When the Baltimore Ravens and Detroit Lions met for a heavyweight battle back in 2023, it was a totally one-sided affair, with Lamar Jackson cruising to a big victory as both a runner and thrower. On Monday night, Jared Goff and the Lions finally got their revenge, leaning on a killer ground game and some gutsy -- and perfectly executed -- late-game calls from coach Dan Campbell to close Week 3 with a 38-30 victory.
Both sides fired out of the gate, ending their first series in the end zone thanks to immediate production on the ground -- the Lions with Jahmyr Gibbs and the Ravens with Derrick Henry, who exploded untouched for a 28-yard score. And Mark Andrews came alive as Baltimore's top pass catcher, securing a pair of touchdown catches. But Detroit's combination of elite playmakers, unrelenting boldness and situational poise won out in the end, with Gibbs and David Montgomery combining to rush for 218 yards and four scores.
Jackson, meanwhile, was swarmed for much of the back half of the game, absorbing seven sacks, including 2.5 from Al-Quadin Muhammad and a key strip-sack from Jack Campbell. Detroit's defense also showed up in other spots, such as a first-half goal-line stand against Henry and a forced fumble against Baltimore's supersized running back.
Here are some big-picture takeaways from Monday's matchup:
Give it up for the entire Lions offense, coaches included, for the fourth-down gamble near midfield with fewer than two minutes on the clock, when Jared Goff delivered a picture-perfect lob to Amon-Ra St. Brown. Not only did the dagger keep the ball out of Baltimore's hands but set up another David Montgomery score, all but icing Detroit's road victory.
We all toyed with the notion of the Green Bay Packers overtaking Detroit as the powerhouse of the North, and certainly the Packers' season-opening romp against the Lions played a part in that. But a lot has changed in the two weeks since. The Packers just lost a stinker against the lowly Cleveland Browns, in part because their offensive line might be in shambles. Meanwhile the Lions have scored a combined 90 points in consecutive wins, including Monday's, which was about as impressive as they come. On the road? Against Lamar Jackson? No matter. Dan Campbell's unit was better in the trenches, better situationally, and everyone did their part, leading to a truly and totally balanced offensive attack.
We can excuse at least a few of Baltimore's defensive breakdowns when considering two of the club's top starters, front-seven disruptors Nnamdi Madubuike and Kyle Van Noy, were sidelined due to injury. But this now makes two of three games in 2025 where the Ravens register as pushovers on this side of the ball. First there was the Week 1 debacle in which John Harbaugh's team coughed up a 15-point lead in the waning minutes. Then there was this, with basically every skill player on the Lions offense having a field day on M&T Bank Stadium grass. The real distinguishing stat came in the pass rushing department, where Detroit finished with a whopping seven sacks while the Ravens downed Jared Goff zero times.
No one would've uttered this at the start of Monday's game, when King Henry looked to be in pristine form on his long touchdown scurry. But by the buzzer, the big man looked like a different back, losing his third fumble in as many games and also failing to break the plane of the goal line on three consecutive carries during a first-half red-zone sequence. It was in stark contrast to the shared dynamism of the Lions' backfield, which kept pumping from start to finish. Is Henry the primary issue for Baltimore? Absolutely not. But a week after he was bottled up for 2.1 yards per carry, it's fair to wonder about his workload.
It's not over just yet, as Lamar Jackson heaves one to a wide-open Mark Andrews, who makes it all the way for his second touchdown of the night to make this a one-score game in the final minute:
Talk about gutsy: Leading 31-24 with fewer than two minutes to play, facing a fourth-and-2 from their own 49, and the Lions go for it rather than kick it back to Lamar Jackson and the Ravens. And Jared Goff drops a perfect floater to Amon-Ra St. Brown, the situational king, setting up a killer juke-and-sprint of a touchdown run from David Montgomery on the very next play. It's the perfect blend of boldness, talent and execution ... and it's coming on the road against a Super Bowl hopeful. Maybe the Lions are still a force to be reckoned with!
