BALTIMORE — The Baltimore Ravens’ defense produced big plays when they mattered most during Thursday night’s 42-21 win over the New York Jets.
Baltimore held firm on a fourth down in the red zone in the second quarter. Safety Chuck Clark snagged an interception to rob New York of a chance to score before halftime. And in the third quarter, Ravens outside linebacker Tyus Bowser sacked Sam Darnold while forcing a pivotal fumble that accelerate a rout.
Those plays catapulted Baltimore (12-2) to a victory that clinched the team’s second straight AFC North title.
But they didn’t entirely erase the defense’s bouts of sloppy play from memory.
The Jets (5-9) sliced through the Ravens’ defense at times in the first quarter with short passes that morphed into big gains. And New York, which entered the week ranked second-to-last in the NFL with a third-down conversion rate of 29.2 percent, moved the chains on 6 of 9 third downs in the opening quarter.
“We were kind of upset,” safety Earl Thomas said after the game. “We kind of played down to our competition.”
And that’s a dispiriting occurrence for a team positioned as a Super Bowl favorite.
The Ravens have two more regular season games remaining before the playoffs, and Thursday’s outing might’ve given a contending team — like Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs perhaps — ideas for how to attack Baltimore’s defense, one loaded with talent in the secondary. Missed tackles and spotty coverage on slot receiver Jamison Crowder plagued the Ravens against the Jets.
But the better news for Baltimore? The defense accomplished something it’s done all season: It made necessary adjustments.
New York didn’t convert any of its five third down attempts in the second half and the Ravens ran away with a comfortable win.
“In the second half,” Thomas said, “we played really good football.”
Beyond that, Bowser and Clark produced game-altering takeaways. The Ravens have forced at least one turnover each game during their string of 10 straight victories, and they came up with at least two takeaways in seven of those contests.
“The turnover differential is the No. 1 stat that affects winning and losing,” coach John Harbaugh said. “We always feel that way. We had a goal for a really high number this year. We aren’t really there where we wanted to be, but we’re pretty darn good. Our defense has done a great job.”
The turnovers and the second-half improvements gave the Ravens reason for encouragement. With the top-scoring offense in the league, Baltimore’s defense is more than good enough to keep title hopes strong. It has allowed the fifth-fewest points (18.4) and sixth-fewest yards (314.4) per game in the NFL this year.
Thursday’s win over the Jets brought positive moments and unveiled blemishes to address. Considering the Ravens’ aspirations, the team plans to give attention to any mishap.
“Everything we need to do needs to be at championship level,” Harbaugh said, “because that’s what we’re chasing.”
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Aaron Kasinitz covers the Baltimore Ravens for PennLive and can be reached at akasinitz@pennlive.com or on Twitter @AaronKazreports. Follow PennLive’s Ravens coverage on Facebook and Youtube.