Through nine weeks, Baltimore looks like a legitimate contender
By Jordan Dajani
• 1 min read
For the second time in three weeks, the Baltimore Ravens handed an NFC division leader a shockingly lopsided loss, as Lamar Jackson and Co. destroyed the Seattle Seahawks 37-3. The Ravens asserted their dominance from the get-go, gutting the Seahawks with their elite rushing offense, and we may have witnessed the emergence of a new weapon in undrafted running back Keaton Mitchell.
Mitchell entered Sunday with zero carries on the season. Against the Seahawks, he carried nine times for 138 yards and one touchdown. Gus Edwards added two more scores on the ground as Baltimore rushed for a whopping 298 yards. Jackson was again efficient, completing 21 of 26 passes for 187 yards. He was granted an early exit in the fourth quarter due to the score.
The Seahawks offense could do nothing against the Ravens defense. Geno Smith completed 13 of 28 passes for 157 yards and one interception, while Kenneth Walker III rushed nine times for 16 yards. Seattle recorded 151 yards of total offense, compared to 515 for Baltimore.
Let's take a look at what went down at M&T Bank Stadium on Sunday with our takeaways from the Week 9 showdown.
Why the Ravens won
The Ravens won this matchup because of two reasons: the rushing attack, and the defense.
Baltimore rushed 20 times for 121 yards and two touchdowns in just the first half to help the Ravens take a 17-3 halftime lead. The second half featured much of the same, as Baltimore finished with 515 yards of total offense -- 298 of those yards coming on the ground.
The Ravens came into Week 9 ranked No. 2 in yards allowed per game and No. 1 in scoring defense. It showed on Sunday as Baltimore held Seattle to just 89 yards in the first half, and 151 yards of total offense total. This looked like it was going to be a low-scoring defensive affair after zero points were scored in the first quarter, but then Baltimore exploded with 17 points in the second stanza.
Why the Seahawks lost
Seattle converted just one of its 12 third downs, and went 0 for 1 in the red zone. The offense was nowhere to be found; receivers D.K. Metcalf caught just one pass for 50 yards and Tyler Lockett caught three passes for 32 yards. Rookie Jaxon Smith-Njigba did catch six passes for 63 yards, but it wasn't enough to keep Seattle competitive in what was a blowout.
Turning point
Down 17-3 at halftime, Seattle had to figure out how to stop the Ravens' running attack. On the first play from scrimmage in the third quarter, Edwards broke loose for a massive gain of 42 yards. Justin Tucker then hit a 45-yard field goal to extend the lead to 17 points, and it started to feel like this game wasn't going to get more entertaining in the second half.
Plays of the game
What's next
The Seahawks return to Seattle next week, where they will host the Washington Commanders (4-5). As for the Ravens, they host the rival Cleveland Browns (5-3) in Week 10.
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Happy birthday OBJ!
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Keaton Mitchell breakout game!
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QB change. The Pro Bowler Tyler Huntley is in.
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Keaton Mitchell breaks loose for a 40-yard touchdown. Unreal.
7 carries, 78 yards, 1 TD
Ravens 30 Seahawks 3
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Ravens score another field goal. Justin Tucker's successful 31-yard boot caps a 13-play, 48-yard drive. This game is not too fun right now. Seattle can't get anything going.
3:28 remaining in the third quarter. Ravens 23, Seahawks 3
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Five plays, 49 yards and another Justin Tucker field goal. 20-3 Ravens with 12:44 remaining in the third quarter.
Baltimore now has 166 yards on the ground.
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May be the play of the game
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HALFTIME Ravens 17 Seahawks 3
First downs: SEA 4 BAL 17
Total yards: SEA 89 BAL 238
Third downs: SEA 1-8 BAL 3-5
Geno Smith 6/14 93 yards 1 INT
Lamar Jackson 12/16 125 yards
Kenneth Walker III 6 carries 17 yards
Lamar Jackson 8 carries 61 yards
Keaton Mitchell 4 carries 37 yards
Gus Edwards 4 carries 10 yards 2 TDs
DK Metcalf 1 catch 50 yards
Tyler Lockett 3 catches 32 yards
Mark Andrews 5 catches 50 yards
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Five plays, 17 yards, 29 seconds, 3 points from Justin Tucker. 17-3 Ravens at halftime.
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Kyle Van Noy! Playmaker. He strips Geno Smith and the Ravens take over at the Seahawks 36-yard line with 33 seconds remaining.
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OBJ completely careless with football. Why do players hold the ball with one hand like this?
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Splash play for Seattle!
Whooo boy. The Ravens look like the better team so far. 10 plays, 84 yards, another Gus Edwards touchdown.
Ravens now up 14-0 on the Seahawks. 2:39 remaining in the second quarter.
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Interesting to see Keaton Mitchell getting this much work. I like it though. Hard not to compare him to Chris Johnson coming out of ECU. He's a smaller guy though.
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The Seahawks offense can't take advantage of the turnover. Three-and-out. 1 yard gained. Odafe Oweh got to Geno Smith on second down for a loss of six. Put Seattle too far behind the sticks.
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This is the kind of play Seattle needed. What an effort by Mafe.
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Lamar Jackson truly is a game-changer. Quick, good vision, hard to tackle. 23-yard rush that gets Baltimore into enemy territory.
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GUESS WHO. Geno Stone picks off Geno Smith! 6 INTs on the season. Leads the league. Ravens take over.
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You want to see Seattle do what Baltimore just did. Engineering long drives which wear down the stout Ravens defense. Easier said than done, but Seahawks have to respond.
Utilize play action, keep Ravens LB on their heels, get Geno into a rhythm.
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And we have points! What a drive from the Ravens. 12 plays, 81 yards and a 4-yard Gus Edwards touchdown.
Lamar Jackson took things in his own hands on that possession, which is what you want to see when Baltimore's offense doesn't explode out of the gate. He has 22 yards rushing on four carries.
7-0 Ravens. 13:06 remaining in the second quarter.
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We have a third-down conversion! Geno with a really nice pass to Lockett for a gain of 7 yards. No idea how he fit that in. Seahawks now in enemy territory.
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It's a punt-fest early! Ravens go three-and-out. Lamar losing two yards on first down definitely hurt. Put Baltimore on its own 2-yard line.
6:30 remaining in the first quarter. Seahawks and Ravens have combined for 55 yards.
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Geno Smith hit Tyler Lockett for a gain of 18 yards on a second-and-8, but then the offense stalls. Five plays, 26 yards, another Dickson punt. It's downed inside the five-yard line, so Lamar Jackson has a long field.
Jadeveon Clowney has been active early. Batted down a pass attempt on a third-and-4. Remember, he played for Seattle back in the day.
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Ravens pick up a first down on their first play on offense (13 yards to Mark Andrews). But then go backwards. Stout punts possession back to Seattle. A defensive affair early.
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Geno Smith had Jaxon Smith-Njigba open for the third down conversion, but the rookie bobbled the catch! Was too focused on the sideline and where he was relative to it. Three-and-out for Seattle. Ravens defense stands tall.
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Kenneth Walker gets the first touch of the game for Seattle. He's 2nd in NFL in tackles avoided this season (42, trailing only Travis Etienne Jr - 46)
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Keep an eye on Geno Stone today. Underrated player. Leads the NFL with 5 interceptions this season.
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