Make that six sacks for the Lions defense, with Aidan Hutchinson leading the late-game charge:
For all the focus on Dan Campbell's aggressive offense, it's the Lions defense that's quietly showing up in big spots under the Monday night lights. There was the goal-line stand in the first half, in which Derrick Henry was stuffed on three consecutive carries. Then Derrick Barnes chased down Lamar Jackson for a third-down sack to force a Ravens punt. And now Aidan Hutchinson punches the ball out of Henry's grasp for a turnover. It's not often you see anyone offer this kind of relentless fight against Baltimore, especially on the road.
The Lions are the first team in 13 years to have multiple drives of 90+ yards in a game against the Ravens.
You don't produce those drives without being excellent on late downs, and Detroit has been just that: 7 for 11 on third down and 2 for 2 on fourth down.
Detroit is back on top, and both Dan Campbell and John Morton deserve props for their fourth-and-1 call from Baltimore's 1-yard line: a quick handoff to Amon-Ra St. Brown, who proceeds to pitch it to Jahmyr Gibbs for an easy score. That's two touchdowns for Gibbs on the evening, and both a clutch and clever use of the speed in the backfield. Gibbs and Montgomery really are powering this Lions attack, combining for more than 160 rushing yards with almost a full quarter yet to play. That speaks greatly to the absence of Nnamdi Madubuike, the star Ravens defender who is out with a neck injury.
Derrick Henry, move aside. David Montgomery sheds tackles and then bursts up the field for the longest run of the night, and he now has well over 100 yards against the Ravens despite taking just nine carries thus far:
New Lions offensive coordinator John Morton gets tricky with a David Montgomery toss that ends up back in Jared Goff's hands, but then Goff delivers a traditional strike from the pocket right afterward, showcasing pinpoint precision and timing to hit Amon-Ra St. Brown in the end zone after a double move on Marlon Humphrey. Just picture-perfect quarterback-receiver chemistry there, and it knots the game at 21-21. Goff has been on the money tonight when protected, matching Lamar Jackson in aerial production.
Don't look now, but Lamar Jackson's old favorite target just might be back. First the Pro Bowl tight end goes up to outmuscle Brian Branch for a 20-yard catch into the red zone. Then Andrews shows up again to hit paydirt, slipping past Alex Anzalone across the field to secure a touchdown. That makes five catches for 64 yards and a score for the former All-Pro, giving Baltimore's pass catcher a vintage stat line. Lamar Jackson is fortunate to finish the drive that way, too, after nearly tossing a pick to Branch early in the series.
Discipline is an underrated factor in these kinds of matchups, and a couple of gaffes all but afforded Lamar Jackson and the Ravens a clear path to evening up the score before the break. First up was a holding penalty on the Lions' punt after a three-and-out, giving Jackson solid field position. Then came a pass interference flag on Terrion Arnold, who was also beat deep by Deontez Walker earlier in the matchup. It's now 14-14, though each club has taken a different route to the scoreboard, with Detroit dominating the time-of-possession battle as a methodical balanced attack and Baltimore a bit more boom-or-bust.
Henry may have struck first in this prime-time clash, but the big man had nowhere to go in the red zone on Baltimore's last series, and neither did Lamar Jackson on a fourth-and-goal rollout, in which Jack Campbell chased him down and knocked the ball loose. Henry got three straight carries to punch it in but couldn't drive past the Lions' wall of defenders, headlined by journeyman linebacker Zach Cunningham. That's a sequence that may well come back to haunt Baltimore. And it's why you pay a guy like Henry, to convert! Blame can also be cast upon the coaches, who opted not for consecutive up-the-middle handoffs but also a pitch.
Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery are now the best of the best in terms of shared scoring out of the backfield, logging their 11th different game where each running back gets into the end zone. The previous record was 10 games by the Packers' Paul Hornung and Jim Taylor in the 1960s, and Joe Perry and Hugh McElhenny in the 1950s. Gibbs went first for Detroit tonight, and Montgomery just followed.
