Who earned game ball honors from today’s win?
The Baltimore Ravens outlasted the Carolina Panthers in a Week 11 defensive showing at home, pulling away late for a 13-3 victory. The Ravens overcame a largely sluggish offensive performance on the afternoon and used defense to create offense in the fourth quarter.
Who stood out from Sunday’s win enough to earn a game ball? Let’s break down some noticeable performances below — and be sure to vote for your choice!
Patrick Queen
Queen picked up where he left off prior to the bye week, continuing his ascension in level of play. The inside linebacker made a number of impact plays in this game, routinely flying around and making plays on the ball. He was the Ravens’ leading tackler on defense with 12 total tackles and eight solo, with half-a-sack and a quarterback hit for good measure.
Queen in particular had a strong three-drive sequence early on the game. On the Panthers’ opening drive of the game, Queen got in the backfield on third down for a split-sack on Baker Mayfield for a loss of nine yards.
Then, on Carolina’s next possession, Queen stuffed Chuba Hubbard at the line of scrimmage for no gain, forcing the Panthers into a third-and-long. A few plays later, Queen brought down D’Onta Foreman for a three-yard loss, again forcing another third-and-long conversion attempt. They failed both attempts and punted the ball away twice.
These moments encapsulate what was another strong all-around performance from the former first-round pick. Queen was a driving force behind a dominant defensive showing as a team by the Ravens.
Demarcus Robinson
There wasn’t very much to write home about offensively for the Ravens in this game. However, it’s difficult to overlook the contributions of wide receiver Demarcus Robinson, who put forth one of the best statistical outings of his career. The veteran pass-catcher was far and away the Ravens’ most productive playmaker and made a number of key receptions.
Robinson was targeted nine total times, the most of any Ravens player, and hauled in all of them for 128 receiving yards. That nearly matched his season-long yardage mark entering Week 11, which was 158. More than half of his nine catches resulted in first down gains and three went for 20+ yards, including a 30-yard snag that put the Ravens in field goal range just before halftime.
Robinson’s 23-yard catch on the third play of the game foreshadowed what was to come during the rest of the afternoon. Between impressive sideline grabs, key conversions and yards after the catch, this was about as complete of a performance as could be.
It was badly needed, too, as Robinson was one of the sole bright spots in an otherwise uneven offensive showing from the team overall.
Honorable mentions —
Kyle Hamilton: Unfortunately, Hamilton exited the game in the third quarter after suffering a leg injury. Prior to that, though, the first-round pick was having quite an afternoon. He made a number of impact tackles in the open field and consistently was around the ball.
Marcus Peters: Peters gave up a couple receptions but made maybe the biggest play of the game in the fourth quarter, forcing the ball loose from Panthers’ wide receiver Shi Smith. That gave the Ravens’ possession in scoring position and led to the first touchdown of the game, which gave the team much-needed breathing room late.
Marlon Humphrey: Humphrey’s interception late in the fourth quarter closed the door on any potential Panthers’ comeback. He made a pass breakup earlier in the game and limited D.J. Moore and other Carolina pass-catchers to a minimal impact.
Jason Pierre-Paul: “JPP” came alive in the second half to contribute to the Ravens’ defensive avalanche. He had multiple tackles-for-loss, a sack and an interception.