The Ravens’ stint as the greatest show on turf was a short one.

A week after scoring on each of their first four possessions and Lamar Jackson throwing four touchdown passes and running for another against the Detroit Lions, Baltimore’s offense hit a drought against the Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Still, it did just enough, finding the end zone four times, and then doing what it does best: relying on its defense.

The Ravens (6-2) stopped Arizona on fourth down twice, intercepted Josh Dobbs twice, and held the quarterback to 208 yards passing en route to a rocky 31-24 win over the Cardinals (1-7). The victory keeps Baltimore atop the AFC North on a day the Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers lost and the Cincinnati Bengals won to each move to 4-3.

Leading the way defensively for Baltimore was tackle Michael Pierce, who bullied his way through the Cardinals’ line, racking up four tackles, including one for a loss, knocking down a fourth-and-1 pass and forcing a fumble on a strip sack.

Geno Stone also had his NFL-leading fifth interception of the season, picking off Dobbs on the Cardinals’ 24-yard line late in the third quarter. Stone’s NFL-leading five interceptions tie him with Hall of Famer Ed Reed (2007) for the most by a Ravens player in the team’s first eight games of a season in team history, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

But it was the play of Pierce that helped set the tone for the NFL’s best defense.

The Ravens came into Sunday having given up a league-low 13.9 points per game and having allowed the second-fewest yards per game. Yet, the Cardinals still at times managed to move the ball — until they couldn’t.

After Dobbs scored on a 1-yard sneak to cap a 12-play, 75-yard drive on the opening series of the game — one that was aided by a Kyle Hamilton illegal contact penalty that negated a Justin Madubuike sack on third down and a 23-yard Marlon Humphrey pass interference penalty — Baltimore, and Pierce, bore down.

On the Cardinals’ second possession and facing a fourth-and-1 from the Ravens’ 44, Pierce knocked down a pass intended for former Raven Marquise “Hollywood” Brown. On their next drive and facing another fourth-and-1, this time from the Ravens’ 36, the 6-foot, 355-pound seventh-year veteran stuffed Emari Demercado on a handoff up the middle.

Dobbs was 8 of 12 for 55 yards in the first half.

The Cardinals finished with 310 total yards; the Ravens had 268.

Still, it was enough.

On the Ravens’ first possession, they also drove 75 yards for a touchdown — and likewise got help with wide receiver Odell Beckham drawing a pass interference penalty for a 19-yard gain down to the Cardinals’ 8. Two plays later, Jackson, who was 6 of 7 for 64 yards on the series, hit tight end Mark Andrews for a 5-yard touchdown pass over the middle in the back of the end zone. It was his 40th career score, moving him to within one of Todd Heap’s franchise record for a tight end.

The Ravens then took advantage of a Brandon Stephens second-quarter interception (his second of the year) at the Cardinals’ 47 with just under two minutes left and drove 43 yards in six plays with Gus Edwards plowing in from a yard out.

Edwards (19 carries, 80 yards) then found the end zone again on a 7-yard scamper following Stone’s interception, and Justin Tucker later added a 48-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter.

Dobbs finally found the end zone through the air, connecting with tight end Trey McBride from 17 yards out midway through the fourth, then added a 2-point conversion run.

But Edwards put the game out of reach with his third touchdown of the game — another 1-yard run — with 2:51 to go.

Dobbs connected with Brown for a 1-yard score with 1:14 remaining but the 2-point try failed. Matt Prater’s successful onside kick gave Arizona another shot down 10, and Prater connected on a 47-yard field goal with 26 seconds left but the Cardinals failed to recover another onside kick, with Nelson Agholor cradling it and the Ravens running out the clock.

This story will be updated.

Week 9

Seahawks at Ravens

Sunday, 1 p.m.

TV: CBS

Radio: 97.9 FM, 101.5 FM, 1090 AM

Line: Ravens by 4 1/2

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Despite the Ravens scoring 38 points and racking up more than 500 yards of offense in their 38-6 win over the Detroit Lions on Sunday, Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback and NFL analyst Kurt Warner saw a lot of room for improvement.

“Although they threw for a bunch of yards, it’s still not smooth and connected,” Warner said on his YouTube show. “It’s kind of clunky right now.”

