steve-smith-nfl-preseason-san-francisco-49ers-baltimore-ravens-850x560

It’s already Week Nine in the NFL.

I swear the pro football season seems to kick into high gear once we get past opening weekend and it never seems to let up until we get an extra chill in the air and the prospect of the playoffs. With that in mind I thought this week would be a good time to evaluate where the Ravens are at this stage of the year and where the second half of the season might take them.

Discuss your thoughts on this topic on our message board.

  • The Ravens are currently (5-3) and even though they blew a chance to take ahold of their division last week by dropping another close game to the Bengals. They are by no means out of the hunt for a return to the post-season. The division is still wide open with every team sporting a winning mark right now. The AFC North could be the league’s strongest division and putting all bias aside the facts speak for themselves. The division has the highest collective winning percentage in the league (.616), has the most wins (18), and is the only division without a losing team (or even one at .500). There’s still plenty of work to be done and they’ll have more opportunties to get a leg up on the competition starting with the hated Steelers in prime-time Sunday night.
  • The remaining schedule isn’t easy but it does appear more navigable than in past seasons. In Week Ten the team returns home to play a struggling Titans team and then gets a much needed rest in Week Eleven to gear up for the stretch run into December. The last six games are split evenly and cleanly alternate between road and home starting with traveling to New Orleans and finishing with the Browns at M & T, which could have important playoff implications.
  • Flacco Watch: The million dollar quarterback still is having his best season to date under the direction of coordinator Gary Kubiak. Flacco’s mechanics appear the cleanest of his pro career and he’s on pace to finish with highs in yardage and touchdowns. (173-249, 2049 yds., 14 TD, 7 INT, 90.6 RTG) He still has his occasional hiccups, and he always will at this point. The improved play of the line and running game have helped put him in a position where the Ravens can win with him under center and perhaps make a post-season run.
  • Justin Forsett. Like most I barely noticed when the Ravens made the move to sign the journeyman in April. It was a depth move, and one that wouldn’t make or break the season. Now it’s hard to imagine where the running game would be without him. Ray Rice suspended and released. Bernard Pierce continuing to fight injuries and underproduction was a healthy scratch last week. Forsett has been there to fill the void. He’s on his way to his first 1,000 yard season of  his career and it’s made fans wonder if the team should re-sign him after his one year deal expires. Rookie Lorenzo Taliaferro has steadily risen up the depth chart and is now the compliment to the shifty Forsett. He found the endzone twice last week and could be the long-term answer if the Ravens choose to let Forsett walk and maybe they add another runner from the next draft. Either way the once dismal ground attack is back and holding steady as 8th best (128.4 yds.) in the league.
  • Steve Smith Sr. The story sounds familiar to Ravens fans. A veteran offensive player who wants to prove the doubters that he can still produce at a high level is signed and makes an impact in Baltimore. The fiesty Smith has been a big part of why the Ravens pass attack is in the top half of the league. He leads the team in targets (68), receiving yards (675) and is tied for touchdowns (4). The big question for me is can the 35-year old Smith keep healthy the rest of the way. The Other Smith, Torrey seems headed in the opposite direction. He has only 18 receptions and just hasn’t been on the same page as his quarterback. Is Torrey simply a “one trick” pony or do you feel that the Ravens are misusing him? Either way he isn’t producing and it’s hard to imagine that he’ll be back in Baltimore next year.
  • The team has relied heavily on Owen Daniels since Dennis Pitta went down with another season ending injury. Daniels has caught 27 passes for 275 yards and three touchdowns and has been a red-zone threat. His recent knee cleanup surgery has been downplayed by the coaching staff but he’s another player whose durability should be questioned moving forward.
  • The defensive front seven has put in solid work for Baltimore during the first half of 2014. Brandon Williams has stepped in and helped transform Baltimore into one of the best run stopping units around. His run stop percentage currently ranks sixth for defensive tackles, per PFF. He also takes on double teams and allows linebackers to make plays. Rookie C.J. Mosley has been one of the benficiaries and leads the team in tackles (76) and shown himself to be a quick study and to have a nose for the football. Pernell McPhee also has seemingly settled into his own, creating mismatches and sack opportunites from the inside and outside.
  • Haloti Ngata is also back to creating problems for the opposition. He’s only the second NFL defensive lineman (other than J.J. Watt) with a sack, interception and forced fumble in the first eight weeks of the season. So far he’s been healthy and productive but can he finish just as strong? Elvis Dumervil has seven sacks. He’s doing just what you hoped he would at this point and even though Terrell Suggs only has 3.5 of his own he’s been steady against the run and in providing pressure.
  • The secondary has been the biggest weak spot on the team thus far. Even with Jimmy Smith’s (now out for “several” weeks) Pro Bowl level play the team continues to struggle defending the pass. Injuries haven’t help as Lardarius Webb finally looks healthy but Asa Jackson most likely will miss the  rest of the season. That’s forced the team to get creative in using a variety of Safeties to play on the back end with mixed results. Former first-rounder Matt Elam is probably the most disappointing as he is tied for the NFL lead in missed tackles (12) by Defensive Backs. Five of those were last week in Cincinnati in a forgettable performance. My hope is that Will Hill’s reps will increase until he hopefully takes over a starter role to provide some stability from the back line.
  • Justin Tucker continues his ascent as one of the top kickers in the league. He has converted 10 of his 11 last field-goal tries, and his only miss was a 64-yarder that got blocked. He is 18-of-21 (85.7 percent) on the season and the Ravens continue to have faith in him to hit long tries. He has six attempts of 50 yds. or more this season. You’d think anytime he’s in range Coach Harbaugh would want to take those points since they’re automatic at this point.
Matt Jergensen
Matt Jergensen

Matt has lived in Maryland his entire life and is a graduate of Calvert Hall and Towson University. has always been an avid Baltimore sports fan. Since 2007, he has been writing and talking about Baltimore sports, especially the Ravens. His work has appeared on Ravens Gab, Russell Street Report, and he currently co-hosts a podcast “The Blitz- A Ravens podcast” with Brent Harris.

X