Raiders @ Ravens
Final Score: Raiders 26, Ravens 23
Writer: Brett Ford (@FadeThatMan)
One of the biggest upsets of the week saw the Las Vegas Raiders march out of Baltimore with a 26-23 victory on Sunday afternoon, sending the Ravens – whom many considered a Super Bowl contender in the preseason – to an 0-2 start to the year. Baltimore led by 10 points in the fourth quarter, but surrendered their lead – much like last season – and fell by a field goal. On paper, it would seem that the Ravens outmatched the Raiders, out-gaining them 151-27 on the ground and averaging over 6.0 yards per play while holding the Raiders to 4.3. However, 11 penalties for 109 yards, including a costly DPI in the end zone on the Raiders’ game-tying touchdown drive, cost Baltimore the win. Let’s dig in.
Three Up
- Brock Bowers – Established himself as the Raiders’ “1B” pass-catcher, surpassing Jakobi Meyers and just behind Davante Adams in his usage
- Zay Flowers – Distanced himself from the pack as the Ravens’ top pass-catcher and found the end zone
- Derrick Henry – Though he was outsnapped by Justice Hill again, Henry touched the ball on two-thirds of the plays he was on the field
Two Down
- Alexander Mattison – Saw the field for just 14 snaps, got just four carries, and didn’t see a single target, but he did vulture a touchdown
- Isaiah Likely – A far cry from his massive day in the season opener, Likely was held to just three targets and was out-snapped by Mark Andrews in this one
Las Vegas Raiders
Quarterback
Gardner Minshew: 30/38, 276 Yards, TD, INT | 1 Carry, -1 Yards
Minshew led his team from down 10 points in the fourth quarter to three consecutive scoring drives and a win against one of the best defenses in the NFL. It’s never really that pretty, but it always seems to be at least somewhat effective. Minshew’s worst throw of the day was on a clean pocket, though his internal clock was likely sounding the alarm as he had loads of time – Minshew underthrew his receiver by five yards and it was picked by Marlon Humphrey. Other than that, he moved this Raiders team down the field regularly, including four consecutive scoring drives to close out the game and earn the win. Minshew has now won back-to-back starts against the Ravens in Baltimore.
Running Back
Zamir White: 9 Carries, 24 Yards | 4 Targets, 3 Receptions, 14 Yards
The Ravens’ front seven is outstanding against the run, the Raiders trailed for most of the game and Minshew was performing serviceably well through the air. Oh, and Mattison vultured another touchdown. All these factors contributed to a very sad day for White’s fantasy managers. The encouraging thing was that he outsnapped Mattison, 40-14, and saw four targets while Mattison saw none. Mattison was on the field for the majority of third-down snaps but White got most of the two-minute drill snaps.
Alexander Mattison: 4 Carries, 1 Yard, TD
For the second straight week, Mattison found the end zone, but again it felt fraudulent. For what it’s worth, he converted on his goal-line carry from the one-yard line. I still think it’s difficult to define his true role based on two weeks of action but know that he is firmly behind White on the depth chart despite his touchdown successes.
Ameer Abdullah: 2 Carries, 1 Yard | 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 1 Yard
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Davante Adams: 12 Targets, 9 Receptions, 110 Yards, TD
Adams was dominant against an above-average Ravens secondary as he created separation and reminded the world why he is considered one of the elite wide receivers in this league. Adams took full advantage of a negative game script and pass-funnel defense and caught the game-tying touchdown.
Davante Adams so far today:
9 receptions
110 yards
TD
26 fantasy points 🔥 pic.twitter.com/ymo5MsgeO0— NFL Fantasy Football (@NFLFantasy) September 15, 2024
Brock Bowers: 9 Targets, 9 Receptions, 98 Yards
Despite Bowers’ incredible statline, fantasy managers might be disappointed that he didn’t reach the century mark or the end zone, finishing just a few feet short of both. He started the week listed on the injury report with a foot injury – but if this is Bowers when he’s injured, I can’t wait to see him healthy. He played both inline and in the slot in this one, snatching passes all over the field. He’s quickly endearing himself to Raiders fans and his quarterback.
