Ravens vs. Buccaneers score, takeaways: Baltimore hands Tom Brady first

Thursday night was a who’s who game for the Baltimore Ravens and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In posting a 27-22 win in Tampa Bay, the Ravens moved to 5-3 while looking very much like the AFC North’s best team. Conversely, the Buccaneers, who are now 3-5 after a third straight loss, looked like a team that has no legitimate shot at playing deep into January. 

Tampa Bay started hot before fading over the game’s final three quarters. Baltimore’s pass rush made life miserable for Tom Brady, who in the first half surpassed Ben Roethlisberger as the most sacked quarterback in NFL history. It was a much better night for the visiting quarterback, as Lamar Jackson threw two touchdown passes on 27 of 38 passing. Jackson was also part of a running game that rolled up 233 yards that helped chew up over 38 minutes of game clock. 

Trailing at halftime, the Ravens took the lead on third-quarter touchdown passes from Jackson to Kenyan Drake and Isaiah Likely. Baltimore took a double-digit lead on Devin Duvernay’s 15-yard touchdown run with 6:35 left, less than six minutes after the Buccaneers scored their first points of the half on a Ryan Succop field goal. 

Brady briefly kept hope alive with a late touchdown pass to Julio Jones. But the Ravens scooped up the ensuing onside kick, sealing the win while snapping Brady’s 302-game streak without three consecutive losses. 

The Buccaneers went to halftime with a 10-3 lead after making two red zone stands in the game’s first 30 minutes. Tampa Bay also received a decent first half from Brady, whose 44-yard completion to Chris Godwin set up Leonard Fournette’s go-ahead touchdown midway through the first quarter. 

Both teams suffered significant injuries on Thursday night. The Ravens lost receiver Rashod Bateman (foot) and Mark Andrews (shoulder) during the game’s first three quarters, then lost running back Gus Edwards (hamstring) in the fourth quarter. The Bucs lost linebacker Shaquil Barrett during the second half. Barrett is feared to have suffered a torn Achilles injury, via NFL Media. 

Here’s a closer look at what transpired in Tampa. 

Why the Ravens won 

Baltimore dominated on the ground while controlling the ball for over two-thirds of the game. Led by Edwards and Drake, Baltimore dominated on the ground while overcoming their first-half miscues in the red zone. The Ravens also received big contributions from Likely and Demarcus Robinson, who combined to catch 12 of 15 targets for 141 yards. 

Defensively, the Ravens shut down Brady and the Buccaneers offense for most of the game’s final three quarters. Justin Houston took a sip from the Fountain of Youth, recording two sacks and two tackles for loss. Houston and the rest of his teammates shut down Tampa Bay’s running game while holding Brady to just 26 of 44 passing. 

Why the Buccaneers lost 

Tampa Bay’s offense completely dried up after the first quarter. The unit punted five consecutive times while giving their defense little to no…