Entering Week 6, The Baltimore Ravens were about to conclude a three-game road trip in London. It was a battle of old rivals between the Ravens and the Tennessee Titans—two teams who are very familiar with each other over the years. After the Ravens let one get away from them in Pittsburgh, they looked to bounce back and finish the road trip on a positive note. When you look at the stat sheet, the Ravens dominated, and the scoreboard would reflect that. However, in Raven’s fashion, it didn’t. The Ravens escaped with a 24-16 win in large part thanks to Justin Tucker, but it wasn’t pretty.
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Ravens Escape London With A Win Thanks to Justin Tucker
Ravens Defense Steps Up
As has been the case so far this season, Baltimore’s defense was ferocious on Sunday. Aside from one big run out of the wildcat, Derrick Henry was mainly a non-factor in this one. What stood out was the Ravens pass rush and defensive line, making Tennessee quarterback Ryan Tannehill’s day miserable. They swarmed Tannehill almost every time he dropped back to pass and would even knock him out of the game with an injury. Malik Willis would come in for Tannehill, which was the same story. He was met with a flock of Ravens defenders.
In total, the Ravens sacked Titans quarterbacks six times. Jadeveon Clowney had two sacks, and Kyle Van Noy contributed with a sack. Both were all over the field and made an impact. With Odafe Oweh and David Ojabo out with injuries, Van Noy and Clowney have stepped up in this defense. Eric DeCosta has looked good by signing them, and he has to be very happy seeing how they’ve contributed to the defense. Justin Madubuike also had two sacks. Patrick Queen added a sack as well.
Big Play By Geno Stone
Speaking of Ravens players stepping up, Geno Stone has been a savior in the Ravens secondary, and he came through huge in the 3rd quarter. With Baltimore up 18-13 and momentum shifting to Tennessee, Stone made a huge interception on 3rd-and-2. After a Lamar Jackson interception, followed by a Titans touchdown and a Ravens punt, Stone’s play shifted the momentum back to Baltimore.
Ravens Special Teams Was Special; Tucker 6-For-6
John Harbaugh was a special teams coach before taking the Ravens head coaching job in 2008. On Sunday, his special teams made him proud. Justin Tucker reminded everyone why he’s still the best kicker in football—going 6-for-6 on field goals and being the key contributor to the Raven’s win. His fourth field goal came after the Ravens recovered a muffed punt with one second left in the half. While there were whispers of Tucker’s demise after he missed two field goals (59, 61) over the first few weeks of the season, it is safe to say he put those doubts to rest in London. He’s still Justin Tucker, and Harbaugh should always look to go to him.
6/6
— NFL (@NFL) October 15, 2023
No one better than @jtuck9
📺: #BALvsTEN on NFL Network
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Tale Of Two Halves For Ravens Offense
Baltimore’s offense continues to show it is a work in progress. It’s all you can say about them at this point. There are times when they play up to their potential; then there are times when they stall—for the second consecutive week, the Ravens struggled in the red zone—instead, settling for field goals over touchdowns. Jackson started 7/7 on the day and was overall efficient and solid. He scrambled out on 2nd-and-7 in the 2nd quarter and found Zay Flowers for a touchdown—his first of his career. Speaking of the Ravens, receivers generally had a good day—a nice bounce back for them after last week. Again, Jackson did throw that interception, which contributed to Tennessee’s comeback, and the Ravens offense was on neutral for much of the second half. The potential is there for Baltimore’s offense; they must put it together and limit the mistakes.
FIRST NFL TOUCHDOWN FOR @ZayFlowers ❗️❗️❗️
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) October 15, 2023
Tune in on NFL Network! pic.twitter.com/Zvr50jOkdp
What’s Next?
Should the Ravens have won all three games on this road trip? Yes. However, it takes a lot of work. Road games in the NFL are incredibly tough. It’s almost impossible. The Ravens got the short end of the stick here with the schedule, but they won two, and you’ll take that if you Baltimore. At 4-2, the Ravens return home next week to face the Detroit Lions. The Lions haven’t defeated the Ravens since 2005, and Baltimore leads the series 5-1. Detroit is a team Justin Tucker, who is coming off a big day, knows very well. Kicking a 61-yarder to beat them in 2013 and a record 66-yarder in 2021.
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Main Photo: Kirby Lee – USA Today Sports
