LOS ANGELES – An early deficit proved insurmountable for the Rams (6-5) in a 45-6 Monday Night Football loss to the Ravens (9-2) before a crowd of 72,409 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
The Rams received the opening kickoff and went 3-and-out on their first offensive series. A 20-yard punt return by De'Anthony Thomas set up the Ravens near midfield. Nine plays and 55 yards later, QB Lamar Jackson found WR Marquise Brown from eight yards out for the passing touchdown and an 7-0 Baltimore lead with 7:47 left in the first quarter.
After a second consecutive 3-and-out by the Rams, the Ravens responded with a drive that ended similar to the first. Despite losing starting center Matt Skura to a knee injury during the series, Jackson still found Brown again but from 18 yards out for the touchdown to extend Baltimore's lead to 14. By the end of the first quarter, the Ravens had 121 total yards of offense to the Rams' 17.
A 32-yard field goal by Rams kicker Greg Zuerlein cut Los Angeles' deficit to 11 with 9:45 left in the first half. L.A. reached the Baltimore 7-yard line on the drive, but a false start penalty on 2nd and 5 and a screen play that went for a loss of seven yards forced it to settle for three points.
The Ravens answered with a one-yard touchdown run by RB Mark Ingram for a 21-3 lead with 4:42 left in the first half. The scoring play was set up by a 29-yard Jackson run, which began with him initially dropping the snap, then picking the ball back up and escaping Rams DT Greg Gaines' grasp to reach the Los Angeles 1-yard line.
Goff worked the ball downfield with a 17-yard completion to Woods and a 22-yard completion to Cooks on the ensuing Rams offensive drive. After Cooks' catch, the Ravens received a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty which advanced the Rams to the Baltimore 22-yard line. However, another false start penalty and a blindside sack fumble of Goff – recovered by LG David Edwards – forced L.A. to settle for three points again. Zuerlein's successful 46-yard field goal attempt made it 21-6 Ravens with 1:55 left until halftime.
Jackson threw his third touchdown pass of the half with a 7-yard completion to WR Willie Snead IV, extending Baltimore's lead to 28-6 by halftime. The Ravens scored a touchdown on each of their four possessions across the first two quarters.
Getting the ball at the start of the second half, the Ravens scored their fifth touchdown in as many possessions with a 7-yard pass from Jackson to Ingram to extend their lead to 35-6 with 9:46 left in the third quarter. The Rams offense ran just three plays in the third quarter and still trailed by 29 by the end of the period.
Jackson connected with Snead for a touchdown a second time, also from seven yards out, early in the fourth quarter to push Baltimore's lead to 42-6. It also marked Baltimore's sixth touchdown in as many possessions.
On the ensuing Rams possession, Goff was intercepted by Ravens CB Marcus Peters. When Baltimore's offense took over, backup Robert Griffin III came in to relieve Jackson. Ravens kicker Justin Tucker added a 34-yard field goal at the end of the series to make it 45-6 Baltimore with 6:36 left, in what would end up being the final points of the contest.