Ravens rush past Raiders in 35-17 blowout

BALTIMORE - It wouldn’t be an understatement to say the Oakland Raiders got run out of Baltimore.

The Ravens trampled the NFL’s 31st-ranked rushing defense, piling up 242 yards on the ground Sunday in a 34-17 victory that only magnified the Raiders’ defensive shortcomings.

It didn’t matter that Baltimore was starting a rookie quarterback in Lamar Jackson, or had a backfield that included undrafted rookie free agent Gus Edwards. Jackson’s ability to use his feet kept Oakland guessing and Edwards rushed for 118 yards, his second 100-yard game in as many weeks.

“When you can establish the inside run, the perimeter offense, all the bells and whistles with Jackson, they’re very hard to defend,” Raiders coach Jon Gruden said. “You’ve got to stop the inside run or you have no chance to stop everything else.”

The Raiders (2-9) were right there with the Ravens until the third quarter. Baltimore took the kickoff and ground out a 13-play drive that featured 12 runs, lasted nearly seven minutes and ended with a 5-yard touchdown run by Jackson for a 20-10 lead.

Oakland answered with a touchdown, but had no response to Baltimore’s next run-heavy march - a 17-play marathon that lasted 8 minutes, 53 seconds and stretched into the fourth quarter.

“They took over the game,” Gruden said. “Credit to them.”

The Raiders knew Jackson was going to run. The 2016 Heisman Trophy winner at Louisville can throw the ball well enough, but his strength is in his legs.

“We were prepared for that, but it’s just about execution,” Oakland linebacker Marquel Lee said. “We have to execute better as a whole. We gave up too many big plays, and that’s what ended up hurting us. We didn’t stop the run well today. We’ve got to go back to the drawing board and fix it.”

The Raiders did get two interceptions, one apiece by Marcus Gilchrist and Reggie Nelson, but Jackson threw for 178 yards and a score in his second NFL start.

When on offense, the Raiders turned to quarterback Derek Carr to keep pace with Baltimore’s relentless attack.

Unfortunately, the offense line couldn’t give him ample space and time to find receivers. Carr was 16 of 34 for 194 yards and a touchdown, but was sacked on three consecutive fourth-quarter plays by Matthew Judon, the first resulting in Terrell Suggs’ 43-yard fumble return for a TD.

“I don’t ever remember that happening before,” Carr said of the sack-sack-sack sequence.

Carr hobbled off the field with a tender ankle, the results of the beating he took from the league’s top-ranked defense. But he vowed to return next Sunday for a grudge match against the Kansas City Chiefs.

“I can tell you right now, I am playing next week,” he said. “I am not sure what it will feel like, but I will be out there on the field.”

Jackson, meanwhile, ran all over the Raiders, finishing with 71 yards rushing and a touchdown to carry the Ravens.

In addition to Suggs’ fumble return, Cyrus Jones took a punt 70 yards for a touchdown to help Baltimore (6-5) win a second straight game for the first time since September.

In the second half, behind Edwards and Jackson, the Ravens expanded a three-point halftime lead to 27-17 with two run-heavy touchdown drives that consumed a total of nearly 16 minutes.

“To have those long drives and have the running game going the way it went was probably the key to the game,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “It was exactly what we talked about at halftime. We felt like we needed to do that. We felt like we could do it. The offensive line was very much in favor of doing that.”

With starter Joe Flacco out for a second straight game with an injured right hip, Jackson cut down on his rushing attempts, threw more often and got the same result - a victory.

After carrying 27 times for 117 yards last week in his NFL starting debut, Jackson ran 11 times against Oakland (nine times in the second half) and threw only seven passes after halftime, finishing 14 for 25 for 178 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions.

“Threw two interceptions,” Jackson lamented. “One more than last week, so I was a little bit ticked off.”

Known primarily for his ability to run, Jackson proved to be a dual threat.

“Just because you can run with the ball doesn’t mean you can’t throw,” Harbaugh said.

The question now is, if Flacco is healthy next week, who starts against Atlanta?

“I’m not going to get into that for a lot of reasons,” Harbaugh said. “If the decision has been made or not, it is not important for anybody to know but us.”

Suggs clinched it with 5:55 left, lumbering down the right sideline after Carr was sacked by Judon and lost the ball on a fourth-down play.

“It seemed like it took me forever to get there,” said the 36-year-old Suggs, who gripped the ball most of the way with his right hand.

Baltimore opened the third quarter with a 13-play drive that consumed nearly seven minutes and featured 12 running plays, including a 5-yard touchdown by Jackson that made it 20-10.

Carr matched that touchdown by using the opposite approach, passing to Seth Roberts for 44 yards to set up a 16-yard scoring toss to tight end Jared Cook.

Jackson then orchestrated a 17-play march that covered 71 yards and lasted 8 minutes, 53 seconds. On third-and-goal from the 8, Jackson zipped a TD pass to former Oakland star Michael Crabtree .

The Ravens’ only touchdown before halftime came on Jones’ second-quarter punt return.

Jones tiptoed down the right sideline and went the distance, getting key blocks from Chris Moore and Judon. It was the first career touchdown for Jones, who was released by New England in October.

Injuries

Raiders: Backup DE Jacquies Smith left with an Achilles injury and did not return. … DT Maurice Hurst left in the third quarter with an undisclosed injury.

Ravens: SS Tony Jefferson twisted his left ankle in the second quarter, returned briefly and left for good. … RB Alex Collins (foot) was inactive after starting every game this season. … OL Alex Lewis and G Marshal Yanda both underwent concussion protocol in the second half and were cleared.