Lamar Jackson continued to make his case for the league MVP award, leading the Baltimore Ravens to a convincing 30-23 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday night. Jackson was nearly flawless in the win, going 16 of 22 for 177 yards with two touchdowns (126.5 rating) while also rushing for a touchdown.
The Ravens imposed their will against one of the league's top defenses, scoring on five straight possessions between the second through fourth quarters as the Chargers gave up a season-high 30 points in the loss. Baltimore scored touchdowns on four of those five possessions, rushing for 176 yards and averaging 7.0 yards per carry in the stretch.
Jackson went 15 of 18 for 175 yards with two scores in that stretch, including a 40-yard touchdown pass to Rashod Bateman in the final minute of the the first half and a 6-yard touchdown pass to Mark Andrews in the fourth quarter that gave the Ravens the lead for good at 23-16. Justice Hill broke the game open with a 51-yard touchdown run to make it 30-16 with 7:24 left in the game.
The Chargers were held to one touchdown on their first eight possessions, a Justin Herbert run on their first drive, and built a 10-0 lead in the first quarter before the Ravens outscored them 30-13 the rest of the way (Chargers scored a touchdown in the final minute). Herbert finished 21 of 36 for 218 yards while J.K. Dobbins left in the second quarter with a knee injury.
Baltimore rushed for 196 yards in the final three quarters, while Derrick Henry finished with 24 carries for 140 yards (5.8 yards per carry). The Ravens averaged 5.7 yards per carry and finished with a total of 212 rushing yards.
Here are the major takeaways from the game. A full recap of the Ravens' big win can be found in our live blog below!
Why the Ravens won
The Ravens did what they do best in this one: run the football to bully one of the league's top scoring defenses. Baltimore rushed for 212 yards against a Chargers defense that had given up 110.5 rushing yards per game heading into the contest (11th in NFL). Derrick Henry accounted for 140 of those.
Baltimore had 194 rushing yards in the final three quarters, 127 of which came from Henry (21 carries, 6.0 yards per carry). Justice Hill also had a 51-yard touchdown run to cap off how strong the Ravens were on the ground, as Baltimore had the ball for 26:45 in the final three quarters. The Ravens controlled the line of scrimmage after the first quarter.
Why the Chargers lost
The Chargers defense was one of the best in the NFL through the first 10 weeks. Playing two high-powered offenses in the Bengals and Ravens brought this unit back down to earth, however, as Cincinnati put up a season-high 27 points against Los Angeles -- only for Baltimore to top it with 30 this week.
Monday was the first game in which a Jim Harbaugh-coached team gave up 200-plus rushing yards in an NFL game, showcasing how much the Chargers were bullied by the Ravens offensive line. The Ravens also outgained the Chargers, 369-162, in the final three quarters, as the Chargers failed to get into the red zone on seven straight possessions -- kicking three three field goals in the stretch.
The defense couldn't get off the field and the offense wasn't efficient. Not a good combination for winning games.
Turning point
With the Ravens trailing, 10-7, at the two-minute warning in the second quarter, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh decided to make the gutsiest call of the season by going for it on fourth-and-1 from his own 16-yard line. The Ravens have Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry, so why not take the gamble?
Instead, the Ravens called a direct snap to tight end Mark Andrews, who gained two yards for the first down to extend the drive. Five plays later, Lamar Jackson found Rashod Bateman for a 40-yard touchdown to give the Ravens the lead heading into halftime.
Without the gutsy call by Harbaugh to go for it on his own 16, the Ravens don't change the momentum of the game. A failed conversion could have turned the whole game around in favor of the Chargers. This was also the deepest in a team's own territory a team has converted on fourth down this year.
Play of the game
Lamar Jackson's 40-yard touchdown throw to Rashod Bateman was arguably his best throw of the night -- and the best catch of the game. Jackson threw a bomb to the back left corner of the end zone with 24 seconds remaining in the first half, placing the ball where only Bateman could catch it.
Bateman was facing blanket coverage by Chargers cornerback Kristian Fulton, and was even held by Fulton on the play. He still caught the pass for the 40-yard score to give the Ravens a 14-10 lead as the flag was thrown for defensive pass interference by Fulton.
That play capped an eight-play, 93-yard drive for the Ravens that saw a fourth-and-1 converted from Baltimore's own 16. This was the momentum-swinging drive of the night.
Up next
The Ravens (8-4) host the Eagles on Sunday while the Chargers (7-4) travel to Atlanta to face the Falcons.
