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1. Ravens ride a running game to win emphatically. At this point, we know who the Ravens can be when they’re firing on all cylinders. It starts with the ground attack, which opens and provides the passing game Lamar Jackson all kinds of time to pick apart defenses. That was the case again on Monday evening Dirk Hendrik ran roughshod through the Chargers’ defense, which entered Week 12 as the 10th-ranked defense in the NFL. That position crumbled under the stomping feet of Henry, who powered Baltimore’s first touchdown drive of the day with gains of 19, 14 and 11 yards that made it look easy. He finished off the Chargers in similar fashion, stiff-arming two defenders on a key third down to gain the lead and clear the line to win, finishing his day with 140 rushing yards on 24 carries. Jackson didn’t even have to do that much through the air, thanks to Henry, who continues to thrive in a role that suits him perfectly.
2. Dobbins’ revenge bid ends early and dooms Chargers. J. K. Dobbins left an injury-plagued stint in Baltimore for a fresh start in Los Angeles this offseason, entering Monday night with the chance of being a thorn in the side of his former employer. He got off to a positive start, gaining 40 yards on six carries, but his night ended after just 19 offensive snaps due to a knee injury, and with it Los Angeles’ offensive balance was lost. With Dobbins sidelined, the Chargers ran the ball just five more times in the final two quarters, putting almost all of the offensive responsibility on Justin Herbert’s shoulders in what was a one-point game at halftime. Without the threat of a run, the Chargers’ offense fell into a rut just as the Ravens’ offense peaked, eroding the time-of-possession advantage (which the Chargers held at the 7:20 mark of halftime) turned the Ravens’ advantage around. At just about the worst possible time, Los Angeles’ offense returned to the low form that plagued it early in the season. When they needed explosive play late, the Chargers had no answer to the Ravens’ conundrum. At the very least, Monday should be a lesson for offensive coordinator Greg Roman: Balance is the best route to victory.
3. Los Angeles has an obvious offseason need: receiver. With the offense relying heavily on the pass in the second half, Justin Herbert let it go without fear. But one fact became painfully clear in this part of the game: the Chargers lack a true deep threat. Several long attempts to Josh Palmer proved fruitless and was a first-round pick in 2023 Quentin Johnston returned to his rookie season form, dropping an open pass on a drag route on a key third down in a one-score game and letting that mistake haunt him on his next two targets (which he also dropped). The only reliable target in their receiving corps was a rookie Ladd McConkeyseverely limiting the Chargers’ chances to expand the playing field as the deficit grew. With the passing game and play situation requiring the Chargers pass, the Ravens pass rushers pinned their ears back and hunted Herbert, who was forced to resort to firing off prayers at receivers who simply weren’t skilled enough are to make game-changing plays. . Their last two drives have been painful viewing, proving this Chargers team isn’t built to come from behind and calling into question its legitimacy as an AFC contender.
4. Chargers power collapses against AFC Titan. Defense is the name of the game for these Chargers in 2024. They possess a physical unit that has played beyond expectations all season, but when Derrick Henry got going in the first half, cracks began to appear in the foundation. Los Angeles struggled mightily when it came to limiting Henry, so much so that Lamar Jackson only had to attempt 22 passes that night to lead the offense to a 30-point outing. Jackson’s clear target of Kristian Fulton their second touchdown drive also exposed at least one weakness in their secondary, putting the Chargers on their heels defensively in a game where they desperately needed stops in the fourth quarter. There are plenty of lessons for these Chargers to learn from this game, and the football world already learned one on Monday night. The skepticism toward the upstart Chargers was not unfounded. Los Angeles failed its first real test of 2024 on both sides of the ball.
5. Ravens add two feathers to their hat. On paper, this should have been a colossal matchup between two AFC contenders with nearly identical records and points to prove on a primetime stage. In the end, only one team (the Ravens) was suitable for the bright lights. Baltimore won by playing its game, leaning on the ground game and playmaking skills of Lamar Jackson. Zay Flowers And Mark Andries. The Ravens’ somewhat embattled defense had a strong second half, holding Los Angeles to three points and sacking Justin Herbert three times in the final two quarters. They still committed nine penalties allowed against them, but unlike their loss to Pittsburgh in Week 11, these mistakes weren’t the downfall. By the end, the Ravens had delivered a big helping of humble pie to the Chargers — just three days before Thanksgiving, no less — by erasing a 10-point deficit with a 30-6 run that exploded on the scoreboard in 2011. emphatic fashion. Oh, and Justin Tucker converted a 45-yard field goal, easing concerns that he may have lost his touch after missing two long attempts in Pittsburgh a week ago. These Ravens certainly weren’t perfect in 2024, but they picked up a key win by sticking to their brand and executing, setting them up for an important final stretch that begins with a home game against the red-hot Eagles on Sunday.

Next-gen Ravens-Chargers stats (via NFL Pro): Lamar Jackson’s 40-yard touchdown pass to Rashod Bateman traveled 57.4 yards in the air, giving Jackson’s second-longest completion of the season and his second of more than 50 yards in the air. All four of Jackson’s longest wins this season have come against Bateman.

NFL Research: Derrick Henry’s 140-yard night marked his sixth game with 100-plus rushing yards in 2024, tied for the second-most such games in the NFL this season, and was his 20th career game with 140-plus rushing yards, making him Pro Football Hall tied the game. of Famer LaDainian Tomlinson for the seventh most such games of all time.