With hours to go before the start of the new year, the Ravens players are providing early fireworks.
Running back Justice Hill got the scoring started for Baltimore with a 20-yard grab in the first quarter. It was the first receiving touchdown of Hill’s career.
After punting on their next possession, the Ravens got back into the end zone on three consecutive drives.
Veteran receiver Odell Beckham Jr. showed he can still make contested catches, snatching an over-the-shoulder ball from quarterback Lamar Jackson for a 33-yard completion in the second quarter. One play later, running back Gus Edwards pushed his way into the end zone to give Baltimore its first lead.
The Beckham catch was, according to Next Gen Stats, the most improbably catch ever made on a pass throw by Lamar Jackson.
It took the Ravens only one play to score on their next possession. Jackson lobbed a rainbow to Zay Flowers for a 75-yard touchdown to push the rookie receiver over 100 yards on the day, the first time he’s passed the century mark.
Tight end Isaiah Likely got in on the action next, making a remarkable one-handed grab on fourth-and-7 from the Dolphins’ 35-yard line. Likely rumbled into the end zone, and a Justin Tucker extra point put the Ravens up 28-13 with 1:24 left in the first half.
Jackson closed the first half with 255 passing yards, going 12-for-14 and connecting with six receivers. The national media noticed how much help he was — finally — getting from his receivers, too.
Not to be outdone, Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith also made a spectacular catch on a first-half interception.
