Lamar Jackson throws for 281 yards, 5 TDs to lead streaking Ravens to 41-31 victory over Buccaneers

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Lamar Jackson, who may be playing the best football of his career, made it look easy.

The two-time MVP threw for 281 yards and five touchdowns Monday night, helping the Baltimore Ravens overcome an early double-digit deficit and extend their winning streak to five games with a 41-31 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who lost their top two receivers to injuries.

“Trying to win. That’s all that’s on my mind,” Jackson said after the AFC North co-leaders scored on seven of nine possessions before removing him from the game with just under two minutes left.

“I’m proud of him. I’m happy for him. He’s a great leader, a great player.” coach John Harbaugh added. ”He’s the ultimate competitor on a level with the greatest competitors I’ve ever seen.”

Jackson improved improved to 23-1 against NFC teams, the best mark by a quarterback against an opposing conference in NFL history. He's 3-0 against the Bucs (4-3), who faded after taking a 10-0 lead with help from the 100th TD reception of Mike Evans' career.

Evans departed with a hamstring injury after Baker Mayfield tried to connect with him in the end zone again, and late in the fourth quarter with the game out of reach, leading Bucs receiver Chris Godwin was carted off the field with a left ankle injury. ESPN declined to show replays of Godwin's injury, which appeared to be severe.

“Early indication is that it's dislocated. Doesn't look good,” said Bucs coach Todd Bowles, who defended the decision to still have Godwin on the field in the closing minutes.

“He's a player. We'e trying to win the ballgame. We were still down 10, we're trying to get extra points and kick another onside kick. It just happened,” Bowles added. “With Mike (Evans) going down, we didn't have that many receivers left as it was, so we play what we got.”

Jackson completed 17 of 22 passes without an interception, including TD throws of 9 and 4 yards to Mark Andrews. He also tossed scoring passes of 49 yards to Rashod Bateman, 18 yards to Justice Hill and 11 yards to Derrick Henry, who rushed for 169 yards on 15 carries. Bateman had four catches for 121 yards.

The Ravens (5-2) rebounded from a slow start on defense, with cornerback Marlon Humphrey turning the game around with a pair of second-quarter interceptions — one of them in the Baltimore end zone. Jackson led a four-play, 80-yard TD drive after the first pick, and the second interception set up Justin Tucker's 28-yard field goal for a 17-10 halftime lead.

“It doesn’t matter when, where or what. He’s the ultimate competitor,” Andrews said of Jackson. "It’s just play after play after play of him making big-time plays and helping this team win games. He does it better than anybody in the league. He lays it all out on the line every game. He’s the best. He’s the MVP.”

Mayfield finished 31 of 45 passing for 370 yards, three TDs and two interceptions. Evans joined Hall of Famers Jerry Rice, Randy Moss, Marvin Harrison and Terrell Owens as the only players to have at least 100 TD receptions in the first 11 seasons of a career when he caught a 25-yard scoring pass in the first quarter.

Evans, who missed two days of practice last week with what the Bucs described as a nagging hamstring issue, appeared to aggravate the injury on the scoring reception. Mayfield nearly connected with him in the end zone again in the second quarter, but this time the ball glanced off Evans’ hands as he and Ravens cornerback Brandon Stephens went to the ground.

Evans remained on the turf for several minutes before being helped to his feet and limping to the locker room. He did not return.

The Bucs played at home for the first time since Hurricane Milton made landfall on Florida's Gulf Coast, causing extensive damage in the Tampa Bay area and along the path it took across the state. The Bucs relocated ahead of the storm to New Orleans, where they practiced for four days before trouncing the Saints 51-7 last week.

The Ravens lead the the NFL with 1,476 rushing yards this season and have run for at least 150 in every game. With 243 on the ground Monday night, they became the fourth team since 1980 to begin a season with at least 1,400 yards in their first seven games. The others are the 1984 Chicago Bears (1,508), 2006 Atlanta Falcons (1,476) and 2019 Ravens (1,429).

Henry's touchdown catch midway through the fourth quarter made it 41-18. The Bucs scored twice in the closing minutes, including after a successful onside kick, the second time the Ravens have failed to recover an opponent's onside kick this season.

Those late scores gave the Bucs a glimmer of hope that was quickly extinguished when Godwin was hurt while being tackled by Roquan Smith on a 21-yard catch with about a minute left.

Ravens: Humphrey (knee) departed after colliding with a teammate while making his second interception and did not return.

Buccaneers: Evans' TD catch was his only reception. ... Safety Tykee Smith (concussion) left in the second quarter and did not return.

Ravens: At AFC North rival Cleveland next Sunday.

