For the second time in three weeks, the Baltimore Ravens handed an NFC division leader a shockingly lopsided loss, as Lamar Jackson and Co. destroyed the Seattle Seahawks 37-3. The Ravens asserted their dominance from the get-go, gutting the Seahawks with their elite rushing offense, and we may have witnessed the emergence of a new weapon in undrafted running back Keaton Mitchell.
Mitchell entered Sunday with zero carries on the season. Against the Seahawks, he carried nine times for 138 yards and one touchdown. Gus Edwards added two more scores on the ground as Baltimore rushed for a whopping 298 yards. Jackson was again efficient, completing 21 of 26 passes for 187 yards. He was granted an early exit in the fourth quarter due to the score.
The Seahawks offense could do nothing against the Ravens defense. Geno Smith completed 13 of 28 passes for 157 yards and one interception, while Kenneth Walker III rushed nine times for 16 yards. Seattle recorded 151 yards of total offense, compared to 515 for Baltimore.
Let's take a look at what went down at M&T Bank Stadium on Sunday with our takeaways from the Week 9 showdown.
Why the Ravens won
The Ravens won this matchup because of two reasons: the rushing attack, and the defense.
Baltimore rushed 20 times for 121 yards and two touchdowns in just the first half to help the Ravens take a 17-3 halftime lead. The second half featured much of the same, as Baltimore finished with 515 yards of total offense -- 298 of those yards coming on the ground.
The Ravens came into Week 9 ranked No. 2 in yards allowed per game and No. 1 in scoring defense. It showed on Sunday as Baltimore held Seattle to just 89 yards in the first half, and 151 yards of total offense total. This looked like it was going to be a low-scoring defensive affair after zero points were scored in the first quarter, but then Baltimore exploded with 17 points in the second stanza.
Why the Seahawks lost
Seattle converted just one of its 12 third downs, and went 0 for 1 in the red zone. The offense was nowhere to be found; receivers D.K. Metcalf caught just one pass for 50 yards and Tyler Lockett caught three passes for 32 yards. Rookie Jaxon Smith-Njigba did catch six passes for 63 yards, but it wasn't enough to keep Seattle competitive in what was a blowout.
Turning point
Down 17-3 at halftime, Seattle had to figure out how to stop the Ravens' running attack. On the first play from scrimmage in the third quarter, Edwards broke loose for a massive gain of 42 yards. Justin Tucker then hit a 45-yard field goal to extend the lead to 17 points, and it started to feel like this game wasn't going to get more entertaining in the second half.
Plays of the game
What's next
The Seahawks return to Seattle next week, where they will host the Washington Commanders (4-5). As for the Ravens, they host the rival Cleveland Browns (5-3) in Week 10.