Whether it’s the fantasy football mentality or simply the amount of analysis there is these days, often times a win is never quite good enough for fans. Criticisms come in all shapes and sizes, not enough passing yards, not enough throws to wide receivers, didn’t beat team X by enough, etc. It seems that there are times when the ultimate goal, winning the game, gets lost in the shuffle. What the Ravens had in front of them on Sunday afternoon was quite simple; win the game and get one step closer to making the post season.
(You can discuss this on the BSL Board here.)
What transpired on Sunday was indeed a product over substance over style. The offense made a definitive statement on the opening drive; 13 plays, 82 yards, ending in a touchdown and all while holding the ball for over 8 minutes. After a Giants’ 3 and out, the offense produced another touchdown drive; this time it was 10 plays, 65 yards and took a pinch more than 5 minutes off the clock. From that point on, there was a feeling of relaxation. The Ravens had established the pace of the game and imposed their will. Albeit, there were no highlight reel plays, nothing you’re going to see on the SportsCenter Top 10. The lone mistake was a botched handoff at the goal line but fortunately for the Ravens, it occurred at a place and time that it would not hurt them. All in all, what you did see was a good football team that has found its offensive identity, take care of business against an inferior opponent.
The defense had a solid performance in general, especially considering 2 of their top 3 cornerbacks were down again. The Ravens got Daniel Jones to the ground 6 times and hit him on several other occasions. They held the Giants to 13 points, with their lone touchdown coming on penalty yardage fueled drive, early in the 4th quarter. The Justice Hill, roughing the kicker call that jump started that touchdown drive has been discussed by my podcast colleague, Mike Randall (if you haven’t already check it out here). In general, you obviously don’t want to see penalties but sometimes they happen in the heat of battle. With that said, when you commit 4 penalties on 1 drive (a 12 men on the field penalty was declined), 2 of which resulted in 1st downs, you do have to be a bit concerned.
Overall, Baltimore has been the 5th most penalized team in the league with 98 total penalties, 49 of which have been called on the defense for a total of 557 yards. There are things that should be easy to clean up but have been consistently problematic, specifically offsides. The biggest offender has been Matt Judon, who has been flagged for offsides on 6 times. The hope is that this issue of penalties does not hop up and bite them in a critical moment.
Ravens fans were left with an unsettling feeling late Saturday night when the Raiders somehow managed to gift wrap that game for the Dolphins. Those feelings evaporated on Sunday afternoon when Baltimore got the help they needed. However, I think many fans needed a hot shower to wash off the feeling of rooting for Roethlisberger and company for 3 and a half hours.
All in all, I look at the Week 16 win as a business like effort, where the desired results were achieved. There were hiccups along the way and there wasn’t a whole lot of sizzle but in a situation where a win was all that mattered, I subscribe to the old saying, don’t let perfect be the enemy of good.
All That Remains
The last hurdle to cross is in Cincinnati next Sunday afternoon. For as unlikely as this all seemed a little over a month again when the Ravens sat at 6-5 and were racked by injuries, inconsistent play, a COVID outbreak and an identity crisis, the objective is now clear. No more scoreboard watching, no more scenarios, no more percentages, the goal is straightforward, win the game and punch your ticket for the post season.
Considered nothing more than a rebuilding team, playing out the string after losing their potential franchise quarterback to injury, the Bengals look like they have a pulse in the waning weeks of the 2020 season. Two weeks ago, they knocked off then 1 loss Steelers on Monday Night Football and then followed that up with a shootout win over the Texans on Sunday afternoon. In their Week 16 win, the Bengals piled up 540 yards; fueled by Brandon Allen’s 371 yard, 2 TD performance.
The Bengals would like nothing more than to close out the 2020 season by playing spoiler. Ravens’ fans remember being on the wrong end of that; the 4th down pass to Tyler Boyd in week 17 of the 2017 season still haunts the fan base. The venue is different, the franchises are the same but alas, the teams are different. The Ravens have overcome too much, clawed and scratched too hard to allow a post season berth to slip away in Cincinnati next Sunday.
The matchups are very much in the Ravens’ favor, particularly in regards to the team’s strong suit, running the football. Cincinnati is in the bottom third of the league in rush defense, allowing 130.9 yards per game and should be ripe for the picking. On the other hand, offensively, the Bengals are 29th in yards per game (328.1) and 28th in points per game (20.5).
With those general trends in mind, the upcoming game absolutely plays to the Ravens’ strengths. The mindset should be simple; on offense, continue to utilize the rushing attack as the central focus of the attack. Utilize play action to attack a defense that’s likely selling out to stop the run. Defensively, continue getting after the quarterback and being disruptive in general along the line of scrimmage. Maintain focus and try at all costs to avoid drive extending penalties. Most importantly, take of care of the football. The worst thing a team can do when facing a clearly overmatched opponent is turn the football over and allow said overmatched opponent to have hope.
All that remains is elementary, win and you’re in.
Jamie has been a Baltimore sports fan since he can remember. He grew up in Gwynn Oak and currently resides in Hampstead with his wife and 2 kids. He graduated from UMBC with a Bachelor of Arts in History. He’s currently employed at Verizon Communications in Hunt Valley.