Whereas the Tampa Bay Buccaneers misplaced two key items of their offense on Monday night time, Lamar Jackson was completely cooking on offense to guide the Baltimore Ravens to a 41-31 victory.
The Ravens are actually 5-2 on the 12 months, whereas the Bucs fell to 4-3.
This was the definition of a primetime matchup as Jackson and Baker Mayfield, two quarterbacks which can be MVP candidates in the mean time, went head-to-head within the Sunshine State.
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These quarterbacks mixed for eight complete landing passes. It was Jackson offering 5 of them in an unbelievable efficiency to bolster his personal MVP resume.
Jackson was 17-of-22 by way of the air for 281 yards, discovering his tight finish Mark Andrews twice for a landing, whereas Derrick Henry, Justice Hill, and Rashod Bateman every caught their very own rating from their dynamic quarterback as effectively.
In the meantime, the Bucs’ key items that had been misplaced on this recreation had been Mayfield’s prime two targets, Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, the latter of which may very well be finished for the remainder of the season after head coach Todd Bowles revealed early indications that he suffered a dislocated ankle with 43 seconds left within the recreation.
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The ESPN broadcast wouldn’t even present Godwin’s damage, although the preliminary view noticed his ankle within the flawed course after Patrick Queen rolled up on it whereas making a sort out. He was shortly positioned in an air solid and carted off the sector.
Evans, who was already coping with a hamstring damage getting into Monday night time, hauled in his solely catch for a landing on a 25-yard strike to open the scoring on this recreation on the Bucs’ first drive. However, two drives later, he couldn’t haul in one other deep landing cross from Mayfield and he instantly clutched his proper leg after being known as by Brandon Stephens, who was additionally injured on the play.
Evans was shortly dominated out for the rest of the sport.
For the Ravens, Zay Flowers acquired banged up on the Ravens’ opening drive after an 11-yard catch, the place replay confirmed he had his ankle rolled up on. He would solely get one goal from Jackson on the night time, however No. 8 was spreading the ball round to his receivers as he dissected Tampa Bay’s protection to the pleasure of all Ravens followers.
Bateman wanted simply 4 catches to rack up a game-high 121 yards along with his landing that went for 49 yards within the third quarter. He hauled in a 59-yard bomb down the sector from Jackson within the first half, too, after the quarterback scrambled out of a damaged pocket and directed him mid-play to get him open.
It additionally seems Andrews, Jackson’s trustee tight finish from years previous, is getting extra concerned by the week, as he had one other stable recreation along with his two scores and 41 yards on 4 catches.
And, after all, the NFL’s greatest dashing offense noticed Henry have one other elite recreation with 169 yards on the bottom on simply 15 carries, together with an 81-yard dash down the sector earlier than he was stopped.
Mayfield did his greatest to get again into this recreation, although, as Jackson and the Ravens’ offense racked up a 34-10 lead close to the top of the third quarter.
The Bucs scored 21 fourth-quarter factors, as Rachaad White hauled in two landing passes from Mayfield, whereas his working again counterpart Bucky Irving additionally acquired in from one yard out.
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It was all for naught ultimately, and the lack of Godwin, who owns the second-most receiving yards within the NFL this season after including 65 yards to his 2024 complete, and Evans piled on to the defeat at dwelling for a prime crew within the NFC.
In the meantime, the Ravens now personal a five-game win streak after beginning the 12 months 0-2.
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