Lamar Jackson Shines in Baltimore Ravens’ ‘Monday Night Football’ Performance

Posted on: November 8, 2022, 02:07h. 

Last updated on: November 8, 2022, 04:32h.

Erik Gibbs Read More
Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Gaming Business, Global Gaming.

The New Orleans Saints welcomed the Baltimore Ravens into their home for Monday Night Football, only to have their guests run amok in the house. Baltimore’s offense deftly maneuvered the ball, while the defense kept the Saints securely grounded on the way to victory.

Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson
Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson runs with the ball during the team’s game against the New Orleans Saints on Monday night. Jackson led the Ravens to a resounding win, setting new team records along the way. (Image: Getty Images)

Lamar Jackson put in a convincing performance for the Ravens and finished the game with a touchdown pass, 133 passing yards, and 83 rushing yards. With this, the quarterback became only the second in Ravens history to reach 100 passing touchdowns. Joe Flacco recorded 212 while in Baltimore, and still holds the top billing.

Saints Frustrations Continue

There were two fundamental aspects that allowed Baltimore to claim victory at the Caesars Superdome. The first was the running game, as the Ravens accumulated 188 yards rushing.

This tied the NFL record of eight consecutive games of more than 150 yards on the ground. The Chicago Bears had a nine-game run in 1985. Last year, the Ravens tied the record for consecutive games of 100 or more yards at 43.

Of those 188 yards on Monday, 83 were by Jackson. In addition to the franchise passing record, he surpassed Steve Young’s 4,239 rushing yards to rank fifth in NFL history.

The other key to the victory was the defense, which held the Saints down for practically the entire game. The standout player was Justin Houston, who posted 2.5 sacks and an interception. In the last three games, the veteran pass-rusher has 6.5 sacks.

The home team’s attack suffered from the pressure that Baltimore’s defense put on QB Andy Dalton, who was sacked once and who failed to put points on the board on all three of his first-quarter drives. In the second quarter, Jackson’s ability to carry the ball once again wreaked havoc on the Saints’ defense.

The quarterback capped off a seven-plus minute drive with a handoff to Kenyan Drake that put Baltimore ahead 14-0. New Orleans closed out the first half with a field goal that sent them to the locker room at halftime down 14-3. In the third quarter, their guests distanced themselves 17-3 with a field goal.

Ravens Keep Saints Guessing

No matter how hard they tried, the Saints couldn’t reach pay dirt. Baltimore was in control of a game that Saints head coach Dennis Allen could only describe as a “bad day at the office.” New Orleans has had a lot of those this season.

In a procedural fourth quarter for the Ravens, running back Kenyan Drake would get his second TD of the night. That allowed Baltimore to put the proverbial nail in New Orleans’ coffin.

Dalton finally found some success when he hit Juwan Johnson with a 41-yard pass late in the fourth. That resulted in a TD, a gift from the Ravens. But it was too late to try to mount a comeback. The Saints accepted the only possible outcome.

With this victory, Baltimore remains the leader of the AFC North at 6-3. The Saints, at 3-6, are in third place in the NFC South, only ahead of one of the worst teams in the NFL, the 2-7 Carolina Panthers.

The Ravens had this game from oddsmakers going in and didn’t disappoint. The Saints, on the other hand, did. Their lack of offensive performance kept the total below expectations, proving once again that the under is the champion of Monday Night Football.