Week 6 of the NFL brought a slew of blowout losses, with six teams on Sunday losing by at least 20 or more points. Most of these matchups were not surprising, with every losing team dropping to at least .500 with their respective losses.
However, the biggest blowout came in what was many’s most highly anticipated quarterback duel of the day.
The Los Angeles Chargers (4-2) entered into Sunday’s matchup against the Baltimore Ravens (5-1) looking as good as any offense in the NFL. Justin Hebert’s second NFL season had him performing like a potential MVP candidate, and the Chargers defense ranked around the top 12 squads in all of football. However, the Ravens played their traditional style of football fans have been used to over the last decade – run the ball and play dominant defense.
The Ravens offense got the day started with touchdown drives of 90 and 74 yards on their first two possessions. Baltimore’s rushing attack dominated the day on offense, using a four-headed attack of Jackson (8 ATT, 51 YDS) and veteran signees Devonta Freeman (9 ATT, 53 YDS, TD), Latavius Murray (9 ATT, 44 YDS, TD) and Le’Veon Bell (8 ATT, 18 YDS, TD) to dominate possession of the football throughout the contest, piling up 189 total rushing yards on 4.9 yards per carry.
The Chargers offense got an early hole, punting their first three possessions and turning the ball over twice on their following two – once on downs and once on an interception by DeShon Elliot – his first career interception. Hebert was just 8 of 16 for 71 yards and the pick on these five drives combined, showing his first real struggles of the season.
The only touchdown came as a result of a defensive stop, in which Kyzier White picked off Jackson on the first play following the interception, giving the Chargers a short field to work with. Herbert completed his best pass of the day – a 26 yard strike to Mike Williams – and followed it up with a one yard touchdown pass to tight end Jared Cook. That touchdown looked to be a momentum swing going into the half down 17-6.
However, the Ravens did not let up, essentially ending the game in two drives to begin the second half. A 47-yard kickoff return from Devin Duvernary set the Ravens up with just half the field they worked with, extending the short field drive to a whopping 7:21 seconds of possession on 52 yards ending in Jackson’s only touchdown pass of the day to tight end Mark Andrews. The Ravens and Chargers each ended with the same amount of drives on the day (11), but Baltimore utilized their running game to extend drives (68 plays to LA’s 53 plays) and dominate possession (38:07 to LA’s 21:53), tiring out a Charger’s defense that was put in tough situations all game long.
The toughest came after the Charger’s offenses’ first possession of the half in which they looked to have squandered another drive, facing a fourth-and-one from their own 19 yard line. In a stunning coaching decision, head coach Brandon Staley chose to go for it, drawing up a play that ended with Herbert throwing an incompletion to a rookie wide receiver with no more than two catches in any contest so far this year. Mike Williams, the team’s go to target in these situations, had left with in injury, but the situation itself deflated the Chargers for the rest of the contest.
The quarterback matchup did not play out the way most fans thought it would. On the losing end, Justin Herbert finished the game 22/39 for 195 yards with one touchdown and one interception, struggling to hit big plays with his arm that he is known for. On the winning side, Lamar Jackson had his worst game with his arm, as well, going 19/27 for 167 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. Jackson’s arm was not needed in the contest, however, and his steady hand leading the rushing attack was all Baltimore needed to get the decisive win.
Despite the brutal loss, this should not spell concern for a Charger’s team that still sits atop the AFC West through six weeks. This game can be chalked up to a poor game script from LA and a dominant defensive effort from Baltimore. The Chargers have finally made it through a brutal opening stretch and into their bye week, nursing a few injuries and preparing for slightly easier matchups against the Patriots and Eagles to come.
As for the Ravens, during this early stretch, they have proven they have the ability to play tough, Ravens-style football and run out the team’s clock while playing dominant defense, but also that they have the ability to sling the ball when facing back against the wall and comeback when their traditional script does not work. Lamar Jackson is a solidified top 10 quarterback pushing into the top five, and he will look to continue the Raven’s winning ways into their division matchup against a surprisingly good Cincinnati Bengals team.
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