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The Detroit Lions and Baltimore Ravens had an epic showdown on ‘Monday Night Football.’ The high-scoring affair was a real treat for viewers, featuring one of the most electric games of the early 2025 NFL season.

Heading into the matchup, the Lions and Ravens were among the top teams in the league, and once the game started, it felt like a heavyweight matchup. In 2023, it was a one-sided affair between the teams, with quarterback Lamar Jackson dominating with his passing and running abilities to shut down the Lions. Monday, Detroit got its revenge.

Detroit’s defense makes life difficult for Lamar Jackson

The Lions’ defensive front was wreaking havoc all night on Jackson, sacking him seven times throughout the contest. Jack Campbell, Derrick Barnes, Aidan Hutchinson, and Trevor Nowaske all registered a sack. Al-Quadin Muhammad had 2.5 sacks, and Alex Anzalone added half a sack for the Lions.

Detroit’s defense put up five pressures on Jackson in the first half alone, and notched its first first-half sack of the season on Campbell’s sack fumble in the second quarter. Throughout the entire contest, Detroit had a whopping 30 total pressures.

That’s not to say Lamar wasn’t effective, though. The two-time MVP finished his day going 21-for-27 with 288 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions and a fumble. He added seven carries for 35 yards on the ground.

It was ultimately Detroit’s defense that limited the explosive plays in the most pivotal moments. Heading into the season, there were concerns about how the unit would perform outside of Aidan Hutchinson and veteran D.J. Reader.

After Detroit lost its defensive coordinator, Aaron Glenn, they emphatically let the league know that its defense is more than capable of shutting down some of the most high-powered offenses in the league. The Lions’ Cinderella run in 2024 was no fluke, as they look like one of the best teams in the league after the victory over the Ravens.

Derrick Henry is human and might be showing his age

The Ravens’ loss doesn’t rest solely on the shoulders of running back Derrick Henry, but there’s been an unfortunate trend that can’t be ignored. Henry has been turning the ball over at an unprecedented clip compared to his previous output. It wasn’t all bad for Henry, who found the end zone on the team’s first drive with a 28-yard score. In the early stages, it looked like Henry was going to be a problem for Detroit.

The superstar running back has fumbled three times on 43 carries this season, including yet another fourth-quarter fumble in the loss to the Detroit Lions. Henry had a critical fumble against the Buffalo Bills in the team’s season-opener, and it’s becoming a real issue. After the fumble against the Lions, Henry slammed his helmet down on the sideline, clearly frustrated over his performance of late.

Henry opened up to the media after the game about his recent struggles in the running game.

“It’s just crazy,” Henry said. “Three fumbles straight. I’m trying every day to fix the problem that just keeps occurring. I’m my worst critic, so I’m not going to try to beat myself up too much. But it’s hard not to when it’s consecutive and consistent [instances] of me doing the same thing.”

The inevitable Hall of Famer was limited to only 50 rushing yards on Monday night, a testament to Detroit’s defense in shutting down the talented back. In total, between Jackson and Henry, Baltimore was only able to get 85 yards on the ground while averaging 4.5 yards per carry for one touchdown.

The Lions’ run game and a gutsy fourth-down call sealed the game

The talk of the town will be how successful the Lions were running the ball against the Ravens. Ahead of the contest, Baltimore ruled out defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike and linebacker Kyle Van Noy, something that the Lions focused on exploiting throughout the matchup.

The two-headed monster in David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs, with a few runs from Goff, saw Detroit amass 224 yards on the ground with four touchdowns. While Gibbs had 22 carries for 67 yards and two touchdowns, Montgomery was playing on an entirely different level. The talented running back averaged over 12 yards per carry and finished his day with 12 carries for 151 yards and two touchdowns.

As NFL.com reported, Montgomery gained +108 yards over expected, which is +39 more than any other player this season.

Detroit put the game away on a fourth-and-two with under two minutes left in the contest. Goff faked a handoff to Montgomery and had the best throw of the night with a dot to Amon-Ra St. Brown to seal the game for Detroit. The talented pass catcher finished his day with seven receptions for 77 yards and a touchdown.

The Lions were able to walk away with a statement win that cements them as one of the NFC’s early frontrunners, while the Ravens are left searching for answers after yet another costly late-game turnover. Both teams look like playoff contenders, but the game showed just how thin the margin for error is when two of the league’s best match up.

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