The Beatdown gang share their thoughts on the Ravens’ 37-31 OT win over the Rams
The Ravens weathered literal and metaphorical storms en route to a wild 37-31 overtime win against the Los Angeles Rams. Below are the reactions from the Baltimore Beatdown staff.
The greatest single-game redemption story for the Ravens was on display today after Tylan Wallace went from special teams snafu to overtime punt return touchdown hero. Pure wizardry and years of behind-the-scenes practice came forth when Wallace broke three tackles and tight-roped to stay in bounds. What a moment for Wallace, who not a week ago spent his bye week surprising his mother with a brand new car.
Overall, this was a rain-soaked, sloppy shootout resulting in the Ravens and Rams swinging with big plays. The Ravens answered each time on offense, with Jackson reminding folks why he leads one of the top Super Bowl contenders with a dazzling go-ahead touchdown pass on 3rd & 17 to Zay Flowers for 21 yards. The defense shored up in the second half, save for cornerback Marlon Humphrey who struggled to contain Demarcus Robinson on one play, and then Cooper Kupp on the next which eventually gave the Rams the tie. But if Humphrey is the weak link, the Ravens are in good position, as he is a player who can bounce back.
The Ravens special teams is good again, the offense hummed and the defense responded when called on. Overall, an excellent game and finish to get to double-digit wins for 2023. — Kyle Phoenix
The Ravens nearly sleepwalked their way into another baffling loss, but instead emerge in great shape heading into the bye week. Mike Macdonald’s unit put forth a tremendous defensive showing against a high-powered Chargers offense. That compensated for lackluster play from the Ravens offense for much of the game. All in all, the Ravens escaped with no major injuries and once again in possession of the AFC’s No. 1 seed. — Frank Platko
It should’ve been easy and it was far from pretty but the Ravens are heading into a much-needed bye week 9-3 and not only still atop their division but the AFC as a whole with this frustrating win. For a while, it looked as if the offense which had moved the ball with ease at times and for stretches was going to give the game away and squandered an amazing shutdown performance by the defense but it didn’t come to pass. Typically, when Justin Tucker misses a field goal, especially one from under 50 yards, it’s a bad omen but the Ravens didn’t let the ghost of failures past spell their demise in the end.
Their bye week couldn’t have come at a better time because the players need a well-deserved rest and the coaching staff has a lot of self-reflection to do during that time. Sunday night was a clinic on disastrous play calls and personnel decisions on offense and Head Coach John Harbaugh did a poor job when it came to challenging and not challenging plays. Nevertheless, learning lessons always goes down a lot smoother when it’s accompanied by sweet victory even if it’s bittersweet. — Joshua Reed
What a game. While it looked like the Ravens were on their way to letting another close one slip away, the defense, offense, and special teams all made crucial plays down the stretch to give Baltimore the victory. The play calling on offense was questionable given the conditions but Lamar Jackson found a way. Using his legs and arm, Jackson put on one of his best performances of the season in route to a three touchdown game. This wasn’t the Ravens best showing defensively as Rams receivers were getting loose consistently. More importantly, the team lost star safety Kyle Hamilton to a knee injury. In the end, this is a big win for the Ravens. For the time being, they move into the one seed in the AFC but more importantly, found a way to win a close game against a good opponent. — Stephen Bopst
A win is a win baby. The Ravens survives another game. It’s hard to analyze this game. The defense gave up 29 points but forced overtime and got the crucial three and out to force the punt in overtime. All without Kyle Hamilton. The offense scored 31 points but stalled in the Rams territory too many time.
The biggest question comes from John Harbaugh. In the first half, he didn’t use a timeout with more than 30 seconds left near the end zone. In the second half, he inexplicably called for a challenge on a touchdown and wasted a time out.
Either way the Ravens survive and head to face a struggling Jaguars team, hopefully with a healthy Kyle Hamilton. — Zach Canter