- Lamar Jackson lights up another Monday night. If you thought Jackson’s 2023 MVP season was the peak of his powers, you’ve quickly realized you were wrong. Jackson has taken his game to another level in 2024 and proved it again Monday night, shaking off a rough first possession to lead a fireworks display in the second and third quarters. After punting on their first drive, the Ravens went: touchdown, touchdown, field goal, field goal, touchdown, touchdown, fumble (on a backwards pass by Jackson), touchdown. Baltimore scored 34 unanswered points after falling behind, 10-0, and Jackson was at the center of it, dotting the field with accurate passes at a variety of depths before launching a majestic missile to Rashod Bateman for a 49-yard touchdown pass that sent a message: These Ravens can’t be stopped. Jackson finished with a fantastic final stat line: 17 of 22 for 281 yards and five passing touchdowns, plus nine carries for 52 yards. This offense is humming and Jackson is the engine that drives it. We have a leader in our MVP race, folks.
- Buccaneers learn the value of Mike Evans. The future Pro Football Hall of Famer made a nice grab on an underthrown pass for an early Buccaneers touchdown, once again proving himself as the trusty favorite target of Baker Mayfield. When Mayfield looked toward Evans in the end zone later, though, Evans’ tricky hamstring had had enough. Evans dropped the ball and winced in pain as he grabbed his hamstring while laying behind the end line, concluding his night and throwing his immediate future into doubt. The same future became uncertain for the Buccaneers, who demonstrated just how important Evans is to their passing offense. Mayfield lost his go-to target, a receiver upon whom Mayfield has leaned heavily since arriving in Tampa in 2023, and had nowhere else to turn with Chris Godwin becoming the obvious top remaining target. Once Evans left, the Buccaneers’ next four drives ended in two interceptions (including one in the end zone) and a missed field goal, and it wasn’t until the game was out of reach that Mayfield was able to find success with other receivers. Eliminating Evans from the equation undercuts the entire Buccaneers’ offensive operation, and on Monday night, it was obvious how much more difficult passing became for Mayfield without Evans on the field. Making matters worse, Godwin suffered what looks like a season-ending ankle injury late in this game, making for a nightmarish outlook for a Buccaneers offense that was explosive for most of the first seven weeks of the season.
- Ravens defense gets off the mat. Marlon Humphrey picked off Mayfield twice in the first half Monday night, but it came at a cost. Humphrey suffered a knee injury on his second pick and did not return to the game, causing new concern for a secondary that still hasn’t welcomed back Arthur Maulet from injured reserve and played without linebacker Malik Harrison. That’s it for the bad news, though, because these Ravens proved an early haymaker isn’t going to drop them for good. Baltimore gave up a quick 10 points that easily could’ve been 14, then responded by shutting down Tampa Bay’s offense until the game was in hand. After the Buccaneers’ trip that reached the Ravens’ 3-yard line before Humphrey’s first interception, Tampa didn’t come close to the red zone again until the fourth quarter. Baltimore has made an unsavory reputation as a team that blows leads, but their defense deserves some credit for standing tall in a key stretch, allowing their offense additional possessions to rack up points.
- Tampa Bay gets a reality check. At 4-2, the Buccaneers entered Monday night as the favorite to win the NFC South, appearing as the most complete team in the division with an offense that was liable to explode at any moment. They left Raymond James Stadium with a different vibe after this defeat. The losses of Evans and Godwin are obviously concerning, but so was their defense’s inability to stop the Ravens even once during their run of 34 straight points. Todd Bowles’ aggressive defense collapsed against Jackson and Co., and with both Godwin and Evans’ immediate futures now in doubt, the Buccaneers are going to have to dig deep to find a way to keep up with the mercurial Atlanta Falcons in an NFC South race that is suddenly tight at the top.
Next Gen Stats insight from Ravens-Buccaneers (via NFL Pro): Derrick Henry reached a top speed of 21.72 mph on his 81-yard run Monday night, recording the fifth-fastest speed by a ball carrier this season and the third-fastest top speed of Henry’s career. Buccaneers defensive back Zyon McCollum reached 21.85 mph in pursuit of Henry to prevent Henry from scoring a touchdown.
NFL Research: Monday night marked the fifth career game in which Lamar Jackson recorded five-plus passing touchdowns and zero interceptions, the most such performances in the NFL since Jackson entered the league in 2018. It was also his fifth career game with a 155-plus passer rating, tying with Peyton Manning and Ben Roethlisberger for the most such games in NFL history.