Offensive coordinator Todd Monken didn’t necessarily disagree.

“There were certain things we did that were really outstanding that you look at and say, ‘Wow, we can build on it.’ And there’s other things that can get glossed over because you won, and you look at it and go, ‘That has to be a lot better, or we can’t be who want,’” Monken said Thursday. “There were some elite things that we did, and there were some things for sure we have to clean up and not just counting on that [No.] 8 is going to run around and make a play, right? He is going to do that. That is what he does, but that’s not my job. Our job is to be elite and getting guys in the right spots, calling it, being aggressive, getting the guys in the right spots and letting our talent shine.”

Warner said that spacing among the receivers was “not great” and that players weren’t always where they were supposed to be.

He also suggested the timing of some plays being off, and that quarterback Lamar Jackson was able to put up so many yards because of his ability to “work through the issues and make plays.”

One of those was a short pass to Gus Edwards that turned into an 80-yard gain. The play was originally designed as a naked bootleg to the left, Monken said, but Jackson instead rolled right, seeing an edge rusher free on the left side of the line. Edwards had the option to block or release on the play and chose the latter.

Another was the Ravens’ third play of the game, a 46-yard completion to Zay Flowers over the middle. However, Warner noted that tight end Mark Andrews and Edwards were too close to one another on their respective routes, essentially allowing one defender to cover both of them. That resulted in Jackson having to go to his fourth option, Flowers.

Later in the first quarter, on a 16-yard completion to receiver Rashod Bateman on a back side hook, Warner again pointed out the lack of space between Andrews and Edwards, forcing Jackson to go to his fifth read on the play.

“I don’t disagree with some of the things [Warner was] saying,” Monken said. “I think in terms of making sure that we’re on point, in terms of your spacing, in terms of everybody being on the same page, but do I think that’s any different than most weeks? No. You can break down anybody and say, ‘Hey, I think that was maybe taking the other side of the narrative.’ Because there was so much one side, so you go to the other side of the narrative a little bit. I don’t think either side’s wrong.”

Yet even though Monken was given a game ball following the victory, said there was some frustration over things they should have done better.

“It’s consistency in terms of route depths here and out of the huddle, if we’re changing a play,” he said Thursday. “There’s just, over time — and this is no different than any game — there’s a missed assignment here, getting lined up here, how we’re doing it here, so we’re hearing it out of the huddle, getting lined up, [and] our spacing’s right. So again, so we don’t count on some ad-lib, not an ad-lib, just Lamar making a play and making up for it.

“Those are things that he has a unique ability to do, but when you really take off is you shrink those other things.”

Still, there were plenty of things that went right in what was easily the Ravens’ biggest offensive output of the season.

The preparation for it stemmed from what Monken and several players called the best practices of the season last week. There was also the performance of the offensive line, which didn’t give up a sack and gave Jackson plenty of time to throw.

Then there is the dynamic playmaking of Jackson, always a threat to run and capable of eluding defenders long enough for receivers to work their way open.

“It makes defensive backs have to cover you two times, basically,” Flowers said.

“You have to practice that all the time because when you have an electric quarterback like we do we understand it’s important to give him a target,” said Nelson Agholor, who was the recipient of a touchdown pass from Jackson after the quarterback spent more than 9 seconds scrambling before finding the receiver in the back of the end zone.

Now the only question is whether they will keep it going this week against the 1-6 Cardinals, or if they will take a step back playing against a lesser opponent.

For now, though, it’s going in the right direction, Jackson said, and Monken was pleased with the end result.

“That’s the way it should look,” Monken said. “I don’t think you ever anticipate scoring touchdowns on your first four drives. But that’s what you’re paid to do. You’re paid to put a product out there, maximize your players’ potential and we did that. It feels good, and it feels like crap when it doesn’t.

“We’re just getting started. We really are. We just have to build from here.”

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Ravens fans could breathe a sigh of relief Thursday with inside linebacker and leading tackler Roquan Smith back at practice in Owings Mills after he missed Wednesday’s session with a shoulder injury.

Though Smith didn’t elaborate on the extent of the injury, he said he plans to play Sunday in Arizona against the Cardinals (1-6).

