Baltimore Ravens Smother Los Angeles Chargers 20-10; Claim AFC's Top Seed - For Now
The Baltimore Ravens have long had a reputation as a hard-nosed, physical, defense-first team, and they lived up to that reputation on Sunday night.
Facing off against the Los Angeles Chargers under the bright lights of SoFi Stadium, the Ravens kept Justin Herbert and co. in check en route to a 20-10 primetime victory.
For more than three quarters, the Ravens' defense was in complete control of this game. In fact, it took over 45 minutes after the Chargers' opening-drive field goal to score again, which came on a three-yard pass from Herbert to tight end Gerald Everett.
Key to the Ravens' success was the four turnovers they forced on the night. One was just an interception on a Hail Mary at the end of the half that didn't matter much, but the other three were all fumbles in key situations. The final one was perhaps the most impactful, as it came in the red zone early in the fourth quarter and stopped a promising Chargers drive.
For as good as the Ravens' defense was, their offense wasn't quite as effective. It wasn't an awful performance, as 361 total yards with no giveaways is solid all things considered, but the unit certainly wasn't winning any awards. The most egregious failure was the fact that the Ravens couldn't capitalize on its takeaways, as despite having four of them, they had just a lone field goal to show for it.
Ravens star Lamar Jackson completed 18 of 32 passes for 177 yards and a touchdown while adding an extra 41 yards on the ground. Aside from Jackson, the Ravens' biggest star on offense was rookie receiver Zay Flowers, who got Baltimore on the board with a three-yard receiving touchdown and added an exclamation point with a 37-yard rush inside the two-minute warning.
Meanwhile, Herbert completed 29 of 44 passes for 217 yards, one touchdown and one interception while being sacked three times. Keenan Allen had the best day of any receiver on the field with 14 catches for 106 yards.
With the win, Baltimore improves to 9-3 on the season and now have sole possession of the AFC's No. 1 seed. After a much-needed bye, the Ravens continue their playoff push with a home matchup against the Los Angeles Rams.
