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Lamar Jackson is the Baltimore Ravens' leader, but it was Justin Tucker who came up with the game-winner. The Ravens survived the Cincinnati Bengals, 19-17, in front of their home crowd in Week 5 of the 2022 NFL season. The Ravens climbed to 3-2 and are in first place in the AFC North. Here we'll look at some takeaways from the Ravens’ escape act in Week 5.
Tucker's 43-yard field goal on the last play gave the Ravens their third victory in five games. Jackson, for his part, shook off a rocky night and guided the Ravens during the winning drive with his arm and legs.
Ravens fans were understandably holding their collective breath. Remember that Baltimore squandered 21-point and 17-point leads in its last two home games against Miami and Buffalo, respectively. The Ravens blew a 10-point lead in this one but came back to win.
"JUSTIN TUCKER WINS IT FOR BALTIMORE!"
Back in action Sunday at 1 pm on CBS! pic.twitter.com/Y7O5qHGo6A
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) October 10, 2022
Here are our four takeaways from the Ravens' Week 5 win vs. the Bengals.
4. The Ravens' D held … for the most part
The defense has received a lot of attention this season. Rightly so, given some of the losses they've absorbed. The Ravens' defense limited the Bengals to 17 points and under 300 yards of total offense in this game, though they did give up a long touchdown drive late that almost resulted in another blown game. Still, on the whole it was a stellar performance.
The Ravens limited star Bengals wideout Ja'Marr Chase to just 50 yards receiving. For much of the night, Marcus Peters and Marlon Humphrey held down Chase, keeping coverage tight and taking away throwing windows.
LB Patrick Queen also got an interception, and Peters just played like crazy, finishing with five tackles, one sack, and one tackle for loss. The defense had a strong night, generating significant stops throughout the game. In total, the Ravens generated three sacks on Joe Burrow and picked him once.
3. Tip your hat to Mark Andrews
With Rashod Bateman out, someone from the Ravens' receiving corps had to step up. TE Mark Andrews was that guy. He had eight catches on 10 targets for 89 yards and a score in the Ravens' tight win.
Andrews appeared to be quarterback Jackson's first and second reads in the passing game. Only Devin Duvernay received more than two targets in the game for Baltimore. After a rare two-catch performance last week, the star tight end's return to prominence was a welcome sight for his fans. Andrews should continue being Jackson's top target as well heading into next Sunday's game versus the New York Giants.
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2. Lamar Jackson's mortal outing still made history
Lamar Jackson completed 19-of-32 passes for 174 yards, a touchdown, and an interception, while also rushing 12 times for 58 yards. His total of 232 yards might be okay for a lot of other QBs, but that number is pedestrian for someone like Jackson.
To be honest, the superstar quarterback didn't look like himself in this game. Despite having a lot of clean opportunities, he appeared uneasy in the pocket and missed on several big-play opportunities down the field. This is now the second game in a row where Jackson has looked somewhat off. He threw for a season-low 144 yards last week against the Bills, and his 174 here is his second-lowest of the season.
Having said that, he made some history in this game. Jackson became the NFL's fastest quarterback to 4,000 rushing yards. The dual-threat quarterback accomplished the feat in just 63 games. He broke the previous record of 87 games set by former Michael Vick. Jackson is also only the sixth quarterback in history to have 4,000 yards rushing.
1. Is Justin Tucker the GOAT of kickers? Maybe.
Justin Tucker just keeps cashing in those checks, kicks, and wins. He is the finest kicker ever in Baltimore history and maybe in league history, too.
Remember one number — 61. Tucker has hit 61 field goals in a row during the fourth quarter and overtime. That just cannot be beaten. The Ravens kicker makes them from short and long distances. He makes them with the game on the line and also puts them through the middle of the crossbars much better than anyone else.
Keep in mind that he was named to the NFL Top 100 for the first time in his career this year. He's simply one of the league's greatest kickers ever. The Ravens are the only team with a weapon like him and will likely be the only team for a long time.