Detroit is back on top thanks to a David Montgomery goal-line carry, but really, Dan Campbell's entire operation deserves flowers for how seamlessly it's driving down the field on the road. Jared Goff is nearly perfect through the air (10 for 11) while prioritizing the quick strikes, and Jahmyr Gibbs is all over the place, leading the club with four catches out of the backfield. There's just so much speed in space here, and the Ravens don't have many answers for it, down several starters up front. Marlon Humphrey had a nice breakup of a run play earlier in the drive, but the Lions still go 98 yards to punch it in. That's impressive.
Mark Andrews had just two receptions for 7 yards through two weeks. He matched that reception total -- and gained 27 yards -- on the Ravens' opening drive alone.
Baltimore has gotten receiving contributions from a host of wide receivers early in this season, but getting Andrews going adds yet another dimension, especially as Isaiah Likely (foot) remains out.
One week after he was held in check while Lamar Jackson took care of business through the air, Derrick Henry storms back into the spotlight by cruising past Detroit's front for a 28-yard touchdown to even things up. It's fair to say the Lions interior will be worth monitoring throughout the night. They need instant disruption to have a chance at slowing Henry before he gains steam and turns into a runaway freight train.
That didn't take long. Detroit marches right down the field on its opening series, burning almost six minutes of game block on an 11-play scoring drive punctuated by a Jahmyr Gibbs touchdown run and extended by an Amon-Ra St. Brown grab on fourth down. We got everything there: Nice touch from Jared Goff on a couple of chain-moving darts to Jameson Williams, timely route-running from St. Brown, bold calls from Dan Campbell. It's clear Baltimore is going to have some issues keeping up with the Lions' playmakers, down two of its best front-seven defenders in Nnamdi Madubuike and Kyle Van Noy. Gotta pressure Goff to affect him.
It's been a tale of two weeks for Detroit when it comes to running the ball. The electric Jahmyr Gibbs was bottled up for just 19 yards on nine carries in the season-opening loss to Green Bay, only to break out with close to 8 yards per carry against the Bears. The Ravens, meanwhile, will be missing their top interior defender in Nnamdi Madubuike (neck injury), potentially clearing the way for easier rushing lanes up front. David Montgomery should also be set for a sizable role as Gibbs' more physical counterpart, fresh off back-to-back outings with 11 carries.
Here's a full rundown of Baltimore's absentees for Monday night:
There are some colorful names here, perhaps none bigger than Madubuike, whose absence will be felt on the interior of the Ravens defense. Alexander is still ramping up to full speed after getting thrown into the fire in Week 1, when the ex-Green Bay Packers star made his debut in purple.
When Hopkins joined the Ravens this year, plenty of reasonably minded folks waved off the acquisition as another low-risk, low-reward gamble on an aging, declining pass catcher -- a Baltimore special. But Hopkins has already proven remarkably clutch as a deep-ball artist for Lamar Jackson, scoring twice on just four catches and securing all four of his targets. He may be best served as a situational option at age 33, but D-Hop also just looks refreshed while operating downfield. Working against a bruised Lions secondary, he could have more opportunities to serve as a sort of closer for Baltimore's passing attack, whether on third down or in the red zone.
The Lions have left tackle Taylor Decker nursing an injury, but Baltimore isn't exactly overflowing with proven edge defenders. Madubuike leads the club with two sacks through two games but will be sidelined Monday night, and outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy (hamstring), who led the Ravens with 12.5 sacks a year ago, has also been ruled out. That leaves Odafe Oweh, Tavius Robinson and rookie Mike Green as the top candidates to get after Jared Goff. And getting after him is key, because when he's got time to operate, Goff excels at quickly distributing the ball to his playmakers.
The Ravens are an adaptable attack, pivoting to more of a run-heavy approach when able or required, but Jackson can sling it deep with the best of them, as evidenced by his four-touchdown showcase against the Browns in Week 2. And he might have added reason to try pushing the rock at home, with several key players banged up in the Lions' defensive backfield, including ball-hawking safety Kerby Joseph (knee) and top cover corner D.J. Reed (knee). Even if both are able to suit up, they may not be at full speed, putting more pressure on Lions Swiss Army knife Brian Branch.
