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It was far from an aesthetic masterpiece, but the Baltimore Ravens — led by a stellar effort from linebacker Patrick Queen, the return of running back Gus Edwards and some key special teams plays — held on to defeat the division rival Cleveland Browns, 23-20.
Before kickoff at M&T Bank Stadium, the grey skies could not put a damper on the electricity and festive mood, especially after the Ravens squad that won Super Bowl XLVII was introduced to the crowd.
The robust roars soared to another level when franchise legend Ray Lewis emerged from the tunnel, bouncing through a cloud of smoke to deliver his signature pre-game squirrel dance.
By the time the defense took the field on the Browns opening possession, the crowd was already lathered up. The problem was the defense was not.
Cleveland quarterback Jacoby Brissett, looking as smooth, composed and dangerous as John Shaft, came out with a surgical precision, leading his team on an impressive 11-play, 75-yard drive that culminated with Nick Chubb’s 2-yard touchdown run.
Brissett was outstanding for most of the game, connecting on 22 of his 27 attempts for 258 yards.
Despite their struggles this year on the defensive side of the ball, the Ravens had not given up a single point on any opponent’s first possession. It was also the first time this season that they didn’t score first.
When the offense got the ball back, they began marching down the field with ease as well. The return of running back Edwards was a welcome sight, as he powered his way forward for some tough yardage on the Ravens’ first three plays, gaining 19 yards on three carries.
Facing a second-and-6 at their own 48-yard line, Lamar Jackson unleashed a beautiful throw that receiver Devin Duvernay hauled in for a 31-yard gain.
But after a few short gains, the drive stalled, and the offense had to settle for Justin Tucker’s 32-yard field goal.
Brissett picked up where he left off, connecting with Amari Cooper on a 55-yard bomb.
With the Browns threatening on third-and-5 at the Ravens 15-yard line, the gifted rookie safety from Notre Dame, Kyle Hamilton, recorded his first NFL sack, dumping the Cleveland quarterback for an 8-yard loss.
The Browns were forced to kick a field goal, pushing their lead to 10-3 to close out the first quarter.
One thing that was evident early on was that Jackson was going to be under duress whenever he dropped back to pass.
The Cleveland defense was playing some inspired ball, constantly pressuring, hitting and sacking the Ravens star quarterback. Jackson was taking punishment like Carlo Rizzi at the hands of Sonny Corleone!
But Jackson remained composed, despite pursuing defenders slicing through a seemingly porous offensive line, hunting him wherever he turned.
After forcing a three-and-out on the Browns next possession, Duvernay and the special teams unit gave the squad the spark it sorely needed with his electric 46-yard punt return.
But the offense couldn’t capitalize and was forced to settle for another Tucker field goal, pulling them closer at 10-6.
The Ravens soon found their rhythm on their next possession. Operating out of the shotgun while facing a third-and-11 at their own 18-yard line, Jackson connected with Rashod Bateman for a 26-yard gain. A few plays later on third-and-2 at the Cleveland 47-yard line, Jackson gathered in the shotgun snap and scooted 10 yards up the middle.
After Jackson found rookie tight end Isaiah Likely for a 16-yard gain — and then danced for another 10-yard gain on the ensuing play — Edwards, whose nickname is the “Gus Bus,” had it rolling like the Double Dutch Bus when he rumbled 7 yards into the end zone to put the Ravens ahead 13-10.
Unlike their previous meltdowns against the Dolphins, Bills and Giants, the Ravens wouldn’t relinquish this lead, although it seemed like they just might.
Another fourth quarter collapse looked possible when, after Tucker’s 55-yard field goal, Cleveland responded with a smash-mouth running attack on their next drive.
Chubb and Kareem Hunt wore the Ravens down with a combined six rushes on their ensuing 7-play, 75-yard drive capped off by Hunt’s 2-yard touchdown run.
And when Ravens running back Justice Hill fumbled to end a 12-play, 55-yard drive that ate 5:48 off the clock, Cleveland took possession at their own 16-yard line with 3:12 left in the fourth quarter.
When Brissett found Donovan Peoples-Jones for a 37-yard gain down the right sideline with 2:44 on the clock, deflated Ravens fans couldn’t help but flashback to their previous fourth quarter collapses this year.
But it was the Browns who’d make the key missteps from there on out. Cooper, after catching what seemed to be a 55-yard touchdown pass, was flagged for offensive pass interference.
They then lined up for what would have been a game-tying 56-yard field goal attempt on fourth-and-5, but got penalized for a false start. The ensuing 61-yard attempt was blocked by Malik Harrison with 1:59 remaining.
And that was the ballgame.
With a heavy emphasis on its running attack, the Ravens offense gained 160 yards on 44 carries, with Edwards gaining 66 yards on 16 carries and scoring two touchdowns.
Jackson only attempted 16 passes, completing nine. He was sacked three times and threw for only 120 yards.
But his excellence in this game was not defined by aerial pyrotechnics, but rather by making the plays that needed to made at the most crucial times.
Ravens fans can breathe a sigh of relief. It wasn’t by any means pretty, but they got the job done.
Queen had a monster game with his 11 tackles, seven of them solo, three tackles for losses and one sack. Calais Campbell also came up huge with his strip-sack of Brissett early in the third quarter, which allowed the Ravens to quickly march 25 yards as Edwards punched in his second running score of the day.
The 2-5 Browns, losers of four straight, face 4-3 Cincinnati next week in a matchup pitting the teams with the ugliest uniforms against one another. The Bengals crushed the Atlanta Falcons 35-17 this weekend to remain tied with the Ravens atop the AFC North.
Baltimore has a short window to prepare for their upcoming Thursday night game against Tom Brady and the struggling 3-4 Buccaneers in Tampa. But the lingering taste of last week’s loss to the Giants is now dissipating.
And against the Bucs, they have a chance, with a victory, to head into the next game — Nov. 7 against New Orleans — with 10 days of rest, and feeling better about themselves and where this season is heading.
alejandro.danois@thebaltimorebanner.com
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Alejandro Danois was a sports writer for The Banner. He specializes in long-form storytelling, looking at society through the prism of sports and its larger connections with the greater cultural milieu. The author of The Boys of Dunbar, A Story of Love, Hope and Basketball, he is also a film producer and cultural critic.
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