Grinding Forward

The Baltimore Ravens 23-10 victory over the New York Jets may not have been pretty but it was effective.

It was the fifth straight win for a team that started 1-5 and had many questioning, …well everything.

Is it time for Baltimore to move on from Head Coach John Harbaugh and Defensive Coordinator Zach Orr? Is it time for a thorough examination of the roster construction and the draft pick failures of Eric DeCosta? Was this roster just not as good as we thought or were they just underperforming?

When a Super Bowl favorite comes stumbling out of the gate at 1-5, it’s fair to say that all the above was on the table in terms of blame and accountability.

But after a five-game win streak the Ravens now hold the first-place tiebreaker over the Pittsburgh Steelers as we head into late November and sit atop the AFC North.

Yesterday’s win also revealed who this team is right now and some things have changed.

1. This Ravens defense has quietly been better.

Baltimore was able to hold the Jets to 10 points on Sunday afternoon and that’s the fifth time the defense has allowed 17 points or fewer this season. That’s a major improvement considering at the start of the campaign they were statistically and historically the league’s worst unit.

Everyone including me was calling for Zach Orr’s job but just like last season things have settled and the defense has solidified.

Turnovers change games in your favor, especially when you cause them. Over the span of the winning streak Baltimore has ten turnovers during that stretch. Marlon Humphrey had a big one yesterday stripping Breece Hall at the five-yard line essentially stopping New York’s growing momentum in the fourth quarter. Humphrey, the four-time Pro Bowler has led by example as the season has turned and along with Roquan Smith and Kyle Hamilton are playing like the leaders they are expected to be.

Enough can’t be said about the trades that brough Alohi Gilman and Dre’Mont Jones into the fold. They have both helped give the group exactly what they needed with their productive play.

Obviously we acknowledge that recent competition hasn’t been the strongest; and that factors.

2. Lamar Jackson isn’t himself.

As I watched the game yesterday, I saw something that I never thought I’d see watching the two-time MVP play. As Lamar broke from the pocket there was open field ahead of him and instead of scooting up the line for a twenty-yard gain -he hesitated. Not only did he not burst for the first down but the defender backed off him to drop into coverage.

He didn’t want to run unless he absolutely had to. His stat lines of late have been very Un-Lamar like and yesterday was no different.

13 for 23 passing for 153 yards and rushed for 11 yards.

He’s only rushed for more than 40 yards twice this season and looks limited dealing with multiple injuries.

The good news is the team keeps winning even though Lamar isn’t in top form and that’s a good thing to see. There’s been plenty of times in the past that he’s “put on his cape” to lead the team to victory so it’s nice to the team pick him up.

3. Offensive struggles persist.

Lamar’s struggles have something to do with that statement but the issues along the offensive line do not look like they will be fixed any time soon either.

The last time the Ravens scored 30 was in Week 8 against the Bears and that was with Tyler Huntley under center. Baltimore was down 7-3 at the break yesterday as the offense sputtered into the third quarter. The red zone issues were still a concern as they were able to score touchdown in two of their five trips inside the twenty.

Moving forward the team must find a way to make more explosive plays in the passing game and get creative to score six whenever the chance arises. This group must play better if they plan on winning the division.