The latest news covering the Baltimore Ravens.
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The Winners and Losers of NFL Week 6
Steven Ruiz, The Ringer
It’s even more difficult than usual for defenses to find an answer for the Lamar problem with Derrick Henry in Baltimore’s backfield now. Even with Washington loading the box, the Ravens faced little resistance on the ground. Henry rushed for 132 yards and found the end zone twice, with a lot of that production coming on outside runs. The Commanders tried their best to keep Henry in between the tackles, but Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken was a step ahead of Quinn all afternoon and the Commanders couldn’t stop the big back from breaking contain.
Henry now leads the NFL in rushing (by nearly 100 yards) and in touchdowns (by two). He’s been everything Baltimore could have reasonably expected after signing the 30-year-old to a two-year, $16 million contract in the offseason.
NFL Week 6 takeaways: Is it panic season for the Dallas Cowboys? Another Lamar Jackson MVP season?
Tim Graham, Mike Jones, and Ted Nguyen, The Athletic
Are we living through another Lamar Jackson MVP season?
Jones: Jackson is a perennial MVP candidate. He makes the Ravens legit contenders in the AFC every season, and this year will be no different. So, yes, if Baltimore winds up with one of the top seeds in their conference and look like Super Bowl contenders, we certainly could see him repeat as MVP. But, I will say, the addition of Derrick Henry to the offense to lighten Jackson’s rushing load could prompt him to lose some votes. (I’d also still like to see the Ravens figure out how to add another receiving threat before the trade deadline to make that offense even more explosive). However, if the addition of weapons like Henry and others translates into a deep playoff run and a long-craved Super Bowl victory, Jackson would gladly trade that for another MVP award.
Graham: Perhaps the main reason Jackson won the MVP last year over Josh Allen was that Baltimore didn’t swoon, while many of us wondered what happened to Buffalo’s offense well into November. Allen started this season afire, earning AFC Offensive Player of the Month, but back-to-back losses in which he needed to be scraped off the turf a couple times allowed Jackson back in the race. Baltimore’s offense is a wagon. Allen doesn’t have anybody like Derrick Henry to help carry the load, but Jackson looked intergalactic against the streaking Commanders on Sunday. A week after lighting up Cincinnati, he threw just six incomplete passes while rolling up 323 yards in the air and a TD, and rushing eight times for 40 yards before killing out the clock. Your move, Josh.
Nguyen: Jackson is certainly one of the front runners. He’s been remarkably efficient this season, throwing 9 touchdowns to only one interception. He also is one of the most productive runners in the league, among quarterbacks and running backs (it does hurt Jackson’s MVP statline that Derrick Henry has hawked a few of his touchdowns at the goal line). The Ravens look like they’ll finish as a top seed in the AFC and they’ll have one of the top offenses. Stats, wins, and a top offense are usually the makings of an MVP campaign.
Anchored by Travis Jones, Ravens’ defense earns lofty comparisons
Giana Han, The Baltimore Banner
Jones is entering his third year, which is typically when you find out if a defensive lineman has staying power, according to former Ravens defensive end Calais Campbell. As a rookie, Jones had just one sack, two quarterback hits and three hurries. The following season, he took a step forward with 1.5 sacks, five quarterback hits and 19 hurries. PFF graded him with a 61.7 score for his first season and a 68.1 in his second.
This year, he’s recorded one sack, two quarterback hits and seven hurries in six games. He’s grading out at 77.3, with his highest grades coming in the run game each week. Heading into Sunday, his 12.9% run stop rate ranked fourth among NFL interior linemen. (A stop is a tackle that constitutes a “failure” for the offense.)
Things are clicking for the young lineman, Madubuike said, and there’s no limit to how good he could be. Outside linebacker Odafe Oweh said Jones has been relentless every play. Even if he’s not recording statistics, he’s doing something to affect the play. It’s making life easier for everyone else.
Ignore the pundits. Lamar Jackson is playing like an MVP. Again.
Kyle Goon, The Baltimore Banner
I’m tired of watching analysts cherry pick highlights to discredit Jackson or hype up his competition. I’m tired of his teammates being used as a way to diminish his week-to-week greatness. I’m tired of the narrative of voter fatigue working against him — if anything, Jackson’s previous MVPs should count as a strength because no one has figured out how to stop him in his seventh year in the league.
Jackson isn’t perfect, but show me who has been better than him thus far — and find a guy who hasn’t lost head to head against him. Even Mahomes, who beat Jackson again to start this season, has as many touchdowns as interceptions (6).
Jackson is on pace to throw for his highest passing total ever (254 yards per game), just one year after setting a career mark. Both interceptions he’s thrown have bounced of receivers’ hands. The idea that he’s a run-first QB is a dead assessment based on outdated information. By the data, he’s one of the league’s best passers, too.
NFL Week 6 Under Review: Lamar Jackson Has Never Been Better
Sheil Kapadia, The Ringer
It sounds foolish to say about a guy who has won two MVPs, but I think this is the best that Jackson has ever played. The Ravens are nearly impossible to defend right now. Load up the box to stop Jackson and Derrick Henry in the run game, and Jackson can pick you apart as a pocket passer. Commit resources to stopping Baltimore’s passing attack, and the Ravens will gladly run all over you. There just is no great answer to stopping the Ravens unless you have a terrific pass rush that can consistently get to Jackson without blitzing. And guess what? Even that might not be enough. Jackson is taking sacks on just 3.8 percent of his dropbacks—the fourth-lowest mark in the NFL.
If you’re a Ravens hater, I know what you’re saying: Get back to me when they do it on the biggest stage in the playoffs. And I get that. But offensively, what Baltimore is doing now feels more sustainable than it ever has before. Jackson can still be Superman when he needs to. But the structure of the offense has reduced the frequency with which he has to put on the cape. Through six weeks, Jackson has been the best player in the NFL, and the Ravens are once again on the short list of contenders in the AFC.