Just 2 weeks ago, the Baltimore Ravens season stood on the brink of collapse. A 1-5 record, the two time MVP in street clothes and a franchise desperately searching for its soul.
It was very fair to question how the Ravens would respond coming out of their Week 7 bye.
The response? Two emphatic wins, two games closer to .500.
While we await a Week 10 road trip to Minnesota, here are some observations to mull over.
1. The Ravens drafted Malaki Starks with the intention of utilizing 3 safety looks and deploying Kyle Hamilton in the Swiss Army Knife role, particularly at and around the line of scrimmage. The late spring injury to Ar’Darius Washington dramatically altered the Ravens plans. The lack of safety depth was a big factor in the poor defensive play to start the season. The arrival of Alohi Gilman (and his very quick assimilation into the defense) has allowed the Ravens to run what amounts to their base, 3 safety set and use Kyle Hamilton in that hybrid role. Since the bye week, Hamilton has spent a great deal of time in the opponents’ backfield, blowing up running plays and disrupting the quarterback.
2. Through the first 6 games of the season, the defense managed just 3 total turnovers; 2 of which came against the lowly Cleveland Browns. Since the bye, the Ravens have generated 4 turnovers in just 2 games. (What’s more, in the 3 games since Alohi Gilman’s arrival, the Ravens have turned their opponents over 5 times.) A constant drumbeat from this author is the importance of winning the turnover battle. It’s pretty amazing how many NFL games boil down to a singular stat like the turnover column. Not coincidentally, the Ravens are 3-0 this season when they’ve won the turnover battle.
3. While there have been some positive developments on the defensive side of the ball, it’s not all sunshine and roses. The defensive front is still getting bullied at the line of scrimmage and giving up too much in the running game; currently 21st in the league, allowing 4.5 yds/carry. The defense is struggling in a few other areas; allowing opposing offenses to convert 3rd downs at a 41.28% rate and opponents’ red zone TD conversion rate is at 61.11% on the season. Also, Zach Orr’s unit is still giving up way too many yards and chunk plays between the 20s. In fairness, over the last 3 games, the defense has begun standing up in the red zone. Opponent TD conversion rate has been just 27.27% in those contests. In that same timeframe, the defense has allowed just 13 points per game; down from a whopping 35.4 through their first 5 contests.
4. Health wasn’t the sole reason for Baltimore’s struggles but their return to health since the bye cannot be understated. In the lead up to their Week 9 game, for the first time this season, the Ravens entire 53 man roster was able to participate in practice. It also appears that they came through their Thursday night road contest in Miami completely unscathed. While Lamar Jackson’s hamstring forced him to lag behind for an additional week, it was worth the wait. Albeit, there was some rust to shake off in the early going, Jackson finished the night by completing 78.3% of his throws, tossing 4 TDs and compiling a 143.2 QB rating. Not too shabby for not taking a competitive snap in a month.
5. Baltimore has posted some good overall numbers in the running game; 1084 yards (6th in the league) and 5.2 yds/carry (1st in the league). However, there’s more to those numbers than meets the eye. The Ravens have struggled to move the ball on the ground in game neutral situations. Case in point, Derrick Henry had 119 yards rushing on 19 attempts but 87 of those yards came after it was a 3 score game and the Dolphins had half checked out in the 2nd half. There are a couple of things in play here that are creating problems and a lack of consistency in the running game.
5a. First and foremost, is the overall poor play of the offensive line. They’re not consistently opening running lanes and regularly getting beat at the line of scrimmage. The guard play has been bad most of the year, which has impacted Tyler Linderbaum’s play at center. And Ronnie Stanley has been in and out of the lineup while dealing with his problematic ankle. GM Eric DeCosta is hopefully looking for some offensive line help at the deadline.
5b. According to Next Gen Stats, Derrick Henry has faced 8 man boxes on 42% of his carries which has resulted in yardage being tough to come by on early downs, especially between the tackles. The Ravens should consider some outside running plays, maybe off tackle plays and some toss sweeps, which worked well last year. Also, Todd Monken could utilize some 3 or 4 WR sets and spread the field on early downs to help unclog the box for Henry. Lastly, as Lamar gets confident with the healed hamstring, the offense should employ some RPO sets to get opposing defenses off balance and concerned about defending Jackson as a runner.
In spite of the hole that Baltimore dug for themselves, their uncharacteristic poor play and a spate of injuries, a weak division and a favorable schedule had dealt them a good turn of fate. The Ravens are somehow the odds-on favorite to capture their 3rd straight AFC North title. However, that unlikely scenario only becomes a reality if Baltimore can continue stacking wins, one at a time.
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.