Ravens: Random Thoughts Post Week 1

The Baltimore Ravens kicked off the 2022 NFL season with an AFC road win, which featured steady rain, some sloppy play, a few highlights and, ugh, a couple more injuries. Putting the details aside for a moment and taking a view from above, the important takeaway from Week 1 is that the Ravens took care of business against an inferior opponent, despite still being without several key players. The big difference between now and where the Ravens stood late last season is that those afore mentioned key players are practicing and the arrow for all of them seems to be pointing up.

With that said, here’s a few observations in the wake of the opening day victory:

• During the off season, there was a lot of social media banter between Ravens fans and Bengals fans; much of which focused on who was the better kicker, Justin Tucker or Evan McPherson. Yesterday, we saw the Bengals have a blocked extra point cost them a victory in regulation and then miss a would-be game winning chip shot in overtime. Granted, the Bengals long snapper did suffer an injury, which did impact their entire operation. We in Baltimore know how important the entire process is to Justin Tucker’s success. For years, long snapper Morgan Cox, punter Sam Koch and Tucker dubbed themselves “The Wolfpack” and if there was any special teams trio that deserved a nickname, it was those three.

The Ravens moved on from Cox last year and Sam Koch retired this past off season but credit to the organization for continuing to focus on their special teams and appearing to not miss a beat thus far. Nick Moore stepped in as long snapper last year and Tucker went 35 for 37, was perfect beyond 50 yards, including the dramatic 66 yard game winner in Detroit. This year, rookie Jordan Stout has taken over the punting duties and has fit in seamlessly. He averaged over 48 yards on his 6 punts yesterday, dropping 3 inside the 20 and holding without issue for 3 extra points and 1 field goal. Bottom line, seeing Greg Zuerlein miss a field goal and extra point for the Jets, then seeing Randy Bullock miss a 47 yard game winner in Tennessee, along with Cincinnati’s kicking struggles just makes you appreciate the Ravens entire operation that much more. When comes to kicking in the NFL, there’s Justin Tucker and no one else is close.

• The offense improved as the game wore on (honestly, could it have gotten any worse?). The spark was with 4:35 to go in the 2^nd quarter; the play action/ deep shot to DeMarcus Robinson, which resulted in a pass interference penalty. Three plays later, Jackson hit Devin Duvernay for the first touchdown of the season. Duvernay would add a second touchdown and fellow wideout, Rashod Bateman got into the action with 55 yard touchdown grab. For as beautiful as those throws from Jackson were, he did not have a stellar day throwing the football, particularly early on. Whether it’s rust from lack of reps in the pre-season or just a focus issue, Lamar’s mechanics were inconsistent yesterday. Too often, Jackson dropped his elbow and slung that sidearm pass, which can often result in off target throws. Having the ability to change his arm angle and deliver the football can be a nice thing to have in the hopper but it cannot be something that Jackson relies on regularly. Hopefully, we what saw yesterday was just a product of Jackon’s first NFL action in 9 months. Fortunately for Jackson and the Ravens, they were able to overcome the slow start because of an inferior opponent.

• Kudos to new defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald and his side of the ball for an overall solid Week 1 showing. The defensive front harassed Jets quarterback Joe Flacco throughout the day, hitting him 12 times and sacking him 3 times. The performance of the defensive line allowed Patrick Queen to roam free and pursue the football. As a result, Queen had 8 total tackles and a half a sack. Even better than his stat line, Queen played every defensive snap, which is a huge step in his development. There’s been a lot of criticism levied at Queen over the last couple of years, which has been warranted at times. However, it’s important to remember that Queen is only 23 years old and he’s flashed his ability enough for me to still be encouraged about him long term.  

On the back end of the defense, Macdonald used safeties Chuck Clark and Marcus Williams for all 84 snaps and they each generated a turnover; something that was sorely lacking from the defense in 2021. Fellow safety Kyle Hamilton saw 42 snaps on and contributed 6 total tackles. To have 3 quality safeties and be able to deploy them in various roles and different personnel packages could prove very tough for opposing offenses this season. Clark being dropped down into the box as a hybrid linebacker in some formations is one of the interesting wrinkles that Macdonald can throw out there. Once Marcus Peters gets back into game shape and returns to the field, this is a potentially dominant secondary.

• Nick Boyle being a healthy scratch in favor of Josh Oliver was a bit perplexing. All summer, Boyle has been stacking good days and seemed primed to return to the lineup. He did miss Thursday’s practice but the team called it a “rest day”. Boyle practiced on Friday and was not on the injury report prior to Sunday’s game. We can only speculate as to why Boyle did not dress on Sunday. Perhaps the Ravens are using an overabundance of caution with their returning players and did not want them on the wet field in New York? Either way, given the struggles with the running game, the offense could certainly use a blocker of Nick Boyle’s caliber. We’ll see how this plays out in the coming weeks.

All in all, it’s tough to complain about an in conference road win in bad weather on opening day. There is certainly room for improvement; particularly with regards to the running game and offensive line play. The good news is that help is on the way with Ronnie Stanley and JK Dobbins hopefully close to getting on the field and Gus Edwards not too far behind them. Meanwhile, the loss of Ju’Wan James to another Achilles tear will test the depth of the offensive line and makes the return of a healthy Stanley that much more important. On the defensive side of the ball, it was a very Raven like effort and very encouraging, with the exception of Kyle Fuller’s injury. We have to wait for the results of his MRI to see what impact there will be to perhaps the deepest position group on the team. As the Ravens prepare for the home opener, all eyes will be fixed on upcoming practices and the injury report as we await the much anticipated returns of several stars.