Ravens Rout Dolphins 59-10 in Season Opener
Ladies and gentlemen, the Baltimore Ravens have entered the building. If one thing’s for certain, nobody will be (or at least should be) sleeping on us any longer.
This was a record breaking day for the Ravens. They started with a franchise record 42 first half points and finished with a franchise record 59 points. Additionally, they became the first team to have a running back throw for 5 touchdowns in a game.
You read that right, Lamar Jackson, the guy who can’t throw, the guy who’s inaccurate, the guy who should just play running back instead passed for 5 touchdowns. Lamar Jackson went 17-20 for 324 yards and FIVE (!!!) touchdowns while Baker Mayfield, the most exciting second-year quarterback, finished 25-38 for 285 yards, 1 touchdown and 3 interceptions. Against the Titans.
Not only was Lamar Jackson perfect, per his 158.3 passer rating, the entire offense was perfect. They proved that, once again, they would be a force to be reckoned with on the ground with 265 yards. With 378 yards through the air, the Ravens added a facet to the offense that was not there last season. For all you math majors out there, that’s 643 yards of total offense. Go ahead and keep re-reading that sentence, it will always be amazing.
There were also several spectacular first impressions made this afternoon on both sides of the ball.
Mark Ingram erased the concerns from Justice Hill’s muffed opening kick with a 49-yard rush up the gut. Ingram capped off the Ravens’ 8 play 89-yard opening drive with a 1-yard TD rush, which would be his first of 2 on the afternoon.
Marquise “Hollywood” Brown burst into the spotlight taking his first two career receptions into the endzone. The first being a 47-yarder coming off a slant, and the second was an 83-yard bomb. Both were great throws by our QUARTERBACK, Lamar Jackson. Take the next 48 hours to watch these two on repeat with me.
I could sit here and talk endlessly about Lamar Jackson and his performance today. Just know that he was sensational. He was on point with nearly every throw. For everything else, just refer to highlights page, there’s simply too many to link. All in all, not a bad day for a running back.
Earl Thomas made a splash with an interception on the first defensive series of the season, and his first series as a Baltimore Raven. Already, Thomas is a noticeable upgrade from Eric Weddle who had 0 interceptions last year. But this upgrade should come as no surprise to those who actually watched Eric Weddle play last season.
It is so hard to judge the Ravens’ defensive performance. We can look at the 21 yards rushing, 179 yards passing, and 10 points allowed and say that the Ravens had a good game. But this is also coming against a Miami Dolphins team that seems to already be looking ahead to next season.
What can be said with absolute confidence is that the Ravens are out to silence their haters. Some may look to the fake punt or going for it on 4th to set the franchise record and say they were running it up. I say, that’s just making a statement.
All off-season, fans and players alike had to hear criticism about the struggles our offense would face or how we had lost too much on defense. This game shows that not only did we reload on defense, we broke out on offense. And for the first time in recent memory, we absolutely stuck it to a team we were supposed to beat and even exceeded expectations. For those who slept on Baltimore, it’s time to wake up.
However, I do subscribe to the belief that we should not get too excited. It’s only Week 1. It’s only the Dolphins. To quote our quarterback, “This is just one game. We just have to move forward.”
Moving forward, the Arizona Cardinals come to town next week in another favorable match up for a Ravens team that is notoriously dominant against rookie quarterbacks. We also welcome back Terrell Suggs in a different uniform for the first time in his career. I expect the Ravens to show the Cardinals firsthand how to build an offense around a quarterback who can run the football.
OTHER THOUGHTS:
- Lamar’s 3 rushing attempts are a good sign for those worried about him becoming another RGIII.
- Lamar’s 5 passing touchdowns in 1 game almost matches his total of 6 touchdowns in 7 games last season.
- Scorigami: This is the first time an NFL game has finished 59-10.
- Mark Andrews has top 5 TE potential.
- Imagine actually being a Browns fan.
- I cannot contain my excitement for the next 16 weeks.
