5 takeaways from the Ravens 31-24 victory over the Cardinals

The Baltimore Ravens just came off of their best game of the season in a 38-6 drubbing of the Detroit Lions on Oct. 22 and followed up with a 31-24 win in Arizona on Sunday.

Baltimore had a number of scuff marks early in the matchup against the Arizona Cardinals. After not giving up an opening drive touchdown in 16 consecutive games, the Ravens defense allowed a 12-play, 75-yard drive that lasted 6:55 on the clock – ending with a one-yard Joshua Dobbs touchdown rush.

The Ravens went on to outscore the now 1-7 Cardinals 31-17 in the remaining 53:05 of the game. Baltimore running back Gus Edwards accounted for 19 carries, 80 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns – a career high, along with kicker Justin Tucker’s four extra-point kicks and a 48-yard field goal for seven more points.

Here are five takeaways from the Ravens 31-24 win over the Cardinals:

Baltimore’s defense bent multiple times, but never completely broke

Sunday’s game against Arizona should’ve been a piece of cake for the Ravens defense. It’s a unit that entered the day first in the National Football League with 13.86 points allowed, that looked to pin its ears against a 1-6 team with questionable quarterback play from Dobbs. Then, reality set in early on. 

While the Cardinals marched down the field on the first drive of the game, the next four drives for Arizona ended with two turnover on downs, a punt and an interception by Brandon Stephens to set up an ensuing trek to the endzone by Baltimore’s offense before the end of the first half.

Arizona’s first four drives of the second half were more of the same – three punts and an interception by Geno Stone at the 1:51 mark in the third to set up a 7-yard Edwards touchdown. Baltimore found itself up 21-7, forced Arizona to a three-and-out and followed up with a field goal with 9:27 remaining for a 24-7 lead. 

The Ravens defense began to bend once more – allowing two straight touchdown drives and a field goal to pull the Cardinals within seven – a 31-24 deficit. It was just too little, too late for the redbirds as the Ravens held on long enough to outlast them.

All aboard the Gus Bus

Edwards may not have had the best game of his career in yards. Finding the endzone three times will suffice for him. He also averaged 4.2 yards per carry and had two receptions for 14 yards. Not bad for a real running back.

Justin Tucker is human after all

Tucker doesn’t miss many field goals. It’s something that’s outside of the norm for the Canton-bound kicker. When the Ravens only went 20 yards in seven plays beginning with 14:57 on the clock in the second quarter, Tucker trotted onto the field in the climate-controlled confines of State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Az. for a 53-yard field goal.

The ball hit the left upright with a thud, dropping gently to the ground and the game remaining at 7-7 with 11:55 left in the quarter. It wasn’t over for the longest-tenured Raven – knocking down a 48-yard field goal with ease with 9:27 left in the game to give Baltimore a 24-7 lead over Arizona.

It happens, but Tucker more than made up for it, accounting for seven points on the day.

Kudos to the Cardinals for containing Lamar Jackson

Jackson is normally an adept passer when given time to throw. The Cardinals often dropped eight in coverage, allowing for Jackson to go through his progressions, only to find no one open and take a sack. Baltimore’s 26-year old quarterback was sacked four times with Cardinals defensive end Dante Stills finishing with 1.5 sacks on the day. 

Holding Jackson to 18-for-27 on passes for 157 yards and one touchdown and just 17 rushing yards is big for a struggling team like Arizona. By blitzing three down linemen, the Cardinals contained Jackson without putting a spy on him to allow defenders to abandon their coverage assignments and chase after him.

It came down to Jackson needing to find the open rushing lanes and taking what the defense gave him.

Welcome home Mark Andrews

Ravens stalwart tight end Mark Andrews leads all tight ends in the NFL in receiving touchdowns with seven on the season. Andrews finished with four receptions for 40 yards and a touchdown in a victory for the Ravens. 

He played his high school football at Desert Mountain in Scottsdale, Az., where he played wide receiver. Ironically enough for the Arizona native, former Ravens tight end Todd Heap was with the Cardinals in Andrews’ sophomore and junior years of high school. 

While Heap finished his career in Arizona, Andrews was beginning to grab the attention of collegiate coaches with 1,058 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns his sophomore season, 1,498 yards and 21 touchdowns in his junior year and capping off his high school career with 1,122 yards and 17 touchdowns as a senior. 

He’s since became a John Mackey Award winner in 2017 for college football’s most outstanding tight end and won the Ozzie Newsome Award in the same year for being the best tight end, was a unanimous All-American (2017), a two-time first-team All-Big 12 selection in 2016 and 2017 at Oklahoma, prior to being a 3-time Pro Bowl selection in 2019, 2021 and 2022 and a first-team All-Pro pick in 2021 with Baltimore.

Fitting that a player who won two awards named after a former Baltimore Colt and former Ravens general manager would play for the Ravens. It’s even more poetic that someone who grew up watching Heap 12 years ago, would come back to the stadium that his predecessor played in and score a touchdown in front of his hometown fans.