Ravens Stake Claim As Best Team In AFC
BALTIMORE — The Baltimore Ravens like flying under the radar.
However, after a dominant 34-6 victory over the resurgent Los Angeles Chargers, the Ravens staked their claim as the best team in the AFC ... even though they don't want that distinction.
“We don’t want that name," quarterback Lamar Jackson said. "We’re good with where we’re at. We don’t need all that extra stuff coming with us. We’re fine. You know how people have been saying about us? Keep the same view – because we know what we’ve got going on over here in this organization.”
After a season-opening overtime loss to the Las Vegas Raiders, Baltimore has taken down the Kansas City Chiefs, Detroit Lions, Denver Broncos, Indianapolis Colts, and Chargers.
The Ravens improved to 5-1 for the second-straight season and for the fourth time in franchise history. The Buffalo Bills are 4-1 with a Monday night matchup against the Tennessee Titans.
Baltimore is able to completely dominate opponents when it plays well on both sides of the ball.
"As you’ve seen throughout the first six games, we’ve been battle-tested, we’ve been down, but this team knows how to stay together," linebacker Josh Bynes said.
The Ravens are ranked fourth in the NFL, averaging 421.7 yards per game.
Jackson has been dominant and surpassed Hall of Famer Dan Marino by becoming the youngest quarterback in league history to reach 35 career victories. Jackson, who turns 25 in January, is 35-8 as a starter, producing the NFL’s most wins by a quarterback since he became a starter in Week 11 of 2018.
Jackson has thrown at least one touchdown in 13 straight games, tying Vinny Testaverde (1996-97) for the second-longest streak in team history. Jackson holds the franchise record with 15 straight games from 2019-20.
"If we break a record, it happens. But we want something else,” Jackson said, referring to a Super Bowl victory.
Los Angeles had the league's worst run defense and the Ravens exploited this weakness. Baltimore pounded the ball up the middle and found space to run outside, finishing with 187 yards on 38 carries
"We want to be able to attack people in different ways," coach John Harbaugh said. "Believe me, there are plenty of things we can work on in all three phases, offensively included. So, we have to keep working on all of those things.”
The Ravens defense has been uneven, but they had perhaps their most dominant performance against the Chargers, who finished with 208 total yards and were 3 of 12 on third down.
Baltimore kept quarterback Justin Herbert off-balance and did a solid job tackling. Herbert was 22 of 39 for 195 yards with a touchdown and interception. The Chargers managed just 26 yards on the ground.
Safety DeShon Elliott missed the past two games with a quad injury, but he came back with a vengeance. He had three tackles, one sack, two quarterback hits, two passes defensed, and an interception. His presence is a huge boost to the secondary.
"We have a great team – offensively and defensively," Elliott said. "When we play together, when we play as a band of brothers, we can be a very great team. Because that team over there is a great team – a great offense, great defense. I just feel like on this day, it’s ‘Any Given Sunday,’ and we were the better team today.”
