Thursday night it was Who’s Playing at the Baltimore Ravens and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In a 27-22 win at Tampa Bay, the Ravens went 5-3 while looking a lot like the best team in North Asia. Conversely, the Buccaneers, who are now 3-5 after a third loss in a row, looked like a team that had no legitimate chance of playing deep in January.
Tampa Bay started hot before fading out during the final three quarters of the game. Baltimore’s rush of passes made life miserable for Tom Brady, who in the first half passed Ben Roethlisberger as the most fired player in NFL history. It was a much better night for the visiting quarterback, as Lamar Jackson threw two passes to the floor on 27 of 38 passes. Jackson was also part of a 233-yard sprint game that helped chew more than 38 minutes of game hour.
After the break, the Ravens took the lead in third-quarter touchdown passes from Jackson to Kenyan Drake and Isaiah Leakley. Baltimore took a double-digit 15-yard lead for Devin DuVernay with 6:35 left, less than six minutes after the Buccaneers scored their first points in the half on a field goal by Ryan Sukop.
Brady briefly kept hope with a late touchdown pass to Julio Jones. But the Ravens sealed the side kick that followed, clinching the win as they clinched Brady’s 302-game streak without three straight losses.
The Buccaneers went to the end of the first half with a 10-3 lead after making two red zones in the first 30 minutes of the match. Tampa Bay also received a decent first run from Brady, whose 44-yard completion to Chris Goodwin put the green light for Leonard Fournette midway through the first quarter.
Both teams were seriously injured on Thursday evening. The Ravens lost receiver Rashid Pittman (foot) and Mark Andrews (shoulder) during the first three quarters of the game, then lost Gus Edwards (hamstring) in the fourth. Bucs quarterback Shaquille Barrett lost during the second half. He feared that Barrett had ruptured his Achilles, Via NFL Media.
Here’s a closer look at what happened in Tampa.
Why did the crows win?
Baltimore dominated the ground and controlled the ball for more than two-thirds of the game. Led by Edwards and Drake, Baltimore dominated the ground while overcoming first-half errors in the red. The Ravens also received big contributions from Likely and Demarcus Robinson, who combined to capture 12 of 15 goals from 141 yards.
Defensively, the Ravens shut down the Brady and Buccaneers attack for most of the last three quarters of the game. Justin Houston took a sip from the Fountain of Youth, scoring two bags and two treats for loss. Houston and the rest of his teammates shut down the run in Tampa Bay while catching Brady with just 26 of 44 passes.
Why did the pirates lose?
Tampa Bay’s offense completely dried up after the first quarter. The unit jumped five times in a row while giving its defense a little relief. While his running game did him no favors, Brady also failed to complete several downhill passes that would have kept the chains moving. Penalties, such as a Fortnite false start with the Buccaneers down 11 and a fourth encounter and a 3-yard line goal with 4:57 left, were also plagued by the Buccaneers offense.
While their attack didn’t help them, the Buccaneers defense failed to make a play to change momentum during the second half. The unit was also unable to contain Baltimore from the outside, as the Ravens ran through the Tampa Bay defense.
The bright spot in the pirates was the relationship between Brady and Mike Evans. Evans picked up 6 of 11 goals for 123 yards that included a 51-yard catch that put the hacker’s first score in the second half.
turning point
Baltimore dominated the third quarter, outperforming Tampa Bay 14-0 and dominating the ball for about 13 minutes. The Ravens offensive began the inning with 9 plays, 77 yards ended with a touchdown pass from Jackson to Drake.
The Ravens defense then forced a quick kick in Tampa Bay before starting Baltimore’s attack in 11 games at 80 yards punctuated by Jackson’s superb touchdown pass to Likely five seconds before the end of the third quarter.
play the game
With Andrews and Bateman out, Likely stepped up and made a critical landing that gave the Ravens the lead forever. The rookie tight end had six passes for 77 yards Thursday night after only collecting 10 in his first seven games of the season.
quotable
Jackson allowed some of his fans to speak on his behalf after the win. The former league MVP enjoyed a sign of his current contract status, with Jackson playing under a rookie option for a fifth year after he and the Ravens were unable to come to terms on a long-term deal this past season.
What’s Next
The Buccaneers will host the Rams for an exciting rematch on the Tag Team Tour this January. Like the Buccaneers, the Rams are off to a slow start this season. The title holders went to their farewell by scoring 3-3.
Baltimore will head to Baton Rouge on November 7 to face the Saints in “Monday Night Football.” Offensive injuries have hit the Saints so far, with New Orleans only 2-5.
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