After Lamar Jackson threw nine passes to Zay Flowers in the first half, he never passed to him again. Mark Andrews caught his first touchdown throw of the season after recovering an interception that had gone through his hands. And Derick Henry was Derick Henry.
Jackson played against rookie Jayden Daniels and showed off his skills in a matchup between two of the NFL’s best quarterbacks. Sunday, he led the Baltimore Ravens to a 30-23 triumph over the Washington Commanders, their fourth consecutive victory, thanks to his passing for 323 yards and 40 more.
“Just a pick-your-poison offense,” Jackson remarked.
Lamar Jackson moved up to second place among quarterbacks all-time in rushing, Flowers broke his record for receiving yards in a game, and Henry gained 132 yards on the ground and scored his eighth and ninth touchdowns. The Baltimore (4-2) were very effective in combining passing with running plays.
Mark Andrew’s first touchdown of the season
With his 41st touchdown catch of his career, Andrews tied Todd Heap for the most since the team’s relocation to Baltimore. “Guys are going to get their touches and get the ball and good things will happen, and that’s what happened today,” he said.
“We’re extremely versatile in what we’re doing, and we’re going to take this game, get better from it week by week, and become the machine that we can be.”
Even though Terry McLaurin caught two touchdown passes from Daniels, the running backs couldn’t assist him out enough in a game between the league’s two best rushing teams. Washington (4-2) managed just 52 rushing yards without injured running back Brian Robinson Jr.
“B-Rob is a great player, but it’s next man up,” Daniels added, acknowledging that B-Rob is a fantastic player. “We have to go out there and do our job.”
The defense of the beat Commanders had a hard time stopping Lamar Jackson and Henry, which contributed to 484 yards for Baltimore. Their four-game winning streak was ended by the defeat, and they were defeated by a team that is, as expected, becoming a real Super Bowl contender.
History made by Henry
“That’s what you want as an offense.” Henry made history by becoming the first player since LaDainian Tomlinson in 2005 to score a touchdown in each of his first six games. “We got so many guys that can make plays, a lot of guys are getting the chances, getting the ball, and being able to showcase their talent.”
The Ravens’ spectacular 94- and 93-yard scoring drives were the cherry on top of a spectacular performance. Henry scored a game-changing touchdown from seven yards out late in the third quarter, making the second drive crucial.
“Those two drives were much needed,” Flowers said. “I feel like we needed those drives to set the tone that this offense is going all game and we’re just going to keep scoring, either running or passing,” the coach said.
Daniel’s solid efforts fall short
It was still difficult to stop Daniels from passing for 269 yards and 24 completions out of 35 attempts, but Baltimore found a way to score more points than their opponents. John Harbaugh, the team’s coach, proclaimed it their greatest triumph.
A win was possible because “All three phases contributed to the win when had to,” Harbaugh stated. “Guys answered today in a lot of ways.”
Later, when asked whether he thought the victory proved the Ravens had the top offensive in football, Jackson dismissed the idea, stating that there is still a significant amount of the season left.
Lamar Jackson expressed faith in his team’s ability to win games even though he only completed 20 of 26 passes. “It is always possible to improve.”
Injuries
LB for the Ravens: No one played because of injuries sustained by Malik Harrison (groin), Arthur Maulet (knee and hamstring), and Broderick Washington (knee).
Commanders: DT Early in the fourth quarter, Jonathan Allen’s pectoral injury was determined to be the reason for his absence.
In the second half, DE Dorance Armstrong exited the game due to a rib injury. DE Due to a knee ailment, Clelin Ferrell has missed four games in a row.