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          NFL Nation

          Ravens karate-kick any doubts they can win without MVP game from Lamar

          • Jamison Hensley, ESPN Staff WriterSep 21, 2020, 04:00 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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          If anyone needed a reminder that the Baltimore Ravens are more than a one-man show, consider that Lamar Jackson wasn't lined up behind center at a moment coach John Harbaugh called the turning point of Sunday's 33-16 victory at the Houston Texans.

          With the Ravens leading 23-13 in the fourth quarter and lining Jackson out wide left, running back Mark Ingram took the direct snap and ran 30 yards for the game-sealing touchdown.

          Ingram, a first-degree black belt growing up, then did a roundhouse kick at the Texans logo, which is draped along the wall in the back of the end zone.

          "I didn’t connect it, but it was still sweet," Ingram said with a laugh.

          Ingram didn't land the kick, but he and the Ravens did connect on this point: Baltimore can win without an MVP-level game from Jackson.

          This marked the first time in nine games that Jackson didn't record multiple touchdowns. The Ravens still beat a playoff team by 17 points.

          Baltimore won its 13th straight regular-season game with an aggressive defense and a gritty wear-down-the-defense running game.

          "We're just trying to win," Harbaugh said. "We're trying to figure out every way we can to win and whatever tools are at your disposal."

          Defensively, the Ravens forced two turnovers and scored as many touchdowns as they allowed. Linebacker L.J. Fort's 22-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown staked Baltimore to a 20-7 lead in the second quarter.

          This was the first time the Texans had been held under 20 points in a regular-season game since the last time they played the Ravens (Week 11 of last season).

          "We got a lot of dogs that love to play football, love to hunt," defensive end Calais Campbell said. "It's fun to be part of it."

          Baltimore's ground game of Ingram, Gus Edwards and J.K. Dobbins finished off the Texans. The Ravens ran for the most fourth-quarter rushing yards since the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2017, producing 153 yards on 19 carries in the quarter, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

          Baltimore, which set the NFL's single-season rushing record last season, wore down Houston. The Ravens averaged 6.2 yards per rush before first contact in the fourth quarter after averaging 2.7 yards before contact the first three quarters.

          "Our backs are just explosive. That's why we got them here," said Jackson, who finished 18-of-24 passing for 204 yards and one touchdown. "They just did their job, and that's what we needed today to have success, besides the defense doing their job."

          Now Baltimore gets ready for next Monday night's game against the defending Super Bowl champions.

          How soon does the focus turn to the Kansas City Chiefs?

          "Immediately," Ingram said. "We’re gonna get on the plane, and I think everybody has their iPads and we’re gonna study our film. They’re defending champs, and we know we’re gonna have to put our best foot forward in order to get a W."

          Or, as everyone saw on Sunday, a good roundhouse kick will certainly do.