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Ravens-Bucs: Lamar Jackson throws 5 TD passes, Baltimore scores 34 straight points in win over Tampa Bay
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Ravens-Bucs: Lamar Jackson throws 5 TD passes, Baltimore scores 34 straight points in win over Tampa Bay

For one quarter Monday night, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers held on and opened a 10-0 lead against the Baltimore Ravens.

In the end, as has been the case all season, Baltimore’s offense proved inevitable. The Ravens closed the first half on a 17-0 run. They then opened the floodgates after halftime to secure a 41-31 victory in a Monday night match between division-leading teams that started the season 4-2.

By the time Tampa Bay scored again in the fourth quarter, Baltimore had racked up 34 unanswered points.

It was another offensive clinic from the Ravens in a season full of them. Once again, Lamar Jackson was the star on a night when he threw five touchdown passes, tying his Ravens record. It made for another strong entry in Jackson’s campaign for a third NFL MVP award in six seasons.

Lamar Jackson tied his own Ravens record with five touchdown passes on Monday. (Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images)Lamar Jackson tied his own Ravens record with five touchdown passes on Monday. (Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images)

Lamar Jackson tied his own Ravens record with five touchdown passes on Monday. (Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images)

After two sacks of Jackson derailed Baltimore’s opening possession, the Ravens struck quickly on their second possession. They needed just six plays and 2:33 to move 70 yards and cap the drive with a 9-yard touchdown pass from Jackson to Mark Andrews. The score cut Baltimore’s deficit to 10-7.

Baltimore’s next possession took just four plays and 1:47 off the clock to drive 80 yards and find the end zone. Jackson set up the score with a 59-yard pass on the run to Rashod Bateman after escaping the Tampa Bay pass rush.

Two plays and a penalty later, Justice Hill ran the ball in on a screen pass from Jackson for an 18-yard touchdown to give the Ravens a 14-10 lead.

A pair of Justin Tucker field goals settled the break before the Ravens found the end zone again on their second drive of the third quarter. They did it on four plays in 57 seconds for 55 yards. The star was another deep ball from Jackson to Bateman. This time, Jackson unleashed a 49-yard laser on second-and-17, which Bateman caught on the foot after breaking the top of the Tampa Bay secondary.

The touchdown pass was Jackson’s third of the night and extended the Ravens’ lead to 27-10.

At that point, Baltimore had done its damage without much use of Derrick Henry. The NFL’s leader in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns carried the ball just four times for 23 yards before halftime. He was fresh for the second half.

On the first play of Baltimore’s next possession, Jackson passed the ball to Henry inside the Ravens’ 10-yard line. Henry broke free to the left sideline and rumbled 81 yards before being tackled at the Tampa Bay 11-yard line.

Four plays later, Jackson found Andrews again for their second touchdown connection of the night. The score pushed Baltimore’s lead to 34-10 and left the game all but frozen with 2:53 left in the third quarter. The stats for this drive: five plays for 92 yards in 2:05.

The Ravens weren’t perfect down the stretch, as they allowed three Bucs touchdowns in the final quarter. A fumble by Jackson set up Tampa Bay’s first touchdown of the second half and cut Baltimore’s lead to 34–18 early in the fourth quarter. Baltimore then found the end zone again on a drive that ended with a Jackson touchdown pass to Derrick Henry.

The Bucs answered with another touchdown and then another on a successful onside kick to cut the Ravens’ 24-point lead to 41-31.

Baltimore recovered Tampa Bay’s next onside kick and didn’t let the Bucs score again.

Jackson finished the night completing 17 of 22 passes for 281 yards with five touchdowns. Henry ran 15 times for 169 yards and added a 13-yard touchdown catch.

Andrews caught four passes for 41 yards and two scores. Bateman had four catches for 121 yards and a touchdown. The Ravens posted 508 yards of total offense and averaged 9.4 yards per play.

Baker Mayfield completed 31 of 45 passes for 370 yards with three touchdowns in Tampa Bay’s comeback. But two first-half interceptions helped spark the Baltimore run.

A tough night for the Bucs on the scoreboard was made even tougher by two injuries to key players. Leading receiver Mike Evans left in the first half with a hamstring injury.

Then, with less than a minute to go, Tampa’s No. 2 receiver Chris Godwin suffered a dislocated ankle in garbage time, which head coach Todd Bowles pointed out. He left the field on a cart with 43 seconds left and his left leg in an air throw.