At 4-2 moving in to their video game versus the 5-1 Detroit Lions, the Baltimore Ravens hadn’t completely flown. They possessed the league’s second-best defense however were actually straining to craft a steady outburst. However for the Lions, Baltimore were actually selecting each edges of the round on Sunday, creating a 28-0 halftime top as well as eventually winning 38-6. Along with the triumph, the AFC North leading Ravens created a scenario for being actually possible Super Dish champs while delivering the Lions hold back to the planet.

The crucial to the Ravens’ outburst continues to be Lamar Jackson, that was actually increased in the offseason due to the appearance of recipients Odell Beckham Jr, Nelson Agholor as well as first-round choice Zay Vegetation. Under brand-new outrageous organizer Todd Monken, Jackson visited flat-footed in his regular-season launching, do without a passing away or even hurrying goal in a Week 1 win over the Houston Texans. He reclaimed his rhythm along with a four-touchdown video game versus the Cleveland Browns in Full Week 4 however his staff possessed reddish region battles as just recently as recently’s succeed versus the Tennessee Titans.

“Our team simply need to a much better project of – like I mentioned – tricky it, perform a much better project of performing it when our company possess those chances,” Monken said simply a couple of times back, recognizing the outburst’s very most important weak point.

Whatever modifications Monken created in the recently, they supplied returns. Versus the Lions’ self defense, the Ravens went four-for-four in the red zone in their very first 4 travels of the video game, providing their self defense ample padding to make the remainder of the video game unrelated.

Jackson was actually once more their not-so-secret item. Although he at first possessed a credibility and reputation as a run-first QB – there was actually an opportunity when supposed specialists were actually saying to Baltimore to change him in to an operating back – Jackson is actually nigh-unstoppable when he possesses his passing away video game going. He definitely possessed it versus Detroit: he went 21-for-27, masquerading 357 gardens, 3 goals as well as no interceptions. He additionally blended traits up, hurrying for 36 gardens as well as one added goal. (OK, he shed a singular fumble in the video game however, provided every thing else, our company’ll offer him a hand down that.)

Jackson’s a dangerous dual threat because of his ability to break free from defensive pressure and make plays with either his arms or his legs. Of his three passing TDs, the most impressive was only possible because of his uncanny scrambling ability as he managed to keep a play alive for a mindboggling 9.24 seconds before nailing a throw to Agholor.

It was the best of times for the Ravens and the worst of times for the Lions, who stumbled after being hyped as a dark horse Super Bowl contender after the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers lost their undefeated season bids last week. As soon as boosters began making the case for Detroit having the best team in the NFL their long-suffering fans immediately feared that the Football Gods were setting them up to be exposed as Paper Tigers. It turns out they were right.

The good news for the now 5-2 Lions is that they are still on top of the NFC North. In fact, no other team in their division is above .500. It’s not their record that is the issue, however: the problem is that the Ravens left their defense totally exposed. It’s possible that no team could have beaten Baltimore on Sunday but the beatdown was the exact opposite of a “moral victory.” With the loss, their upcoming game against the Las Vegas Raiders suddenly feels like a litmus test of how real the Lions actually are.

MVP of the week

Myles Garrett, defensive end, Cleveland Browns. Here’s a confession: it’s typically easier to make an offensive player MVP of the week. Defenses tend to work as a collective, making individual contributions somewhat more difficult to track.

Sometimes, however, the best player on the field is clearly a defensive one. As was the case for the Cleveland Browns during their 39-38 come-from-behind win over the Indianapolis Colts. Garrett had two strip-sacks for the Browns, one of which was recovered for a touchdown, nine tackles and a blocked field goal, during which Garrett hopped over the Colts’ line. Garrett essentially wrapped up this award before the first-half was over.

As the final score suggests, Cleveland needed Garrett just to stay in the game. The Browns’ passing game struggled under backup quarterback PJ Walker. He came on for Deshaun Watson, who threw the team’s first interception of the day (the Browns later said Watson was replaced to “protect” him but did not specify an injury. Watson said he’s “not sure” if he reinjured the shoulder that has troubled him the last few weeks. His career in Cleveland continues to be mystifying). The Colts took a 38-33 lead late in the game but two questionable penalties set up a Kareem Hunt rushing touchdown that ended up being the difference. Thanks to Garrett’s dominant first half, the Browns improved their record to 4-2 while the Colts fell to 3-4.

