The Ravens make no apologies for their style.
Primarily because it keeps working.
The Ravens continued to grind away at opponents by running the ball and playing defense, beating the Buccaneers 20-12.
The win improves the Ravens to 8-6, and keeps them atop the heap for the AFC Wild Card. Of course, that assumes they don’t catch the Steelers (7-5-1 heading into this afternoon’s game against the Patriots).
Gus Edwards ran 19 times for 104 yards and a touchdown, quarterback Lamar Jackson added 95 yards on 18 carries — and oh by the way added 131 passing yards and a touchdown.
They also held the Buccaneers to 241 yards, as they continue to play to their reputation on that side of the ball.
The Ravens close with games at the Chargers and at home against the Browns, which is a difficult way to finish the season. But they’ve gotten to this point in the season with a chance at the division title after (or because of) changing quarterbacks, which is all you can ask for in mid-December.
The Bucs (5-9), on the other hand, are guaranteed a second straight losing season (and seventh in the last eight years), and creates uncertainty about the future of plenty of people. That list begins with coach Dirk Koetter but hardly stops there, as the Bucs have serious questions about the direction of the franchise.