MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Lamar Jackson calmly and coolly added another Baltimore win to his resume in his 100th regular-season start, watching the Ravens’ defense stay strong against a quarterback playing in his fourth NFL game.
J.J. McCarthy’s inexperience was just too much to overcome for Minnesota.
Jackson played it patient and smart in his second start back from injury, and the resurgent Ravens beat the Vikings 27-19 on Sunday for their third straight victory.
“I think we’re starting to hit our stride,” two-time Pro Bowl safety Kyle Hamilton said. “It’s not a surprise to us. I think we’re playing to our potential now, and that’s got to be sustained.”
Malaki Starks and Marlon Humphrey each intercepted deep passes by McCarthy, whose touchdown throw to Jalen Nailor with 3:19 left cut Baltimore’s lead to one possession but was too little, too late for mistake-prone Minnesota.
The Ravens (4-5) turned three takeaways, including a fumbled kickoff return early in the third quarter by rookie Myles Price, into 13 points to keep their climb back into the AFC North race going after a 1-5 start.
“We still have a lot of work to do, a lot of games left, but we’re enjoying the process of getting better, and I don’t think we’re taking what we’re doing lightly,” linebacker Kyle Van Noy said.
After the acquisition of Alohi Gilman last month allowed defensive coordinator Zach Orr to frequently employ a three-safety scheme and better feature Hamilton’s many talents, the Ravens have been a vastly better unit. After allowing an average of more than 35 points over their first five games, the Ravens have given up less than 15 per game over their last four.
Though they yielded some chunks of pass-interference yardage down the stretch as a byproduct of aggressive coverage, the Ravens held Vikings star Justin Jefferson to four receptions for 37 yards on 12 targets.
After trailing 10-9 at halftime, following their first half without a touchdown in 21 games with Jackson as the starter, the Ravens leaned harder on their rushing attack in the second half to wear down a Vikings defense that fared well with so little help from the offense.
Jackson, whose 73 wins are the fourth-most in league history in a quarterback’s first 100 starts, was 17 of 29 for 176 yards and a fourth-quarter touchdown pass to Mark Andrews. Jackson, who missed three earlier games with a hamstring injury, ran nine times for 36 yards.
“A lot of confidence,” Jackson said, appreciating his defense, “but I’d have even more if we were putting points up on the board like we should.”
The two-time NFL MVP, who took only one sack, was unflappable against the crowd noise and Minnesota’s difficult-to-decipher defensive scheme. When Jackson rolled right after the 2-minute warning on third-and-4 from his 35-yard line and had his pass batted straight up by Andrew Van Ginkel, he quickly jumped to knock the ball down and keep the Vikings from securing what would have been a momentum-shifting interception.
Instead, with no timeouts, McCarthy and the Vikings took over at their 8 after a punt and a holding penalty during the return.
“That’s what won the game for us — the poise under pressure,” said Ravens coach John Harbaugh, who won for the first time in three visits to Minnesota and checked the final box on his 18-year record with at least one victory in every current city in the NFL.
McCarthy’s mistakes
Aaron Jones played through a shoulder injury and had 69 yards from scrimmage, including his first rushing touchdown of the season on Minnesota’s opening possession, but he had only had 12 touches against a Baltimore front that has been consistently vulnerable against the run.
The overaggressive decisions by McCarthy and coach Kevin O’Connell were one forgivable issue, but the Vikings (4-5) were so off-kilter on offense they committed an astounding eight false-start penalties — as the home team. McCarthy took the blame for the pre-snap fouls among many other throws throughout the game.
“I take that data and collect it and use it for the next time,” said McCarthy, who finished 20 of 42 for 248 yards and ran five times for 48 yards.
Lamar’s exclusive list
Jackson trails only Patrick Mahomes (78), Tom Brady (76) and Roger Staubach (76) in wins over a quarterback’s first 100 starts. Only Aaron Rodgers had a better 100-game passer rating.
Injury report
Ravens: Humphrey (finger) was sidelined late with an injury that popped up during the week.
Vikings: OLB Jonathan Greenard (shoulder) was hurt when he landed hard after diving to try to catch Jackson on a scramble during the third quarter. He didn’t return. ... TE Josh Oliver (foot) missed his second straight game. Backup CB Jeff Okudah (concussion) went on injured reserve this week. Safety Theo Jackson (concussion) was out.
Up next
Baltimore plays at Cleveland next Sunday, when Minnesota hosts Chicago.
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