Video of the week

Think being an NFL official is easy? Imagine trying to make a ruling on whether Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jake Bobo’s leaping catch was a touchdown or not. In real-time, officials thought it wasn’t but after Seattle head coach Pete Carroll challenged, replay determined that Bobo (somehow) landed in-bounds. Even if there wasn’t enough evidence to overturn the call on the field – and there was in this instance – this is the textbook “play so cool that it should have been ruled a catch on vibes alone.” The Seahawks went on to defeat the now 1-6 Arizona Cardinals 20-10, improving their own record to 4-2.

Stat of the week

50. That’s the number of times the Kansas City Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce have connected for a touchdown over the course of their partnership, the fourth-most by any QB and TE combination. It came on National Tight Ends Day too.

Besides being a famous boyfriend and notable celebrity pitchperson, Kelce may go down as the greatest to play the position. At the moment, the recently retired Rob Gronkowski probably has that status after winning Super Bowls as Tom Brady’s favorite target on two different teams. Kelce, of course, is some way off as far as rings go, but given his almost supernatural connection with Mahomes, it feels like time and health could be the biggest factors in deciding whether or not the 34-year-old eventually ties Gronk for championships.

Meanwhile, he just keeps doing things we haven’t seen in decades. Kelce picked up more than 100 receiving yards in the first half for the second game in a row. No tight end has done that since 2000. In fact, no player at any position has done that in the last five seasons. Mahomes, Kelce and the Chiefs beat the Chargers 31-17, improving their record to an AFC-best 6-1.

Elsewhere around the league

— The New England Patriots’ 29-25 comeback victory marked Bill Belichick’s 300th regular-season win as a head coach. But it may not have even been the biggest Belichick news of the day as it accompanied reports that the 71-year-old signed a new contract with the Patriots over the offseason. If those reports turn out to be accurate, it seems like this victory will mark the end of the “is this Belichick’s final season” speculation. As for the Bills, they’ve now lost to the 2-5 Pats, the Aaron Rodgers-less New York Jets and spluttered to victory over the woeful New York Giants. An impressive win over the Miami Dolphins aside, they do not look like Super Bowl contenders at this stage of the season.

— In what could turn out to be a preview of the Super Bowl, the Philadelphia Eagles faced the Dolphins on Sunday Night Football. After a dispiriting loss to the Jets last week, the Eagles smothered the potent Miami Dolphins offense, who were limited to just 244 yards. Philly walked away 31-17 winners and have the best record in the NFC at 6-1.

— Quarterback controversy in Chicago? Justin Fields didn’t start on Sunday thanks to a thumb injury. So, instead, Chicago started undrafted rookie Tyson Bagent. Bagent didn’t have eye-popping numbers against the Las Vegas Raiders – he threw for just 162 yards on 21-for-29 passing and a single touchdown – but the Bears had two rushing touchdowns and another on defense. With the 30-12 win, the Bears improved their record to 2-5.

— Quarterback controversies for everybody? Sam Howell had a pretty lousy day as the Washington Commanders’ starting quarterback, taking six sacks against the Giants. The Commanders had a chance to tie the game late, but the Giants defense forced a stop to secure a 14-7 victory. With the loss, Washington’s record dropped to 3-4.

Meanwhile, the Giants had Tyrod Taylor as signal-caller in place of Daniel Jones, who has been recovering from a neck injury and has been rather ineffective in his first season after signing a $160m contract over the offseason. Taylor threw for 279 yards and two touchdowns as New York secured their second victory of the season, ending a four-game losing streak.

— The Denver Broncos defeated the Green Bay Packers 19-17. Considering that the Broncos are 2-5 and the Packers 2-4, this game may not end up having any significance on the postseason standings. Why mention it here? Well, it’s entirely due to wide receiver Jayden Reed managing to catch a deflected Jordan Love pass for a touchdown while tumbling down in the end zone. If it weren’t for Bobo’s grab, this would have been the video of the week as well as it’s proof that in the NFL, even a relatively meaningless contest can provide memorable moments.

— The Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense made life difficult for Atlanta Falcons quarterback Desmond Ridder who lost 3 fumbles on the day. The most glaring was actually when Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Antoine Winfield Jr knocked the ball out of Ridder’s hands, turning a feasible touchdown into a touchback. With Ridder contributing just a single rushing touchdown, Atlanta needed someone to step up as well as be a hero. That someone turned out to be kicker Younghoe Koo that went 3-for-3 on field goals, including a 51-yarder with time expiring that secured a 16-13 Falcons victory as well as put all of them leading of the NFC South.