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          NFL Nation

          Call them contenders: After rolling Seattle, Lamar Jackson and Ravens look like an elite team

          • Jamison Hensley, ESPN Staff WriterOct 20, 2019, 11:42 PM
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              Jamison Hensley is a reporter covering the Baltimore Ravens for ESPN. Jamison joined ESPN in 2011, covering the AFC North before focusing exclusively on the Ravens beginning in 2013. Jamison won the National Sports Media Association Maryland Sportswriter of the Year award in 2018, and he authored a book titled: Flying High: Stories of the Baltimore Ravens. He was the Ravens beat writer for the Baltimore Sun from 2000-2011.
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          SEATTLE -- Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens came into one of the most hostile environments in the NFL and refused to flinch.

          On the strength of Jackson's legs and a couple of defensive touchdowns, the Ravens upset the Seahawks and MVP favorite Russell Wilson 30-16 at a rainy CenturyLink Field on Sunday.

          Outplaying Wilson on his home turf, Jackson became the first quarterback in the Super Bowl era to produce 100 yards rushing and a rushing touchdown in back-to-back games, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. Running for 116 yards, Jackson put Baltimore ahead for good by scoring on an 8-yard touchdown on fourth down late in the third quarter.

          How impressive was this victory? The Seahawks (5-2) had the second-best home record in the NFL since 2012 (46-13 before Sunday), and Wilson had previously lost only once at home to an AFC team.

          The Ravens (5-2) entered Sunday atop the AFC North, but there were questions about where they stood in the NFL. The four teams Baltimore previously beat -- the Miami Dolphins, Arizona Cardinals, Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals -- are a combined 5-20-1.

          No one can question anymore whether Baltimore ranks among the top teams in the NFL. The Ravens improved to 6-2 for the seventh time in team history, and Baltimore advanced to the playoffs in all six of those previous times (including winning two Super Bowls).

          Baltimore gets an opportunity to make an even bigger statement in two weeks. After this week's bye, the Ravens play host to the unbeaten defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots at home in a prime-time game.

          Describe the game in two words: Sweet revenge. Safety Earl Thomas III returned to Seattle and got the last word in beating his former team. He shouted over at the Seahawks sideline a couple of times during the game in the direction of coach Pete Carroll.

          Promising trend: Marcus Peters' playmaking. In his second quarter with team, Peters returned Russell Wilson's first interception of the season 67 yards for a touchdown. This is why Baltimore traded a fifth-round pick and linebacker Kenny Young to the Rams on Tuesday. It marked Peters' sixth defensive touchdown of his career, which leads the NFL since he entered the league in 2015. Marlon Humphrey added an 18-yard fumble return for a score. After not scoring a defensive touchdown all season, Baltimore's defense reached the end zone twice.

          Pivotal play: John Harbaugh's gutsy call in the second half. With 1:24 left in third quarter, Harbaugh called a timeout to take his field goal team off the field and send the offense back. With the game tied at 13, the Ravens faced fourth-and-2 at the Seahawks' 8-yard line. Jackson took the snap, followed the lead blocks of Patrick Ricard and Hayden Hurst and scored Baltimore's only offensive touchdown of the game. The Ravens never relinquished the lead.