Ravens Surging Into Second Half of Season

Baltimore Ravens are 6-3 and in first place of AFC North.

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Ravens are playing some of the best football in the entire NFL and are positioned for a playoff run in the second half of the season.

Baltimore has won three straight games to improve to 6-3 and sits atop the AFC North, one game ahead of the Cincinnati Bengals. 

The Ravens are 4-1 on the road with victories against the New York Jets (Week 1), New England Patriots (Week 3), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Week 8), and New Orleans Saints (Week 9).

Unlike previous seasons, Baltimore is also getting healthier as the team enters the final eight games as opposed to losing players. 

However, coach John Harbaugh is not taking anything for granted.

“We’re 6-3. So, it guarantees us six wins, I know that," he said. "I’ve learned that; I learned that last year. Let’s just worry about the next game.” 

The @Ravens improved to 6-3 with a dominant 27-13 victory over the New Orleans Saints in Week 9.
Here's their Report Card.#RavensFlock https://t.co/LjuEQqoiyg via @toddkarpovich

— Todd Karpovich (@toddkarpovich) November 8, 2022

Quarterback Lamar Jackson has played efficiently throughout the season and has avoided costly turnovers over the past three games. 

In the 27-13 victory over the Saints, Jackson completed 12-of-22 passes for 133 yards and a touchdown.  (87.9 rating). He also had 82 rushing yards on 11 carries (7.5 avg.) 

Jackson became the first player in NFL history to record 100 passing yards and 4,000 rushing yards in any five-year period of a career. Incredibly, he’s accomplished this feat through the first five years of his career.

He now owns the fifth-most rushing yards (4,308)by a quarterback in NFL history, surpassing Hall of Famer Steve Young.

“We feel pretty good, but the season’s not over," Jackson. "It’s just one week off, that’s all. Just a break from work, still have to stay locked in because there’s more season ahead of us.” 

However, it's been the Ravens' defense that has led the way to the recent surge. After allowing some big plays and dealing with communication issues over the first couple of games, the team is adjusting to the new coordinator Mike Macdonald.

The Ravens have limited an opponent to under 300 yards three times this season. The Ravens allowed New Orleans to gain 243 total yards, which marks the second-fewest against Baltimore this year (238 at NYG).

The Ravens limited the Saints to just 48 rushing yards, marking the second-fewest by a Baltimore opponent (44 at Tampa Bay) this season and the fewest by a New Orleans team that entered the game averaging 141.3 ypg — the NFL’s eighth-best fmarl. 

Pro Bowl RB Alvin Kamara had 30 rushing yards, his fewest this season.

Justin Houston had 2.5 sacks and an interception against the Saints and now has 8.5 on the season. The addition of inside linebacker Roquan Smith paid immediate dividends and he had five tackles. 

"I think we know who we are," Houston said. "I think we had a lot of growing pains at the beginning of the season, and we are still growing. We still left a lot of plays out there tonight. The thing is what we have in mind as a defense is that it is every man in that room. It’s not just one or two guys. It’s the whole defense. 

"When got a bunch of hungry dogs and they really want it and come together as one, the sky is the limit and I think that is what we have.”