The Ravens’ 38 factors Sunday towards the Lions was their highest output of the season. Lamar Jackson’s 357 passing yards had been the second-most of his profession, and he produced a near-perfect passer ranking of 155.8. And Baltimore’s protection shut down a Detroit workforce that was averaging 28 factors, 383.7 yards and had scored not less than 20 factors in 15 straight video games.
Yet, quarterback Lamar Jackson, who on Wednesday was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week, didn’t a lot as crack a smile afterward, a demeanor that, to a person, appears to have carried over this week because the Ravens (5-2) put together to play the Cardinals (1-6) on Sunday in Arizona.
The Ravens, not less than publicly, don’t look like bathing in their very own press clippings, to borrow a phrase from basketball Hall of Famer Bill Walton. Of course, that’s what occurs when you’ve got a workforce that beat the Bengals in Cincinnati in Week 2 solely to lose at dwelling the next week to the Indianapolis Colts. The Ravens additionally blew out the Browns in Cleveland in Week 4, solely to give up a double-digit lead towards the Steelers in Pittsburgh the next week.
Even Sunday’s 38-6 dismantling of the Lions wasn’t with out not less than one mishap, notably a fumble by Jackson on an alternate with operating again Justice Hill.
Now they’ll face a lowly Cardinals workforce that has misplaced 4 straight and is averaging simply 18.1 factors per recreation. Is it a lure?
“I believe you have a trap game or something like that when you get complacent or [are] thinking, ‘OK we just beat this team 30-something to 6, so we’re not worried about this team,’” Jackson mentioned Wednesday. “I believe that’s when that stuff pops into your brain, but I don’t believe our guys are like that.”
Unsurprisingly, that features the man in cost.
“We talk to them along those lines,” mentioned coach John Harbaugh, who added that in contrast to Alabama coach Nick Saban he didn’t have any “clever” rat poison feedback for his gamers.
“We had a good game last week. We have to have the best game we can have this week against a completely different defense, completely different situation. We’re on the road. All those things change. That’ll be our goal. The mission is to keep trying to have a good game from week to week and overarchingly try to improve and get better at all the little things you do.”
His gamers appear to have gotten the message.
“Right now, we’re just chasing to be consistent,” Jackson mentioned. “We had a couple games where we were good, then the next week it was like, what’s going on with the offense?”
Added vast receiver Rashod Bateman: “I gotta think we make this a bigger deal than it needs to be. We had a good game on Sunday and I think we just turn the page and focus on the Cardinals.”
Many of the standard cliches flowed all through the locker room.
One recreation at a time. There’s a number of soccer left. Any given Sunday anyone can win.
That’s very true of Jackson, whose 16-1 mark towards the NFC is the very best report towards an opposing convention since 1970. And he’s coming off a recreation during which he turned simply the fourth participant in NFL historical past to report 350 passing yards, three passing touchdowns, one speeding rating and end with a passer ranking of 150 or higher.
Still, when Jackson was offered with the lion spike by Harbaugh following the win over Detroit, he merely took it and walked again to his locker with nothing in the way in which of celebration.
As for going through the Cardinals?
“You come out and treat them the way you treated all the other games,” cornerback Marlon Humphrey mentioned. “The thing about a one-win team [is] they’re hungry for that second win or a winless team, so they’re going to come out [and] play hard, we just have to play a little bit harder.”
Added tight finish Mark Andrews: “We know the type of team that they are. This is going to be a good game. For us, it’s about doing our job — doing everything that we can during this week. Every week’s a new challenge. Every week’s going to provide something different, so it’s just about handling that, being ourselves and continuing to grow to become the team that we want to be.”
Indeed, the Ravens have struggled to take that subsequent step and string collectively constant robust performances in video games they’re anticipated to win, although Jackson did word their victory over the Tennessee Titans in London was adopted by Sunday’s win towards the Lions. Now comes the chance for a 3rd straight.
“I believe we’re going in the right direction,” Jackson mentioned. “We need to keep going.”
Week 8
Ravens at Cardinals
Sunday, 4:25 p.m.
TV: CBS
Radio: 97.9 FM, 101.5 FM, 1090 AM
Line: Ravens by 8 1/2
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Source: www.bostonherald.com