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BALTIMORE — The Seahawks talked all week of their trip to Baltimore serving as a good gauge of where they stand among the NFL’s elites as the season hits the halfway point.
The answer they got here Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium was not the one they wanted as the Ravens handed Seattle one of the worst beatdowns in team history, 37-3.
It was the worst defeat for the Seahawks since a 42-7 home defeat to the Rams late in the 2017 season and tied for the second-worst loss of the Pete Carroll era.
It could have been worse as the game ended with the Ravens taking a knee inside the Seattle 10-yard-line.
And there was nothing fluky about it as every stat well illustrated the physical dominance that the Ravens displayed from the first snap to the last.
A Ravens team that came into the game with a defense allowing the fewest points in the NFL and the third-best running attack in the league proved up to its billing and then some.
The Ravens rushed for 298 yards against a Seattle run defense that came in allowing just 96.8 per game and held the Seahawks to just 29 yards rushing while outgaining Seattle 515-151 overall.
Fifty of Seattle’s yards to that point came on one play, a 50-yard pass from Geno Smith to DK Metcalf that set up their only score of the first three quarters, a 33-yard field goal by Jason Myers.
A few other numbers to indicate Baltimore’s dominance?
— Baltimore had 29 first downs to Seattle’s six;
— The Ravens averaged 6.9 yards per play to Seattle’s 3.2;
— And the Ravens held the ball for 40:04 to Seattle’s 19:56.
The loss dropped Seattle’s record to 5-3 and means they technically fall out of first place in the NFC West. The 49ers, who had their bye, are also 5-3 but at the moment hold a tiebreaking edge due to a better record against division opponents.
That tie will obviously be more truly settled when the Seahawks and 49ers play twice in the span of three weeks later this season.
But if the Seahawks may be right there with the surprisingly struggling 49ers in the standings, Sunday showed they have a long way to go to really be considered among the power teams in the NFL as the Seahawks were manhandled on both sides of the ball from the first play to the last.
Baltimore’s domination at the line of scrimmage made it hard to really assess what was another spotty outing from quarterback Geno Smith.
Smith had two more turnovers to bring his total to eight in the last four games — an interception and a lost fumble, each in the first half — and was 13-of-28 for 157 yards.
The interception came on what appeared to be miscommunication with Tyler Lockett as Smith’s pass floated over Lockett’s head and to Baltimore’s Geno Stone.
The interception was his sixth in the last four games and Smith showed his frustration, hopping off the field to the sideline in apparent anger, and then throwing down a water bottle after he’d talked to coaches briefly.
Smith also lost a fumble later in the first half.
And he narrowly avoided another turnover late in the third quarter when Baltimore’s Kyle Hamilton almost had another interception that might have been a pick six had he controlled it.
It was the fourth straight game Seattle had multiple turnovers, the first time that happened since the 2013 season.
The Seahawks actually forced the Ravens to punt the first two times they had the ball.
But Seattle couldn’t move it, either — a Jaxon Smith-Njigba dropped pass on a third down killing the first possession of the game.
The Ravens scored on seven of their next nine drives — four touchdowns (three on the ground) and three field goals — the other two stopped only by fumbles.
The second of those two was a relative gift from Baltimore receiver Odell Bechkam Jr., who lost the ball while holding it with one hand late in the first half, giving Seattle the ball at the Ravens’ 43.
At that point the score was 14-3, and it seemed as if the Seahawks could maybe get back in the game before the half.
Instead, Smith was sacked twice for losses of 11 and 10, respectively, losing a fumble on the second one, which led to a Ravens field goal before the half and a 17-3 lead.
But the Ravens outgained Seattle 151-12 in the third quarter, getting two field goals and a touchdown on three drives to take a 30-3 lead and turn the game into a rout.
Seattle will now have a long flight home to lick its wounds and prepare for a home game next Sunday against the Washington Commanders.
But the Seahawks had better win that one as after that, Seattle will play four of its next six on the road, with the only two home games in that span against the 7-1 Eagles and the 49ers.
This story will be updated.
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