Ravens Keep The Train Rolling, Beat The Vikings In Minnesota 27-19

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Choo chooooooooooo!!!

3 wins in a row and the Ravens are back in a big way. Never thought we'd be 4-5 at this juncture but given where things were a short 3 weeks ago, we will absolutely take it.

This wasn't the prettiest football game on either side. Ravens struggled mightily in the early going to get it going offensively, which has been a pattern in recent weeks. They went 3 and out on the first drive and repeatedly came up short in the red zone to the tune of 4 field goals to open their scoring. Yet, they found their rhythm in the 2nd half and ran a very balanced attack that wore down the Vikings little by little.

More importantly, they protected the football, they forced takeaways, and stood up on defense when playing with a lead. That last part is the most refreshing to see, and it's something they've obviously struggled with in recent years. Nobody is saying the Bears, Dolphins, and Vikings are offensive juggernauts, but they've absolutely turned a corner and started playing the kind of defense we expected them to play coming into the year.

Shutting down Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison was masterful. They were frustrated all day and looked beat up by the end of it. Wiggins is really coming into his own and Marlon has been playing up to his usual standard. There's still concern about a lack of pass rush, but they're doing a better job of manufacturing pressure and getting hands up in pass lanes to tip and alter throws. That's going to be huge against the likes of Dillon Gabriel and Justin Fields the next two weeks. Kyle Hamilton continues to play with his hair on fire close to the line of scrimmage, which is a testament to the brilliant swap for Alohi Gilman.

Lamar Jackson…. certainly far from his best game. He didn't even attempt a throw over 20 yards downfield. There were a couple of drops that hurt him, and he still doesn't look like he's 100% with the hamstring… but he still put together a clean performance. Exactly what the doctor ordered, especially once they had the lead.

He's up to 100 career starts and has gone 73-27 in them. Pretty unreal. John Harbaugh has also won a road game in every NFL city too. That's neat. Oh, and Derrick Henry finally surpassed his high school career rushing total. Lotta milestones here.

All in all…. piling up these wins against lesser teams is what's most important. But I'd be lying if I said they're playing anywhere near the championship caliber football that we hoped to see from them this year. It's a serious work in progress. This level of play may very well be enough to win each of the next 3 games against Cleveland, NYJ, and Cincy and get to 7-5, but they're going to need to level up to take down Pittsburgh twice and win the division. And they're faaaar from playing at the level they need to go on a postseason run. I think they still have it in there somewhere, but they've got a lot of work to do and they know it.

Either way, we're on to Cleveland and a shot to get back at .500.