The Ravens took a short trip to FedEx Field in Prince George’s County, Maryland to square up against the temporarily-named Washington Football Team. In a comeback win after last week’s loss to Kansas City, Baltimore ended Sunday’s game 31-17.
The first quarter started with a series of punts for both teams as neither could strike close to the red zone. However, Baltimore’s defense came through big towards the end of the first quarter. Cornerback Marlon Humphrey made another tremendous play on defense by forcing a fumble with a recovery from cornerback Marcus Peters. A quick two-play, 34-yard drive from Baltimore put the Ravens up 7-0 with a goal line run from running back Mark Ingram. The first quarter ended with a 7-0 lead for Baltimore as they attempted to capitalize on a 3 and out from Washington.
Washington continued to struggle in the beginning of the second quarter, starting with a missed 54-yard field goal from Dustin Hopkins. Lamar Jackson showed off his explosive run game with a 50-yard rush all the way to the end zone to put his team up 14-0. The Football Team finally reached the end zone with a two-yard rush from running back Anthony Gibson to fight their way to a comeback. Baltimore answered Washington’s touchdown with one of their own on an 8-play, 75-yard drive with Jackson connecting with tight end Mark Andrews in the end zone on a 25-yard pass. After a stop from the Baltimore defense, Jackson threw an interception to cornerback Kendall Fuller. Washington ran the clock from there and nailed a 43-yard field goal, and Baltimore hoped to ward off a comeback as they led 21-10 going into the half.
Baltimore started with the ball in the second half and scored a touchdown off a long 75-yard, 6:18 drive to put some separation between themselves and Washington. After Washington failed to convert on fourth down, the Ravens seized that opportunity to score again on a 46-yard field goal and gained a larger 31-10 lead. That drive used over half the game clock for the fourth quarter, preventing Washington from mounting a comeback. Former Washington quarterback Robert Griffin III even attempted a pass during the quarter but was intercepted by Fuller for his second of the day.
The Ravens ran the clock after the touchdown to secure a 31-17 victory against a 1-3 team. Jackson finished with 193 yards passing, 53 yards rushing, 2 passing touchdowns, 1 rushing touchdown, and an interception. Andrews caught 2 touchdowns for Baltimore, and wide receiver Marquise Brown caught 4 passes for 86 yards. On the defensive side, Patrick Queen finished with a team-high 12 tackles, Jaylon Ferguson sacked QB Dwayne Haskins Jr. once and Matthew Judon got to the QB for a game-high 2 sacks as well.
Despite the victory, Baltimore still sits second in the AFC East for the week because of the Steelers’ 3-0 start and bye for Week 4. The Ravens will aim to jump ahead of the Steelers for the division lead as they play the Bengals on Sunday, Oct. 11.
Featured Image courtesy of DC Pro Sports Report via Flickr Creative Commons
