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Ronnie Stanley’s season is over.
As of publishing this, there hasn’t been a definitive diagnosis released about the All-Pro’s left ankle injury other than “serious”, as he was carted off the field. His ankle was in an air cast as he was carted off, which to me means broken. Coach John Harbaugh confirmed that his season is over. He’s still worth every dollar of the $98.75 million extension he just received, and we’ll welcome him back in 2021. They will 100% need him.
In a matter of seven games you lost a first ballot hall of famer in Marshal Yanda when he retired and now an All-Pro left tackle. The line looks like they can’t handle a pass rush, meaning the offense better get creative, or revert to just a power run game. Win games with your defense and owning teams in time of possession. Kind of like last year.
Feel like the Ravens were getting too cute at times. Unfortunate injury. But this may force them to get back to simple ground and pound, rather than getting Jackson killed.
Sloppy, messy, nearly unwatchable game.
This game might go down as an instant classic given how close the contest was. But this was not a good football game. If it wasn’t the Ravens I wouldn’t have made it through two quarters of it.
Too many mistakes by Lamar Jackson. One a pick-6, another interception set up Pittsburgh for an easy score. A fumble inside the Steelers 10-yard-line took sure points off the board. The go-to play in the Steelers playbook was overthrow the receiver by 10 yards but draw pass interference.
On both sides you had Injuries, a slippery ball in the first half. There was an ejection of Matt Judon. There was zero flow to the game as stoppages occurred left and right. Some games were ending when this matchup had about 10 minutes to go yet.
You have to play well enough to ensure that the officials don’t decide the game. But it sure looked like the officials decided this game before the opening kickoff. Some really bad calls give the Steelers extra chances. Erased a Jackson touchdown run. Don’t give the Ravens extra time, or yards, when Casey Heyward lies on the field injured when the Ravens are in the hurry up.
Ravens beat themselves. But they were also playing against two teams today. One in black and yellow, the other in black and white.
Steelers improve to 7-0, Ravens are two games back and don’t have the tie breaking advantage. Act two of this matchup comes Thanksgiving night.
Has Mark Ingram lost his role as the first option at running back?
Ingram was doubtful all week with an ankle injury and was inactive. Gus Edwards and J.K. Dobbins carried the load against the league’s top rushing defense to the tune of exactly 200 yards on 31 carries combined. Including Jackson, they rushed 47 times for 265 yards. I mentioned how I think the Ravens need to get back to a power football style since they can’t pass block right now. They aren’t a fineness zone blocking team.
Gus Edwards power style is more fitting right now, and J.K. Dobbins combination of speed to gain the edge and turn the corner, and strength to break tackles, is just waiting to get enough carries game in and game out to be the Ravens next lightning rod. Dobbin picked up his first 100-yard game (113) averaging 7.5 yards per carry in the process.
I think Gus and J.K. need to see the lions share, and fresh legs Ingram when healthy can come in and salt games away.
Is Matt Judon playing himself out of Baltimore?
He was ejected, questionably today. Pittsburgh games are heated, and in a scrum, he was try to free himself from being restrained by teammates and a referee in the way, inadvertently got tagged. Judon doesn’t have the coolest head. He’s good for a few real dumb roughing the passer/late hit penalties a year.
In his place Jaylon Ferguson looked pretty good today. But ultimately there is a reason they traded for Yannick Ngakoue over the bye week. There is some healthy competition and guys will be pushing each other for playing time. Judon can’t help his case for an extension from the Ravens if he isn’t on the field enough. Ngakoue is also a free agent at seasons end and is three years younger than Judon.
Look ahead at the Colts in Week 9
One of the places the Ravens have never won is on the road in Indianapolis. Granted, for years a lot of that was attributed to a guy named Peyton Manning.
Like the Ravens, the Colts are 5-2 after a convincing road win at the Lions, 41-21. The league seems full of haves, have nots, and none in between. Also like the Ravens, their five wins are against not the greatest of teams.
Phillip Rivers is still getting it done and has a long history against the Ravens. Sometimes they have his number. Sometimes he has theirs. There isn’t a playmaker in the Colts offensive group to key in on, but Rivers does an excellent job of spreading the ball around to a number of different capable guys. In today’s win over the Lions he targeted 11 different receivers. Including Nyheim Hines, a boom or bust pass catching running back, who turned two of his three catches into touchdowns today. If the Ravens defense has a weakness, it’s slowing down pass catching running backs. We saw that the last two times they played Chiefs, and Andy Reid’s offense piled up big yards on screens and swing passes.
Have to start stacking wins to get back in the division race. Losing here is another team the Ravens could potentially lose a tie breaker to come January and seeding time. Assuming they are in the playoff race still.
Ravens Analyst
Mike was born on the Eastern Shore, raised in Finksburg, and currently resides in Parkville. In 2009, Mike graduated from the Broadcasting Institute of Maryland. Mike became a Baltimore City Fire Fighter in late 2010. Mike has appeared as a guest on Q1370, and FOX45. Now a Sr. Ravens Analyst for BSL, he can be reached at mike.randall@baltimoresportsandlife.com.