Buccaneers: Host Atlanta Falcons in a battle for first place in the NFC South on Sunday.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is pressured by Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Joe Tryon-Shoyinka (9) during the first half of an NFL football game, Monday, Oct. 21, 2024, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Jason Behnken)

Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Rashod Bateman (7) celebrates with running back Derrick Henry (22) after Henry's passing touchdown during the second half of an NFL football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Monday, Oct. 21, 2024, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin (14) is carted off of the field after an injury during the second half of an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens, Monday, Oct. 21, 2024, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin (14) interacts with his teammates while being carted off of the field after an injury during the second half of an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens, Monday, Oct. 21, 2024, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) looks to throw during the second half of an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens, Monday, Oct. 21, 2024, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans (13) reacts to an injury during the first half of an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens, Monday, Oct. 21, 2024, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans (13) is helped off the field after an injury during the first half of an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens, Monday, Oct. 21, 2024, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Jason Behnken)

Baltimore Ravens cornerback Brandon Stephens (21) breaks up a pass intended for Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans (13) during the first half of an NFL football game, Monday, Oct. 21, 2024, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry (22) runs the ball against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the second half of an NFL football game, Monday, Oct. 21, 2024, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) runs past Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Bryce Hall (34) during the first half of an NFL football game, Monday, Oct. 21, 2024, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Rashod Bateman (7) and quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) celebrate after Bateman's touchdown during the second half of an NFL football game, Monday, Oct. 21, 2024, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) is pressured by Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Joe Tryon-Shoyinka (9) during the first half of an NFL football game, Monday, Oct. 21, 2024, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Jason Behnken)

TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares outside of China declined in cautious trading Tuesday ahead of earnings reports both in the region and overseas, after Wall Street’s long, record-breaking rally ran out of steam.

Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 dove 1.1% to 38,496.44. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 dropped 1.6% to 8,213.00, while South Korea's Kospi slipped nearly 1.0% to 2,579.56.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng added 0.5% to 20,576.07 while the Shanghai Composite rose 0.5% to 3,285.49 following a cut to interest rates that took effect on Monday.

On Wall Street, the S&P 500 slipped 0.2% to 5,853.98, coming off a sixth straight winning week, its longest such streak of the year. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 0.8% from its own record that was likewise set on Friday, to 42,931.60. The Nasdaq composite rose 0.3% to 18,540.00.

Real-estate stocks fell to the sharpest loss among the 11 sectors that make up the S&P 500 index, while homebuilders Lennar and D.R. Horton both fell at least 4.3%. Home Depot’s 2.1% drop was one of the heaviest weights on the S&P 500.

The declines mean at least a pause in Wall Street’s rally to records, which was built in large part on optimism that the U.S. economy can make a perfect escape from the worst inflation in generations, one that ends without a painful recession that many investors had worried could be inevitable.

With the Federal Reserve now cutting interest rates to keep the economy humming, optimists hope stocks can rise even further. But critics are warning stock prices look too expensive given they’ve climbed much faster than corporate profits.

That puts pressure on companies to deliver growth in profits to justify their stock prices, and more than 100 companies in the S&P 500 are scheduled to give details this week about their performances during the summer. That includes such heavyweights as AT&T, Coca-Cola, IBM, General Motors and Tesla.

Tesla slipped 0.8% ahead of its report. Its stock has been shaky recently, including a tumble after an update on its highly anticipated robotaxi included fewer details than investors were hoping for.

Boeing is reporting its latest results on Wednesday. It rose 3.1% after reaching an agreement with the union representing its striking machinists on a contract proposal. The union’s members could vote Wednesday on the deal, which could end a costly walkout that has crippled production of airplanes for more than a month.

Trump Media & Technology Group rose 5.8% to top $31, continuing its strong run since it briefly dipped below $12 last month. The company behind former President Donald Trump’s Truth Social platform is still losing money, but its stock often moves more with his perceived chances of reelection than anything else.

Markets appear to be rotating towards a possible Trump win, according to Michael Wilson and other strategists at Morgan Stanley. They point to how stocks of financial companies have helped to lead the market this month, and consumer companies that could be hurt by tariffs are lagging. Bond yields are also rising, along with some precious metals prices and cryptocurrencies.

In the bond market, the yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.19% from 4.08% late Friday.

The Bank of Canada will also announce its latest decision on interest rates Wednesday, where it could cut by half a percentage point.

In energy trading, benchmark U.S. crude lost 21 cents to $70.35 a barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, fell 18 cents to $74.11 a barrel.

In currency trading, the U.S. dollar rose to 150.96 Japanese yen from 150.69 yen. The euro was unchanged at $1.0819.

AP Business Writer Stan Choe contributed.

FILE - People pass the New York Stock Exchange, at rear, in New York's Financial District on Oct. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter Morgan, File)

A person stands in front of an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

A police officer rides a bicycle in front of an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

A person walks in front of an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)