Coming into the season, a few lingering question marks were surrounding the Baltimore Ravens. With one game now in the books, I’m not suggesting that all those questions have been answered, but Baltimore’s victory over the Miami Dolphins on Sunday has revealed a host of things about the team that we may not have known before.
Let’s take at three things we learned about the Ravens in Week 1.
Lamar Jackson is much more than a runner
So much of the positive words spoken about Jackson throughout the offseason centered on his abilities as a runner. Well, on Sunday, Jackson took a huge step towards showing the watching world that he can get by just fine in this league as a passer.
Jackson completed 17 of his 20 attempts for 324 yards and five touchdowns, two of which went to rookie wide receiver Marquise Brown. Sunday was the first time in his NFL career that he has completed 15 or more passes. Jackson also tied the Ravens franchise record for touchdown passes in a single game.
The Ravens will face stiffer opposition than the Dolphins in the coming weeks, with players who will likely not be requesting trades in the immediate aftermath of games. But Jackson has put the NFL on notice that he is much more than just a runner.
Marquise Brown can be a genuine big-play threat
Brown spent much of his first NFL offseason under wraps as he recovered from the Lisfranc injury that kept him out of the NFL scouting combine in February. He made the most of his first exposure to NFL action against the Dolphins.
Brown took his first career catch 47 yards for a touchdown, breaking a tackle before exploding toward the end zone. For an encore, the next time he was targeted by Jackson, he was streaking down the middle of the field, catching a beautiful rainbow pass on his way to an 83-yard score.
Longtime observers of Brown would note that these were not freak occurrences, as he had 11 receptions of 40 yards or more in college in 2018. Brown’s five targets on Sunday were enough for him to amass 147 yards.
As with Jackson, it must be stressed that the opposition could have been stiffer. But further to the north on Sunday, DeSean Jackson of the Philadelphia Eagles was showing the league how valuable speed can be against any NFL defense. Brown may well have an up-and-down rookie season. But the ups could be very high indeed if Sunday is anything to go by.
This young Ravens defense has already shown its claws
The Ravens shed a whole host of veteran talent on defense over the offseason, with a new group of players expected to step up. They showed plenty of promise against the Dolphins.
Baltimore defenders intercepted two passes while batting down another seven. They also treated the line of scrimmage as if it were their personal property. Patrick Onwuasor, Matt Judon and Pernell McPhee each posted a sack, while Ravens defenders also inflicted six tackles for loss on helpless Dolphins ball carriers.
The Dolphins were restricted to just 200 yards of offense, and a woeful 21 on the ground. They averaged a pitiful 4.3 yards per play while losing the time of possession battle 40:07 to 19:53.
Again, the Ravens were not facing the 2018 Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. But when faced with inferior opposition, good teams are expected to dominate and punish. That is what the Ravens did on both offense and defense.
