In maybe their ultimate assembly with Tom Brady, Ravens depart ‘happy we got the best of him’

On Thursday evening, in what may need been their ultimate recreation in opposition to Tom Brady, the Ravens and the legendary quarterback exchanged parting presents.

The first time Brady dropped again to cross, his overthrown cross to Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight finish Cade Otton hit Marlon Humphrey within the arms. The Ravens cornerback flubbed it. Later, cornerback Marcus Peters dropped a would-be red-zone interception. Safety Chuck Clark quickly adopted.

The generosity went each methods, although. The Ravens sacked Brady thrice of their 27-22 win, tying a season excessive for the 45-year-old, and hit him six occasions. Outside linebacker Justin Houston’s second-quarter sack — his second straight takedown — was the 555th of Brady’s profession, breaking longtime Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s NFL file.

“It’s not surprising because I’m pretty sure he’s the oldest quarterback and played the longest out of everybody,” Houston stated of Brady, who was drafted in 2000, earlier than Ravens rookies Kyle Hamilton and Isaiah Likely had been even born. “I think anytime you can put that under your belt against Tom Brady, I think that’s a plus, so I’ll take it.”

Even as Brady pushes forward in his unlikely soccer life — he stated lately on his SiriusXM podcast that there’s “no immediate retirement in my future” — Ravens gamers acknowledged that Thursday’s recreation might’ve been their ultimate assembly. Quarterback Lamar Jackson, who’s held up Brady as a paragon of athletic excellence all through his profession, exchanged reward with Brady on the sector after the win.

“Appreciate it. The GOAT,” Jackson informed Brady, a seven-time Super Bowl champion broadly considered the NFL’s best of all time.

Brady, a recurring tormentor of Ravens defenses over his 20 seasons with the New England Patriots, was not his Hall of Fame self for a lot of Thursday’s loss. He completed 26-for-44 for 325 yards and a landing, however he skipped passes to receivers and missed open end-zone throws. According to the NFL’s Next Gen Stats modeling, his completion proportion (59.1%) was 7 factors decrease than anticipated (66.1%).

“I think it was great coverage down the field,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh stated. “I thought we were mixing up coverage, making him hold the ball, and I think we had some pressure up front the times he did hold the ball. So I think anytime you can pressure him and make him hold the ball, that’s the biggest thing. Tom, he’s a coach on the field, so he sees everything before it even happens. So anytime you can adjust and make him think just a little bit, that’s what you want.”

The Ravens made a messy week even worse for Brady. After the loss, he stated the offense struggled “pretty much at everything. We just struggled in the red area, struggled on third down, struggled in the run game, 2-point plays, short yardage, when backed up, at the start of the first quarter, start of the third quarter — not very good offensive football.” On Friday, Brady introduced that he and spouse Gisele Bundchen had finalized their divorce after 13 years of marriage.

In handing Brady his first three-game shedding streak in 20 years, the Ravens made a promising connection to their final Super Bowl run. In 2012, Brady’s Patriots twice misplaced to the Ravens, who’d by no means crushed him two occasions in a row — and wouldn’t once more till Thursday. (In 2019, their final assembly, the Ravens beat the Brady-led Patriots in Baltimore.)

The future wasn’t on Humphrey’s thoughts when he approached Brady after Thursday’s recreation, although. He referred to as it an “honor” to share the sector, possibly one final time.

“That was special to me,” he stated. “A guy that’s done so much for this league, so many championships, so much dedication — you hear all these stories about him, and it’s honestly really cool to just be on the field with somebody that’s great. It’s really cool to get a win against him. Maybe we’ll see him down the road. I guess [the] Super Bowl would be the only time. But if that was the last time, if this is his last year, I’m happy we got the best of him.”

Week 9

Ravens at Saints

Monday, Nov. 7, 8:15 p.m.

TV: ESPN

Radio: 97.9 FM, 101.5 FM, 1090 AM

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