“As long as the sun rises on Sunday and the NFL don’t cancel any games, you’ll see me out there,” said Smith, a 26-year-old two-time All-Pro who leads the Ravens with 71 tackles and has started 57 games in a row. “I feel amazing. I did some good work preparing for the Cardinals.”

The same could be said for most of the Ravens (5-2), with only safety Marcus Williams (hamstring) not practicing for a second straight day.

Wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. (shoulder) and outside linebacker Odafe Oweh (ankle) were added to the injury report, however, and were limited. Beckham has missed two games with an ankle injury amid a slow start to the season, while Oweh returned last week from an ankle injury suffered in Week 2.

Rookie running back Keaton Mitchell (hamstring) was also limited after not practicing Wednesday. Cornerback Kevon Seymour (ankle) was a full participant after being limited Wednesday.

For the Cardinals, defensive end Kevin Strong (shoulder), guard Elijah Wilkinson (neck) and linebacker Krys Barnes (hamstring) did not practice for a second straight day, while cornerback Antonio Hamilton (groin), safety Jalen Thompson (hamstring) and wide receiver Zach Pascal (neck) were limited.

Quarterback Kyler Murray, meanwhile, did not have an injury designation, though he is expected to be out at least a couple more weeks as he works his way back from a torn ACL suffered in December. Right tackle Kelvin Beachum (hand) was also a full participant.

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GREEN BAY, Wis. — It appears that rookie quarterback Jaren Hall is going to be the guy for the Vikings moving forward. He made his NFL debut on Sunday afternoon at Lambeau Field after starting quarterback Kirk Cousins suffered a significant injury.

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Jaren Hall answers questions during a press conference after an NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers, Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023, in Green Bay, Wis. The Vikings won 24-10. (AP Photo/Matt Ludtke)

In relief, Hall finished 3 of 4 passing for 23 yards, which included a completion to tight end T.J. Hockenson that helped the Vikings put the finishing touches on a 24-10 victory over the Green Bay Packers.

“We needed him in the last bit there,” Hockenson said. “He stepped up. He was clear in the huddle. We have all the trust in the world in Jaren.”

If the Vikings are indeed without Cousins, who is feared to have torn his Achilles’ tendon, Hall is expected to be the starter in the short term.

“Whatever happens next week, I’ll be prepared,” Hall said. “That’s not up to me. I trust our coaches, and they’re going to do what’s best for this team. I’ve just got to do right by my  team and make sure I’m prepared.”

As soon as Cousins went down with 9 minutes, 50 seconds left, Hall immediately started taking snaps with center Garrett Bradbury on the Vikings’ sideline. Not long after that, Hall trotted onto the field for his first NFL snap.

“We were just kind of on our way,” Hall said. “I didn’t have a lot of time to think about it. Just kind of let the preparation and time before that kick in. Just tried to soak it all in one play at a time.”

Picked up in the fifth round of the 2023 draft, Hall was supposed to learn the ropes behind Cousins and veteran backup Nick Mullens. At least, that was the Vikings’ original plan.

Now he’s stepping into the spotlight with Cousins going down and Mullens on injured reserve with a back injury. Asked how prepared he feels to take over for the Vikings moving forward, Hall replied, “Very.” He then credited the coaching staff with helping him be ready for this moment.

“I pride myself on preparation,” Hall said. “I feel like I’m more than capable and ready to do whatever is asked of me.”

Talking to reporters postgame, head coach Kevin O’Connell praised Hall for his performance.

“It’s not easy to come in cold — legitimately cold — and get a couple of completions there,” O’Connell said. “The third-down completion to T.J. was big in the landscape of time and forcing them to use their timeouts. Every single offensive player told me (Hall) was very, very good with his communication, snap counts and cadence. I thought Jaren was incredibly cool, calm and collected.”

There’s a chance that the Vikings could turn to Mullens when he is activated from injured reserve. He certainly has more experience in the NFL.

“We have kind of been allowing Nick to rehab, and he has done a  really nice job with getting stronger,” O’Connell said. “I imagine he will be a real possibility for us.”

As of right now, O’Connell isn’t ready to commit to his starting quarterback for next week, which isn’t surprising considering he’s still coming to grips with the fact that he has lost Cousins.

“We will definitely talk about the best thing moving forward,” O’Connell said. “It is going to take our entire football team to rally around Kirk.”

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