“You get low, like a valley.
You get high, high like a bird in the sky”
The words of The Black Keys hit, “Lo/Hi” really stuck with me the week after the Ravens dropped a game they most certainly had multiple chances to win against Indianapolis last Sunday.
I’ll admit I was feeling great about the team heading home to play the Colts. The Ravens had just defeated the Bengals, a team many feel are not only the class of the division but also the conference. It was also an emotional victory that helped heal the wounds of last season’s playoff failure. So, I was definitely feeling “Hi” and ignored any possibility of a potential letdown against a team, at least on paper that they should be able to beat.
I should know better.
This was a game where the offense started quickly, much like they did in Cincinnati but after a costly fumble by newly re-signed Kenyan Drake derailed another potential scoring drive the momentum flipped in the Second Quarter and the Ravens found themselves in a dogfight the rest of the afternoon. It was a error filled game with poor player execution, bad coaching, and some offensive officiating. It all added up to an improbable 22-19 loss the Colts in overtime.
It’s a week to week league as we’ve heard so many times before, so which will it be for Baltimore as they travel to Cleveland this week.
Lo or Hi?
1) Injured Reserve – It’s become an all too familiar sight the past few seasons begging fans to ask, “Why?” Why are there so many injuries? We all know that it’s a contact sport and that it’s part of the game but is it really more than just bad luck? I don’t really know the answer here but there’s no doubt that it impacts your ability to win games. You might be able to overcome missing key players in one game but it becomes even more difficult if they miss multiple weeks.
Baltimore were out seven projected starters last weekend. Beckham Jr., Stanley, Linderbaum, Williams, and Humphrey were most notable, but it didn’t stop there as David Ojabo and Gus Edwards both left the contest at different points leaving more backups to attempt to fill the void. Injuries are expected in such a high collision sport but it’s getting to be almost comical how long the injury report is. What isn’t nearly so funny is the drop off in talent level when you resort to giving your substitutes more snaps than usual. The offensive line did a fantastic job against the Bengals but this week it was a different story as a high snap by Sam Mustipher and difficulty containing the Indy’s blitz were just two of the game’s lowlights. On the defensive side edge players have become a rare commodity as both Odafe Oweh and Ojabo missed time and the team was forced to play practice squad players crucial minutes.
No one is going to cry for Baltimore or use it as an excuse, but it would make things easier if the projected starters on both sides of the ball were able to play.
2) Enter the Dawg Pound – The Ravens travel to Cleveland for a crucial early season matchup between division co-leaders. Baltimore’s own Jim Schwartz has the Browns defense holding the opposition in check as they rank 1st in the league in Total Defense (163.7 yds per game) and in Points allowed (10.7). Myles Garrett is a true superstar and Todd Monken will need to have a plan for trying to limit the perennial Pro Bowler.
Meanwhile the Ravens defense is currently ranked 10th overall led by Roquan Smith and Patrick Queen and even though the secondary is filled with no names they are currently the 2nd best pass defense in the league while facing the 3rd most pass attempts.
So which defense will be able to impose their will this weekend? For me that is the key to this game. DeShaun Watson is coming off his best game as a Brown but he’s been notoriously inconsistent since he returned after suspension while Lamar Jackson needs better ball security (4 Fumbles) and needs to string together consecutive positive passing performances.
3) Who to Watch? – Kyle Hamilton was an absolute beast last Sunday. He registered 3 sacks in as many attempts coming from the slot and it will be interesting to see if it becomes a trend moving forward to use the second year pro in this role. It’s early but so far only Jadaveon Clowney seems to be the only lineman who consistently has been able to get to the quarterback. That’s cause for concern.
Rashod Bateman had 1 catch last week. One. The Ravens also attempted very few passes over twenty yards against Indianapolis so hopefully Todd Monken will look to get his quarterback into attack mode this weekend as the dink and dunk approach was less than pleasing to the eye, and the scoreboard.
Happy Football everyone! Enjoy Week Four and Go Ravens!
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.