The Ravens got the result they needed on Sunday, but it came with plenty of bruises and a whole lot of stress. Baltimore left Week 4 with a 24-18 win over the Tennessee Titans, yet the second half turned into survival mode after Lamar Jackson exited and the offense never scored again.
What had the look of a comfortable afternoon unraveled fast once Jackson left before halftime. The Ravens had built a 17-point lead behind a sharp first half, but the game tightened into a messy grind from there. Penalties kept piling up, the officiating drew frustration, and Baltimore had to fight through injuries to Jackson, Marlon Humphrey, Andrew Vorhees, and Durham Smythe.
Kevin McNeils called it plain: “Time to exhale.”
He didn’t sugarcoat the way this one looked. “That was UGLY.
The game ends up in the win column for the Ravens, but as we’ve seen so often, it was a lot more stressful than it needed to be. The injuries stacked up, including being without Lamar Jackson for the second half, and sub-par officiating contributed to a heap of penalties that put Baltimore behind the eight-ball.
Combine that with a second half defense that was woefully insufficient in the secondary and another missed kick by Tyler Loop, and you had a perfect storm of a game that almost got away.”
Even so, McNeils pointed to a few bright spots, including Tyler Loop’s kick at the end of the half, plus strong moments from Jackson and Zay Flowers. He also noted that the defense forced a couple of turnovers and generated pressure on Cam Ward, even if the flags kept coming. The big concern now is whether the injuries linger before Baltimore’s trip to Atlanta next week.
Dustin Cox saw the same messy finish, but from his view the Ravens had already done enough damage early. He wrote that a possible blowout turned into a second-half slugfest after Jackson’s injury, and said Tennessee was able to focus on Derrick Henry and make the run game tougher for Baltimore. Cox also singled out Flowers, who was “once again putting on a show before Jackson left the game, proving every week now that he was worth every penny of his new contract.”
Cox said the defense was strong for most of the afternoon, though it was still disappointing that Baltimore managed only one sack on Cam Ward despite bringing pressure. He also flagged the penalty problem as a recurring issue that could keep haunting the team. For him, the biggest storyline now is the health report, with Jackson at the center and the injuries to Humphrey, Vorhees, and Smythe adding to the concern.
Zach Canter leaned on the same basic truth: Baltimore won handily, even if it didn’t feel that way by the end. He credited an “incredible first half” from Jackson and the offense for the 24 points that proved to be enough, while also calling it the defense’s best performance of the season in an 18-point allowance. Canter acknowledged the game was heavily clouded by Jackson’s second-half absence and the flood of penalties, but he still came away encouraged overall.
He said the offense was “unstoppable outside of penalties” while Jackson was in the game, and praised the defense for being “incredibly solid outside of the first drive of the game.” Outside of Carnell Tate’s catch and run late, he thought the tackling was much better and said the pass rush had Cam Ward under pressure throughout. His bottom line: a big home win, and one that would have looked a lot more comfortable if Jackson had finished the game.
The most downbeat reaction came from the final staff voice, who said this was the kind of game everyone wanted to end. That view centered on the Ravens’ 17-point first-half lead, Jackson’s ankle twist on the final offensive play before halftime, and the injury exits that followed. The penalties remained a major issue there too, though the complaint extended beyond Baltimore’s mistakes and into the way some 50/50 calls went.
That reaction also made the stakes clear if Jackson’s injury turns serious. As written there, “It goes without saying that any meaningful injury to Jackson would eliminate any chance of real success this year.” Even with the Titans described as so bad that it was hard to take much away from the game, the overall verdict was disappointment in the Ravens’ performance.
In Other News...
Cowboys Coach Just Handed Ravens Fans A Fresh Reason To Smile
A fresh note of satisfaction for Ravens fans came out of Dallas this week, and it had nothing to do with a highlight reel. Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer openly acknowledged a late-game mistake from the recent loss in Baltimore, saying he limited quarterback Dak Prescotts reads on the final offensive play. He also addressed it directly with the team in a meeting, framing the moment as one of accountability for a coach who wanted to own his role in how the game unfolded.
For Baltimore, the admission only reinforces how razor-thin the ending was before the Ravens were able to line up for the game-winning field goal. It is the kind of postgame detail that lingers because it speaks to how one decision can shape the final seconds, and why the Ravens sideline had just enough time to finish the job. Whether Schottenheimers explanation becomes a larger issue in Dallas is another matter, but for now it gives Baltimore supporters one more reason to smile about how the night ended. [Read more 🡒]
Lamar Jackson's Status Suddenly Became Baltimore's Biggest Week 4 Concern
Lamar Jacksons afternoon took an uneasy turn when he came up hobbled after a sack from Tennessee Titans edge rusher Jermaine Johnson III, leaving Baltimore with an immediate Week 4 concern. Jackson was seen limping and did not take the field to open the third quarter, with Tyler Huntley stepping in at quarterback as the Ravens tried to settle things down around their franchise player.
Even with the ankle issue, Jackson remained part of the sideline flow and had put on his earpiece by mid-afternoon, a sign Baltimore was still managing the situation in real time. For a team built around his presence and playmaking, the bigger question now is how long the Ravens can keep their offense on track if his status stays unsettled. [Read more 🡒]
Ravens Escaped With A Win But Left Fans With A Bigger Worry
The Ravens got the result they needed in Week 4, holding off the Titans 24-18 in a game that showed both sides of their identity. There were stretches when Baltimore looked sharp on offense and sturdy on defense, enough to control the flow even as penalties and uneven kicking kept the door open longer than it should have been.
Lamar Jackson was among the players who left with an injury and did not return, turning a win into a much more uneasy afternoon for Baltimore. Andrew Vorhees, Durham Smythe and Marlon Humphrey also exited and stayed sidelined, leaving the Ravens to sort through a long list of health concerns before the bigger test of what comes next. [Read more 🡒]