Andrew Buller-Russ
On paper, the Detroit Lions vs Baltimore Ravens game on Sunday Night Football presented a potential Super Bowl preview. That’s not usually the prediction for a pair of teams entering the week with a 1-1 record, but with both reaching 12 or more wins a season ago, these teams have sky-high expectations in 2025.
Of course, there could be only one true winner in the Lions’ 38-30 win over the Ravens on Sunday night, but what contributed to the outcome? Below we grade the performances of Ravens coaches, quarterbacks Jared Goff and Lamar Jackson, plus more.
Lions Coaching: A
You can take Ben Johnson off the Lions, but you can’t take trick plays away from Dan Campbell. One of the Lions’ best plays came from a Goff handoff to Amon-Ra St. Brown, who then flipped it to Jahmyr Gibbs for the rushing touchdown, scoring before any Ravens defenders could even get a finger on him.
The @Lions executed this play perfectly pic.twitter.com/fXLdoR6NtU
— NFL (@NFL) September 23, 2025
We already know he’s going for it on every 4th-and-short scenario. The Lions executed 3-of-3 of those on Sunday night, including a 4-yard touchdown run on 4th-and-1 to take a 28-21 lead in the final frame. Goff also connected with Amon-Ra St. Brown for a 20-yard strike on 4th-and-2 when there was just 1:56 left in the game. The Lions could have easily tried to chew up the clock, but the element of surprise may have helped seal the deal.
Ravens Coaching: C+
The Ravens have the two-time MVP, but they didn’t look like the better team against the Lions. Part of that involved putting players in the right position to make plays. Having players prepared for any situation that arises, such as defending trick plays.
Other times, it’s helping them be hypersensitive to avoiding fumbles like Derrick Henry had late in the game. Overall, the Ravens were outgained 426 to 318 yards. The Lions won the time of possession battle, 33 minutes to 26 by the Ravens, and lost the turnover battle after Henry’s blunder.
Lions Defense: B+
The Browns may have provided the blueprint after holding the Ravens to just 45 rushing yards in Week 2. But the Lions executed the game plan to perfection too, limiting the Ravens’ powerful and quick rushing attack to just 85 rushing yards on Sunday.
They did allow Jackson to pass for 288 yards, but when you add in the fact that the Lions incredibly sacked the Ravens’ QB seven times, the overall effort is quite impressive. Only two other teams had sacked Jackson seven times in his NFL career. Add in Aidan Hutchinson’s forced fumble on Henry in the fourth to help momentum swing further in Detroit’s favor, and it’s not hard to see what propelled this victory.
Ravens Defense: D
A week after holding the Browns to just 17 points on 322 yards, this time the Ravens’ defense thought it would be smart to allow the Lions to do whatever they wanted. Detroit averaged 6.5 yards per play (7.2 per pass, 5.9 per rush), giving them easy opportunities to keep the chains moving.
When it was all said and done, the Lions racked up 426 yards without forcing any turnovers. They also only forced eight completions from Goff, without getting in his face for any sacks. The Ravens’ needed some difference-makers on defense, but they didn’t show up to work for this one.
Related: NFL Defense Rankings 2025: Evaluating all 32 Defenses
Jared Goff: B+
Like usual, Goff didn’t do anything flashy. What he did do well was operate efficiently, completing 20-of-28 passes for 202 yards and a touchdown. When the Lions needed him most, Goff delivered in a big way. It happened in the fourth quarter with the Lions looking to seal the victory, lining up on 4th-and-2, when Goff found St. Brown for a surprise 20-yard gain instead. The Lions scored a touchdown a play later and never looked back.
Related: 2025 NFL QB Rankings: Week 4 Edition
Lamar Jackson: B
What more could you want from the two-time MVP? He was mostly good, completing 21-of-27 passes for 288 yards and three touchdowns. Jackson didn’t do as much with his legs, but he still chipped in another 35 yards as a rusher.
However, those yards don’t even come close to the damage Jackson did while taking seven sacks, losing a whopping 55 yards in the process. We get that he has the athleticism to run around and escape nearly anyone, but losing 55 yards is not acceptable, no matter how furious the pass-rush is.
Related: NFL Power Rankings
