In a season filled with abundant sunshine for the Lions over the first six weeks, Week 7’s trip to Baltimore was a thunderstorm of a reality check. The Lions defense appeared to be an umbrella attempting to stop a Category 4 hurricane.
It was 14-0 Ravens before the Lions even reached for the storm shutters. Baltimore just kept raining points and toppling over the house of cards that was the Detroit defense.
At the half, it was 28-0. Baltimore’s defense might’ve been more impressive than the Ravens offense, too. Like lightning, they flashed and thunderously crashed all over everything the Lions offense tried in the first half.
At one point, the FOX broadcast pointed out that the Lions had run seven offensive plays and the Ravens already had seven plays that gained at least 20 yards. It was that bad of a tsunami.
The thrashing Ravens storm of devastation waned after the half, but only a little. There’s only so much low pressure in the air, and the Lions sucked it all in early. A Jahmyr Gibbs touchdown run in the early part of the fourth quarter was a brief pass through the eye of the hurricane. That was the only bright spot in a 38-6 loss for Detroit.
There were myriad reasons why the Ravens rained all over the Lions’ parade. Many of them involve the home team being really good, better than their 3-2 record. Many also involve the Lions coming in flat, unprepared and unable to stop the hailstorm of destruction Baltimore unleashed.
We’ll break down — in due time — how the Ravens blew through the Lions like a haboob through a kindergarten sandbox. Right now, Dan Campbell’s team, not to mention a shocked fan base, is just happy that the storm finally blew itself out with the final whistle.
