FULL BOX SCORE
Michael Baca’s takeaways:
- Ravens wake up in second half to notch ugly win. It was a dreary scene in Baltimore after two quarters of play as the Ravens produced just 72 yards of offense while facing a 7-3 deficit entering halftime against the two-win Jets. Nothing seemed to be working for Lamar Jackson and Co., but when opportunity knocked in the second half, the Ravens answered. Baltimore rattled off three consecutive scoring drives in the second half as the Jets self-inflicted their demise through defensive penalties and one questionable decision at midfield. Derrick Henry punched in each of Baltimore’s touchdown scores in the third quarter, plays that somewhat overshadowed a rough day on the ground (64 rushing yards). Zay Flowers did his best to provide a spark on offense, producing 58 yards on five receptions with great moves after the catch. While Baltimore’s defense remained stout, the offense struggled to find any sort of rhythm. On a day when Jackson was simply off through the air, the Ravens were fortunate to face a mistake-laden team led by a rookie head coach. Nonetheless, the Ravens earned their fifth straight win and enter a short week with first place in the AFC North hanging in the balance.
- Mistakes doom New York’s upset attempt. The Jets were firmly in control with Tyrod Taylor leading a balanced attack while New York’s defense smothered Baltimore’s offensive rhythm. It was the result of a mistake-free first half from the Jets, but their second-half lapses helped lift Baltimore out of a hole. Two brutal penalties on third-and-long plays in each of the Ravens’ first two drives in the third quarter led to TD scores. In between those scoring drives, the Jets turned the ball over on downs at midfield after going for it on fourth-and-2 — a head-scratching decision that provided the Ravens a great opportunity to gain momentum. After answering with a field goal on their next possession, the Jets looked to hang around as Breece Hall powered the offense on the ground and air (119 scrimmage yards), but his fumble at the Ravens’ 3-yard line served as the proverbial nail in the coffin. Taylor was solid in his first game since being named the starter, finishing 17-of-28 passing for 222 yards with one TD and a late interception with the game out of reach. He found a rhythm with John Metchie III (six receptions, 65 yards; TD) and Adonai Mitchell (42 yards off two receptions) provided some big gains.
- Jackson’s struggles through the air remain. It was an odd performance from Jackson, who scuttled under any waft of pressure and was indecisive when outside the pocket looking to make something out of a broken play. Typically, we’d see Jackson make something out of nothing in those situations, but he appeared to lack the explosiveness to create such magic. Perhaps the multiple injuries Jackson has dealt with this season are to blame, but it’s uncommon to see the Ravens’ star quarterback finish with such subpar numbers through the air (13-of-23 passing for 153 yards) and on the ground (11 rushing yards off seven attempts). Jackson did prevent any cataclysmic mistakes the Jets needed to get back into the game in the second half, but it wasn’t exactly an outing Baltimore will be feeling confident about as it enters a hotly contested race to the playoffs in the final stretch.
Next Gen Stats Insight for Jets-Ravens (via NFL Pro): Breece Hall caught all four of his targets for 75 yards in the Jets’ Week 12 loss to the Ravens. He recorded 79 yards after catch, his season high and most in a game since Week 5 of 2022 against the Dolphins. Hall has now totaled 270 yards after the catch this season, ranking 10th among all running backs, with 135 of those yards coming in the last three games. He has also generated +82 yards after catch over expected, the fifth-most among running backs.
NFL Research: Derrick Henry (12,294 career rushing yards) moved past Marcus Allen, Edgerrin James and Marshall Faulk into 12th on the all-time rushing list. He also joined LaDainian Tomlinson (38) and Emmitt Smith (36) as the only players with at least 30 career multi-rushing TD games.