Brock Bowers is currently the best TE in the NFL pic.twitter.com/xdqIP6JM4B
— Chuck Bass (@ChuckFBass) September 15, 2024
Jakobi Meyers: Jakobi Meyers: 5 Targets, 4 Receptions, 29 Yards
Meyers took a back-row seat to Adams and Bowers this week, despite running 39 routes on a team-high 59 offensive snaps. The mediocre performance could be due in large part to the matchup as the Raiders exploited their advantages with Adams and Bowers.
Michael Mayer: Michael Mayer: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 11 Yards
On the field for just 39 snaps, including just 18 snaps in 11-personnel (compared to Bowers’ 21 snaps), it’s clear that Mayer is now TE2 in Las Vegas.
Tre Tucker: Tre Tucker: 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 13 Yards
Harrison Bryant: 1 Target
Baltimore Ravens
Quarterback
Lamar Jackson: 21/34, 247 Yards, TD, INT | 5 Carries, 45 Yards
Jackson had a poor day by his standards, rushing just five times for 45 yards and giving up an interception with just one touchdown. Jackson continued to seem unsure behind a below-average offensive line but didn’t scramble nearly as many times as last week against the Chiefs. Jackson connected with Flowers on a snappy touchdown pass with good timing and a sharp throw, and the interception wasn’t all his fault (although he did force the ball into a tight window). At this point though, fantasy managers (and Ravens fans) have come to expect more out of the two-time MVP. He didn’t provide it Sunday.
Running Back
Derrick Henry: 18 Carries, 84 Yards, TD | 1 Target, 1 Reception, 12 Yards
A very slow start for Henry dampened the outlook as his first six carries yielded just three yards, but the King came back strong with a solid outing. The Ravens led by multiple possessions for the majority of the second half, meaning that Henry got a large dose of the football in a positive game script, earning 19 touches despite being on the field for just 30 snaps. We saw vintage Henry stiff arms and even got a sweet wildcat goal-line score. Even if the Ravens are not as good as advertised, Derrick Henry will still get his.
Gotta love that Derrick Henry stiff arm. 😤pic.twitter.com/YqMSuquhQV
— Ravens Nation 𝙇𝙄𝙑𝙀 (@LIVERavenNation) September 15, 2024
Justice Hill: 4 Carries, 22 Yards | 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 10 Yards
For the second week in a row, Hill was on the field more often than Henry. He wasn’t used nearly the same as the Ravens weren’t forced to check down quite as much as they were last week against the Chiefs. But Hill is still the third down and two-minute guy in this offense. He’ll continue to be relevant in deep leagues.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Zay Flowers: 11 Targets, 7 Receptions, 91 Yards, TD
Flowers once again looked like an alpha wide receiver, carrying the load as Jackson’s favorite target. He at least doubled every other pass-catcher with 11 targets and found the end zone for the first time this year. He looks poised to be a top-20 wide receiver this season as the Ravens continue to pass the ball at a higher rate than a season ago despite the addition of Derrick Henry.
Zay Flowers honors the late, great Jacoby Jones 🙌🏻pic.twitter.com/FpKDhrAflO
— Bobby Trosset (@bobbybaltim0re) September 15, 2024
Mark Andrews: 5 Targets, 4 Receptions, 51 Yards
A better week for Andrews, as he wasn’t bracketed on every passing down. He pulled in four catches but could have had a much bigger day if Jackson hadn’t missed him on 3rd-and-7 on a post route across the deep middle.
Lamar Jackson knows he missed Mark Andrews for a big gain… #RavensFlock pic.twitter.com/302j8FVsjo
— Drew Davenport (@DrewDavenportFF) September 15, 2024
Rashod Bateman: 4 Targets, 3 Receptions, 40 Yards
Bateman has shown signs of life early this season and it appears that Jackson trusts the third-year wide receiver. But that relationship may have been damaged slightly as Bateman had a pass bounce off his hands into the arms of a Raiders’ linebacker on Sunday afternoon.
Isaiah Likely: 3 Targets, 2 Receptions, 26 Yards
Likely was on the field for 32 snaps, compared to Andrews’ 41, but the main difference was that when the Ravens went to 3-WR sets, Likely was on the field for just 7-of-28 snaps with Andrews taking the field for the other 21 snaps, three times as many as Likely. Week 1 is looking more like an outlier performance after this return to the norm.
Nelson Agholor: 3 Targets, 1 Reception, 13 Yards
Charlie Kolar: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 4 Yards