Ravens Fast Five: Getting The Job Done, Even When Not At Your Best

Complete teams find a way

The Ravens are a complete team. Last week we worried about the run defense after Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt racked up over 6.0 YPC. But Lamar Jackson elevated the offensive passing game. This week they held the Texans to 3.0 YPC, and a long carry of 9 yards on the day. Lamar Jackson was pretty pedestrian. 18/24 through the air for 204 yards yards, a TD, and four sacks. but the defense came up with some plays, and the Ravens running game iced it to bring the Ravens to 2-0.

The Ravens piled up yards in big chunks on the ground. Gus Edwards led the team with 73 yards on 10 carries with a long of 22. J.K. Dobbins had a game high 44-yard carry on fresh legs but only got two touches. Lamar Jackson had a 14-yard carry and Mark Ingram put “the hay in the barn” as Gerry Sandusky would say, with a 30-yard tote on 4^th and 1 for a touchdown.

37 rushes vs. 28 drop backs for Lamar Jackson. 16 rushes for 54 yards is 3.4 YPC. No splash plays for the MVP. This is the NFL after all, and the Texans are a decent team. It’s a testament to the Ravens as a team that they were able to play a pretty boring game and win handily. As a team they didn’t need the MVP to carry them, but they got it done. The defense came up with big plays, rushers grinded out yards on the ground late in the game when the Houston defense knew you were running it. They didn’t have a game that blew you away with the eye test…and still scored 33 points. L.J. Fort with a defensive score helps, and Justin Tucker, money on four of four field goals.

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Ravens didn’t peek ahead to KC

Part of me was worried coming into this game that the Ravens might overlook the Texans with the Chiefs looming in Week 3. I mean, let’s not kid ourselves. After the media reviews Sunday’s games and previews Monday night, the Ravens/Chiefs Week 3 matchup in prime time is going to be the talk of the football universe for the next seven days. The last two MVPs squaring off. The previous Super Bowl champ going against their toughest test to challenge them for the #1 seed. It might very well be the highest rated Monday Night Football game in the era where Monday Night isn’t the premier game anymore.

Offensive line play has me nervous

Ronnie Stanley returned, thank goodness. But man, Lamar Jackson seemed like he was running for his life today. He took four sacks, but something tells me if a “mobile” quarterback wasn’t back there today, it would have been closer to eight.  The big runs by the backs make it look like a great game for the O-line as they open up the holes. Take away each ball carriers best run though, and the team rushed 33 times for 3.6 YPC.

Orlando Brown Jr. looked like he had his hands full with J.J. Watt. Who doesn’t, but still? This was a unit that made Nick Bosa and Aaron Donald non-factors in their matchups last year. Marshal Yanda leaves big shoes to fill for sure. But often this team goes the way the O-line goes. They have made it work for two games. But it’s a glaring weakness right now.

Take a minute and appreciate Marcus Peters

His interception of Deshaun Watson. It left me speechless. You know the old cliché that wide receivers that can’t catch become defensive backs. Marcus Peters has led the NFL in INTs since his debut in the league, and he just showed off again why that is.

It’s just an INT in the box score, but the guy came from off the television screen to make a diving catch on an otherwise a perfectly thrown ball by Watson. He laid out like Mark Belanger going for a line drive up the middle out there.

The pick occurring at the Ravens 35 yard-line kept the Texans from entering scoring range late in the first half. Baltimore ended up punting four plays later and Houston did convert a field goal to end the half. Making it 20-10. But 20-14 was possibility had that drive continued, and maybe things play out differently. There is more where that came from and the Rams are going to regret letting this guy get away.  Can’t wait to rewatch the game and see how often the Texans top receiver, Will Fuller, was going against Peters, because Fuller was not targeted a single time in this game.

Look ahead at the Chiefs on Monday Night

Are you worried that the Chiefs got tested? I don’t have an extensive cable package with Red Zone or Sunday ticket or anything. As we watched the Ravens take care of business in Houston, couldn’t help but notice on the ticker throughout the game the L.A. Chargers handling their business against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. At one-point Mahomes was 1/5 passing. L.A. turned to rookie QB Justin Herbert who ended up passing for over 300 yards. At the end of the fourth quarter, the Chargers had held KC to 22 minutes of possession. It’s the best way to keep your team in a game against elite talent. Keep the elite talent off the field for as long as you can. Chargers had a late lead, and it took a tying, then three attempts at a game winning field goal from 53, penalty pushing it to 58, and a timeout making Harrison Butker try from 58 yards again, for the Chiefs to finish off the comeback in overtime.

In my opinion, KC trailing for most of the game, and winning a grind it out type of game is the worst thing that could happen for the Ravens. The Chiefs got their wake-up call if you will, without dropping a game in the standings. Maybe they were overlooking the Chargers as I suggested the Ravens could have overlooked Houston.

Not only do the Chiefs end up winning the game, but losing the game, and with a head to head matchup coming up, would have given the Ravens a chance to put the Chiefs three games back in playoff standings. Consider if the Ravens win next week, they go to 3-0, while KC would end up 1-2, and not own the head to head tie breaker. Instead both teams come in 2-0, and the winner on Monday night takes essentially a two-game lead in playoff standings. Much can happen over the 14 weeks to follow, but the way both teams didn’t bring their “A” game and still managed to win, makes me think that like last year, these are the two teams to beat come January.

Fully expect at this point for Jackson/Mahomes to be every bit what Manning/Brady was for well over a decade. Another chapter, coming up.