Roquan Smith leading defensive charge, Baltimore wins fifth straight
Former Georgia linebacker and Butkus Award recipient Roquan Smith is back in familiar territory, leading his team and winning football games.
Smith had 11 tackles to lead Baltimore to a 23-10 win over the New York Jets as his Ravens won their fifth-straight game to move into a tie at 6-5 with Pittsburgh atop the AFC North Division.
“It’s a combination of us coming together, collectively,” said Smith, who was a standout at Macon County High School in Montezuma before signing to play with the Bulldogs. “Defensively, we know where each other is going to be, game in and game out.
“It’s guys playing together and putting it on the line for each other.”
The Ravens opened the season 1-5, with quarterback Lamar Jackson missing three games with a hamstring injury.
Baltimore offensive coordinator Todd Monken, who helped Georgia win two national titles in the 2021 and 2022 seasons as Kirby Smart’s offensive coordinator, is doing all he can to help Jackson, who did not appear at full speed.
Smith said the Baltimore defense has confidence in the offense and is just focused on doing its part.
“We can’t focus on what the offense is doing …, “ Smith said. “At the end of the day, if the team doesn’t score, a team can’t win…. one touchdown is normally not going to win a game, so it’s being consistent play in and play out.”
Former Georgia All-American and Baltimore rookie Malaki Starks had four tackles for the Ravens.
Starks, once a standout for Jefferson High School, continued an impressive season that’s seen him grab two interceptions for a team that has forced nine turnovers over the past five games.
The Ravens play host to Cincinnati, which features former Georgia offensive linemen Amarius Mims and Dylan Fairchild starting on the Bengals’ offensive line, at 8:20 p.m. on Thursday.
“Truth be told, I haven’t had a Thanksgiving with family since I was 17 years old, so when you think about it like that, that’s all I really know, football on Thanksgiving,” Smith said. “So it will be pretty sweet, looking forward to it. We’ll be home, so protect our home by any means necessary.”
• Former Georgia center and New England Patriots starting offensive guard Jared Wilson suffered a high ankle sprain and will be “week to week,” according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Wilson was New England’s 95th overall pick in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
The Patriots improved to 10-2 by beating Cincinnati, 26-20.
• George Pickens stayed red-hot for Dallas with nine catches for 146 yards and a touchdown as the Cowboys beat the Eagles 24-21.
Philadelphia, with half of Georgia’s 2021 CFP Championship defense making plays, was led by Jordan Davis’ six tackles, five tackles each from Jalen Carter and Nakobe Dean, three tackles from Nolan Smith, two tackles from Smael Mondon Jr. and Kelee Ringo had a tackle as a defensive back.
• John FitzPatrick had one catch for 11 yards for Green Bay in its 23-6 win over Minnesota, while Devonte Wyatt was harassing the Vikings with three tackles and two sacks. Javon Bullard also had a tackle for the Packers, while rookie Ty Ingram-Dawkins recorded a tackle for Minnesota.
• Kamari Lassiter proved pivotal for the Houston defense with five tackles and two TFLs as the Texans dug in to beat Buffalo, 23-19, and improve to 6-5.
James Cook led the Bills’ offense with 17 carries for 116 yards and a touchdown, also catching three passes for 13 yards.
Nick Chubb had six carries for 16 yards for Houston.
• Brock Bowers had six catches for 55 yards for Las Vegas, but it wasn’t enough to get the Raiders in the win column, as they lost to Cleveland 24-10.
Eric Stokes had two tackles for Las Vegas, which fell to 2-9 and will travel to play Ladd McConkey and the Los Angeles Chargers at 4:25 p.m. on Sunday.
• Matthew Stafford continued his assault on the NFL records books, matching Tom Brady with a string of 27 touchdown passes since his last interception by tossing three in the Rams’ 34-7 win over Tampa Bay.
Stafford, the leading candidate to win NFL MVP honors, was 25-of-35 passing for 273 yards.
Tykee Smith had six tackles and a TFL for the Buccaneers.
• D’Andre Swift had eight carries for 15 yards and a reception for 14 yards as Chicago extended its win streak to four games with a 31-28 triumph over Pittsburgh.
Darnell Washington had two catches for 22 yards for the Steelers.
• Jalon Walker had a tackle in Atlanta’s 24-10 win on the road against New Orleans.
About the Author
Mike is in his eighth season covering SEC and Georgia athletics for AJC-DawgNation and has 30 years of collegiate sports multimedia experience, 25 of them in the SEC including beat writer stops at Auburn, Alabama, Tennessee and now Georgia. Mike was named the National FWAA Beat Writer of the Year in January, 2018.
