National Football League

Lamar Jackson-led Ravens look like class of AFC in dominant win over Seahawks

Updated Nov. 5, 2023 6:04 p.m. ET

Playing in the black-and-blue AFC North — the only division where every team currently has a winning record — the Baltimore Ravens are hitting their stride at the right time.

Facing one of the top NFC teams in the Seattle Seahawks, the Ravens bullied the visitors to the tune of a 37-3 beatdown on Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium.

The Ravens improved their record to 7-2 with the lopsided victory, tied with the Kansas City Chiefs for the top spot in the AFC. But unlike the Chiefs, who escaped with a 21-14 victory over the Miami Dolphins in Frankfurt, Germany, Lamar Jackson and the Ravens are playing great complementary football.

"We talk about dominating," said newcomer Kyle Van Noy, who finished with two sacks on the day. "And that's something that we really lean on each other for. We don't want to just go out and win, we want to dominate and show that we are the best defense in the country."

Baltimore's defense held Seattle to 151 total yards and forced quarterback Geno Smith into two turnovers. The Ravens also sacked Smith four times and held the Seahawks to 1-of-12 on third down.

Offensively, the Ravens found a spark in the running game with Keaton Mitchell. An undrafted rookie this year out of East Carolina, Mitchell totaled 138 rushing yards on nine carries, including a 40-yard run for a score — his first touchdown as a pro.

Mitchell's father, Anthony Mitchell, played safety on Baltimore's Super Bowl-winning team after the 2000 season.

"It means a lot," Mitchell told reporters. "My dad was undrafted when he came here. He taught me everything I need to know — to just stay humble, know what you're doing, keep thanking God and your time will come. And today, it came. So I just keep going."

Someone else who made a mark for Baltimore was veteran receiver O'Dell Beckham Jr. On his 31st birthday, OBJ finished with a season-high five catches for 56 yards on seven targets, including his first touchdown of the season on a six-yard strike from backup Tyler Huntley in the fourth quarter with the game already decided.

MVP candidate Jackson didn't have to do too much. He finished 21-of-26 for 187 yards, with no touchdowns and no interceptions. He also ran for 60 yards and lost a fumble.

Ravens kicker Justin Tucker was once again automatic, finishing 3-of-3 on field goals, with a long of 45 yards.

In a race for the top spot in the AFC that includes the Buffalo Bills, Cincinnati Bengals, the Dolphins and the Chiefs, the Ravens are proving they belong in the conversation among the Super Bowl contenders heading into the backstretch of the 2023 season.

The Ravens now have wins over the Bengals, the NFC North Division leading Detroit Lions and the NFC West leaders in the Seahawks. The Ravens play five of their last eight games at home.

"The guys are doing what they're supposed to do, as hard as they can every play," Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said. "It's not always perfect all the time. But when you do it as hard as you, as well as you can every play, you get pretty close.

"I like it, but it's never as good and never as bad as you think it could be. So we'll go to work, get on the tape and we'll find several things to work on."

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The Ravens owned one of the top teams in the NFC. Smith and the Seahawks couldn't do much right on offense, which has been a trend of late. Seattle is averaging just 15 points a game since the bye week and has a 2-2 record during that stretch.

Since Week 6, Smith has had seven total turnovers and a 75.6 passer rating over those four games. He has been sacked 11 times over that time frame, tied for third-most in the league. However, Seattle head coach Pete Carroll doesn't believe Smith is to blame for his team's struggles on offense.

"I don't think this is on Geno at all," Carroll said. "I think this is about our football team not answering the bell. We came in here to slug it out, and they did a better job than we did. And it was all of us."

Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on Twitter at @eric_d_williams.