Lamar Jackson’s 1-yard touchdown run midway through the fourth quarter was the only one either team would score.
Jackson’s keeper with 7:16 left, a pair of Justin Tucker field goals and stifling defense throughout was enough for the Ravens (7-3) to win ugly, 13-3, against the visiting Carolina Panthers on Nov. 20.
Baltimore, fresh off its bye week, forced three fourth-quarter turnovers and another on downs to overcome an anemic offensive showing and leave a frigid and windy M&T Bank Stadium with a win. Its only touchdown drive began deep in Carolina territory thanks to a Marcus Peters strip and Marlon Humphrey recovery.
“It’s crazy, two All-Pro, future Hall of Famer cornerbacks on one team just locking down both sides of the field. I feel like that gives our defense a boost at all phases — defensive line, linebackers and the secondary,” Jackson said. “Those guys are playing out of their minds right now.”
Humphrey and outside linebacker Jason Pierre-Paul each intercepted Panthers quarterback Baker Mayfield. Pierre-Paul sacked the former Browns signal-caller on fourth down.
“That’s been a point of emphasis since the beginning of the season,” defensive lineman Calais Campbell said. “When we were struggling in the fourth quarter earlier in the season, we put a lot of time and effort to make sure that we were locked in, focusing, and being able to execute in end-of-game situations.”
Tucker hit field goals of 32 and 37 yards — making the former as a previously scoreless first half mercifully ended. Tucker’s field goal capped a 15-play, 76-yard drive for the Ravens that lasted the final 3:38 of the half.
Until that possession, Baltimore had only managed 81 yards of offense, including 16 yards rushing. Remarkably, Jackson actually had 17 yards on the ground prior to the drive, but the rest of the Ravens had combined for minus-1.
“The defense, basically what they said at halftime was, ‘If they don’t score, they can’t win,'” head coach John Harbaugh said. “That was their mindset, and I think at the end of the game, that was the same mindset, ‘It’s on us.'”
Baltimore was again without top running backs J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards. Edwards has missed two straight games with a hamstring injury but could return as soon as next weekend against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The second half began much like the first, with both teams exchanging three-and-outs on its first possessions. Carolina eventually knotted the score at 3 with a 32-yard field goal from Eddy Pineiro. The Panthers’ seven-yard, 40-play drive was aided by a defensive pass interference by safety Chuck Clark on a would-be third down stop.
Baltimore took the lead for good on Tucker’s second field goal of the afternoon with 8:27 left.
Here are five takeaways from the Ravens’ win:
1. Marlon Humphrey had two takeaways, but John Harbaugh said the defensive line deserved the game ball for this win.
The Panthers’ first five possessions ended in punts. The streak lasted until Pineiro’s field goal nearly seven minutes into the third quarter.
“I didn’t hear that one time; ‘Offense, come on. Let’s do something. We need a play.’ We just were playing defense, controlling what we can control,” Humphrey said. “They’re going to have those games, and we’re going to have games when we play bad, as well. But we were just really locked in, so I think that was a big key in our victory.”
The defensive dominance started up front as Carolina rushed for just 36 yards all day and averaged 2.1 yards per attempt.
The Ravens sacked their former AFC North rival four times, including three in the fourth quarter. Roquan Smith, Calais Campbell and Pierre-Paul each recorded one while Patrick Queen and Justin Houston had a half sack apiece. Baltimore has 23 sacks in its last six games.
The Ravens gave up the fewest points (3), total yards (205), yards per play (3.8) and rushing yards they have all season. They have forced a turnover in 12 straight games dating into last season — the longest active streak in the NFL.
2. Nobody benefits more from Roquan Smith’s addition than Patrick Queen.
The Ravens made one of the NFL’s biggest splashes at the trade deadline with the acquisition of the Chicago Bears’ All-Pro inside linebacker. His counterpart in the middle of Baltimore’s defense has been the biggest beneficiary.
Smith solidifies the strong side, allowing Queen to play his natural weak side where his speed makes him a disruptive force.
“It was just fantastic,” Harbaugh said of Queen’s game. “He was all over the field in the run, in the pass, tackling in open field, tackling with a guy blocking him in the back while he’s blocking him in the back. Those kind of plays are just amazing plays. Patrick Queen has been playing great football, and today just took another step in that direction.”
Queen finished with a game-high 12 tackles, including his half sack and a tackle for loss — dropping Panthers running back D’Onta Foreman for a 3-yard loss after Smith broke through to make initial contact in the backfield.
