The Ravens won 27-19 in Minnesota, but left a lot of plays behind. We’ll look at why the Ravens’ win on Sunday was a sour but satisfying one.

Special teams: The Ravens won the game with this unit. Tyler Loop kicked four field goals when the Ravens’ offense was unable to reach the end zone. Jordan Stout continued his breakout season in a contract-year with three punts inside the 20, and an average just under 50 yard per punt. Keondre’s rise to the top of special teams continued after he forced a fumble during a kick-return, which he recovered. This led to the Ravens first touchdown. Wester returned a punt 19 yards and saw his first kickoff action. This unit was a key part of the team, and it set up both teams for success in the game.

Malaki Starks After the mini-bye, Starks returned with his second interception in two games. He had a decent start to the season but has been on fire since the Ravens bye week.

Marlon Humphrey Humphrey was given some slack early on for ‘letting down’ a large reception during the Vikings first drive, on an excellent pick-up play by the offensive. He recovered by tracking down a deep pass for an interception and hauling it in, despite wearing a cast on his left hand to protect his fingers. Humphrey avoided using his left arm to tackle at other times. After the game, Humphrey admitted that he wasn’t used to this type of injury and isn’t sure how it will impact him in the future.

Chidobe AwuzieThe Awuzie signing was quickly forgotten when the Ravens signed Jaire Alexander in August. Awuzie retained the third cornerback position despite the presence of the top names in the league. He showed today why he was a crucial part of the Ravens plan to stop Justin Jefferon. He was targeted 12 times but only managed to catch four passes for 37 yards.

Roquan smith: The All-Pro Linebacker has been criticized for his lack of playmaking ability early in the year. Since returning from injury, the captain has reverted to form and continued this trend multiple weeks. Smith is one of this team’s most reliable tacklers since he returned from injury. After dropping an interception last week, he had another one stolen on Sunday.

Pass Rush:That is right, I am doing it. They didn’t do it perfectly, but they showed a lot of promise today. The team finished the day with 12 quarterback strikes on J.J. McCarthy and four batted balls at the line. Dre’Mont, the new addition to the team, won quickly by rotating between the inside and edge. Mike Green’s three quarterback hits had a positive impact on the play. Travis Jones seemed to be in McCarthy’s face the entire day, with three hits and two batted balls, a sack as well as three hits. Even guys like C.J. Okoye, John Jenkins and even C.J. McCarthy did have some moments when he had too much time on the ball, but overall, it was one of our best performances this season. It will improve as Dre Lawson is added and Carl Jones gets more involved.

Calm Football: This game could have easily broken down, with the offense struggling so much. This team is no longer as aggressive as it used to be. It will come in handy at some point, but not against McCarthy. The Ravens kept their cool. The Ravens didn’t turnover the ball. They did not commit any pre-snap penalty. They did not go for fourth downs that were unnecessary and gave the ball back. They relied on their defensive unit to harass the young quarterback, and their special teams to help them stay in the game. The offense eventually managed to score some points and extend the league but today they let other units win. John Harbaugh deserves credit for this.

The offense was ugly almost the entire game. The Ravens had a third-down conversion rate of less than 50% and their chances in the red zone were below 50%. The Ravens scored their first touchdown nearly half way through the third period, but the Vikings fumbled the kickoff. After the third quarter the Ravens were able to get their running game going. They had their best drive in the fourth, a 67 yard drive that ended with a touchdown. The Ravens’ offense let them down again the rest of game. They went three-and out once more and then failed to get the first touchdown, despite being up eight points. Lamar Jackson is back, and the Ravens need to improve offensively. They also have to start quicker. Next week, Myles Garrett will be facing a Browns’ defense that is always at its best when playing Baltimore.

Todd Monken No matter how bad the offense looked at times the coordinator cannot escape. Monken, along with Mike Macdonald, has been one of the best coaches in Baltimore since 2023. Monken was one of the main reasons Lamar Jackson won MVP in 2023, and he should have won it in 2024. This year, the team has been inconsistent at times, despite high points totals. Think about the first-half against the Browns and the whole Chiefs game. Also, consider the first-half against Miami. This game has a number of issues, including the red zone, short yardage, and goal line.

Monken still hasn’t figured out what this team is and how to work with it. The current offensive line is a big part of the problem. He’s going have to find a way to run this offense regardless of the offensive line, if the Ravens are to succeed.

The celebration of the turnover:Not today’s best moment for the defense. I can see what they were trying to achieve. It didn’t work. The turnover was reversed (in an baffling, replay-assist), the defense ran sprints and had to return out on the field. They then conceded a touchdown. Continue to work on the celly’s boys.

Offensive Line: They are not much better than last week in Miami. This unit is the one that will sink this team. No one is exempt from criticism in this line. Fullback Patrick Ricard gave up a tackle to act as an extra lineman. But the guards are the main culprits. I don’t how long they will take to see that a change needs to be made, but it will. Everyone outside the organization can see it. I don’t think Emory is a good answer. Ben Cleveland may not be the answer. Daniel Faalele will get Lamar Jackson injured by missing a block several times in a single game. Andrew Vorhees isn’t much better. This unit is the reason why this team will fail, whether in the regular-season or playoffs.