hopefully he’s able to continue to build on his scorching start to the 2021 season.
Baltimore must fix their tackling issues
Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
It’s no secret that the Ravens have been one of the worst tackling teams in the NFL so far in 2021. That fact didn’t change in Week 5, as multiple players struggled to bring ball carriers down, which allowed for extra yardage and forced the defense to stay out on the field longer than needed.
As a unit, Baltimore’s defense gave up 513 total yards of offense to the Colts, allowing them to gain 8.1 yards per play. Part of that had to do with the fact that the defense still struggles mightily with tackling. As their schedule gets tougher, the Ravens must improve on their tackling issues sooner rather than later, or else it could start to actually cost them games.
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