“Man, I love to see it. I told the guy on the sideline, ‘When you make a play, we all make a play,'” Smith said about Queen. “I’m very happy for the guy’s success. We’re just trying to make each other better and keep gelling together.”
Smith finished with seven tackles and a sack.
“I guess the offense is just picking him up as another threat, honestly,” Queen said. “[Smith] is All-Pro for a reason, and I guess now they have two guys that they have to really account for in the blitzing game and just being an all-around playmaker.”
3. Lamar Jackson and Baker Mayfield are on different career trajectories but will always be linked to one another.
Jackson was far from his best while still managing to outduel Mayfield — the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 draft, which saw the Ravens select their franchise quarterback at No. 32. Both quarterbacks won the Heisman Trophy in college and were finalists the year the other took the honor.
But Baltimore’s young quarterback is poised for a record-setting payday while Mayfield took a pay cut to join the Panthers after the Browns chose to move on from their former top pick by acquiring the controversial Deshaun Watson. Mayfield made his first start since Week 5, when he was benched in favor of the currently injured PJ Walker.
Both quarterbacks threw 33 passes, with Jackson completing 24 to Mayfield’s 21. Jackson narrowly outgained his rival, 209 passing yards to 196. Mayfield threw a pair of interceptions and Jackson had one.
Jackson, who missed practice on Friday with what he called a stomach bug, added 31 yards and the game’s only touchdown on 11 carries.
Jackson has dominated the NFC thus far in his career, posting a 15-1 mark in interconference games.
4. Demarcus Robinson played his best game as a Raven as the offense otherwise sputtered.
Wide receiver Demarcus Robinson was a bright spot in an otherwise anemic first half of offense, catching six passes for 87 yards before halftime. He finished with a career-high nine catches and 128 yards — just the second 100-yard receiving game of his career.
“He played lights out,” Jackson said. “We’ve known what he’s capable of, though; we just have to keep feeding him the ball.”
Robinson signed with the Ravens only 19 days before the season opener and has recently been forced into a leading role following a season-ending injury to top receiver Rashod Bateman. He caught six passes for 64 yards against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Oct. 27, which was his previous season high.
“‘D-Rob’ making many plays,” Harbaugh said. “I was going to give him a game ball, but he just got the one last week, so we’ll have to see. He just played great again.”
Jackson’s favorite target, tight end Mark Andrews, returned after missing one game due to shoulder and knee injuries. He had previously never missed a game due to injury.
Andrews caught six passes for 63 yards but reached a major milestone in his otherwise unspectacular afternoon. He became only the third Raven in franchise history to reach 4,000 receiving yards, along with tight end Todd Heap and wide receiver Derrick Mason, and just the fifth tight end since the 1970 merger to do it in the first five years of a career while also scoring 30 touchdowns.
“It’s self-explanatory; that’s my guy,” Jackson said. “He’s been my guy since 2018, so it felt great to have him back, as always.”
5. Even though it wasn’t pretty, the Ravens are stacking the wins they need to. But this one may have come at a major cost.
The Ravens’ worst offensive sequence in an already miserable showing came late in the third quarter. Right tackle Morgan Moses was flagged for a facemask penalty on third down, negating a 10-yard completion from Jackson to running back Justin Hill. On the following play, Jackson was sacked for a 7-yard loss and fell on top of left tackle Ronnie Stanley.
Stanley appeared to injure his left ankle — which he broke in 2020. The injury caused him to miss the better part of two seasons, including the first five games this year. Stanley came back at full health, however, and had been playing near his 2019 first-team All-Pro level.
Harbaugh did not provide an update on Stanley or rookie first-round draft pick Kyle Hamilton, who left with a knee injury and did not return. Jackson, however, said he received a positive report from Stanley in the locker room.
“I went in the locker room after the game, and I checked on him, but he said he’s pretty good,” Jackson said. “He told me just don’t fall into him. So, it was me who hurt him.”
The Ravens remain atop the AFC North despite their lackluster offensive showing, and at this stage of the season, that’s all that matters. Baltimore rides a four-game win streak into next week’s meeting with the 3-7 Jaguars. With seven games remaining, the Ravens will face just one team (Week 18 against the Cincinnati Bengals) that currently has a winning record.
“That November, December football, you just find a way to win to get in the playoffs,” Jackson said. “That’s what it’s all about right now. Some of them are going to be ugly, some of them are going to be pretty, but a win is a win.”
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