Samuel Njoku: Ravens Now Pose Threat to Rest of NFL
BALTIMORE — The Ravens are finally finding ways to close out football games, which could mean serious trouble for the rest of the NFL.
Baltimore defeated Tampa Bay 27-22 to move to 5-3 on the season and stay atop the AFC North. But it’s how they accomplished the task that should be worrying their competition.
Lamar Jackson showed up in a big way against Tampa Bay going 27 for 38 with 238 yards and 2 touchdowns. What’s even more impressive was that he was able to accomplish this without Mark Andrews and Rashod Bateman for the majority of the contest due to injury.
“It shows you how hungry we are,” rookie tight end Isaiah Likely stated after finishing the game with 6 catches for 77 yards and his first career touchdown. “I mean, when [Mark Andrews and Rashod Bateman] both went down, they're a big piece of our offense, so you look at your brother – you look at how they want to be out there with us, so you really want to lift their spirits up and show them that we're going to do it for them. Whether they're in the game or not, we're going to bring this home for them."
After finding it difficult to finish games, no one would blame the Ravens for failing to do so on Thursday with everything working against them. But Baltimore appears to be turning a corner when it comes to taking advantage of double-digit leads; something they’ve had in each of their games this season.
Currently, the Ravens only play one opponent with a winning record for the rest of the season. That bodes well for a team with Super Bowl aspirations. But if you ask Jackson, Baltimore still has some work to do.
"I feel like we're very close; we're right there,” Jackson told reporters on Thursday. “But there's still room for improvement. The little mistakes, we're still making them out there. [If] we change those, then I feel like the sky's the limit for us."
