The Ravens left no doubt about who the number one team in the AFC is after a 56-19 thrashing of the Miami Dolphins at the Bank last Sunday. They also won their first AFC North crown since 2019.
The purple and black racked up 491 yards of total offense against the league’s fourth ranked defense while Lamar Jackson was perfect from the pocket.
Jackson has been in the MVP conversation for much of the season but his most recent performances against some of the league’s best teams may have guaranteed him his second award. The Florida native was masterful in carving up the Miami secondary for 321 yards passing, throwing 5 touchdowns ending in a perfect passer rating of 158.3. He showed off his elite athleticism in surprising ways in the pass game, like snapping the ball as a lefty before switching back to throw a sideline strike to Zay Flowers that went for six and showing off his deep ball off of one foot to Odell Beckham Jr. The narrative that he’s a glorified running back should be dead at this point.
But this edition of the team is more than just the unique talents of Lamar Jackson. There are playmakers and special players all across the roster as proven by the most recent Pro Bowl nominations. The team earned seven overall, starting with Jackson who is making his third trip. Roquan Smith (2nd) who is the unquestioned leader of one of the league’s best defenses. Justin Tucker (7th) is the old hand in this group as he continues to make a case for the Hall of Fame. The final four are first timers – Kyle Hamilton, Tyler Linderbaum, Patrick Queen, and Justin Madubuike, all of whom were also drafted by Eric DeCosta.
This is an organization that so far has done a lot right this season from the handling of Jackson’s contract extension to the draft to free agency to player development. This feel like a special team but only one goal remains to put the stamp on what’s been a great season so far – win the franchise’s third championship in Vegas.
1) Let him Cook – The Ravens made a final addition this week for the playoff push as they claimed running back Dalvin Cook off waivers. Cook averaged 1,254 rushing yards during his last four seasons with 43 total touchdowns during that span. Cook has had a less than productive time with the Jets this season only gaining one start with no trips to the endzone. But there’s no question that this is a solid move to help off-set the loss of Keaton Mitchell a few weeks ago. Baltimore has suffered setbacks in the backfield for the second consecutive season, so it doesn’t hurt having a former Pro Bowler to give a few carries to in an important game.
I am good though with Justice Hill getting an expanded role moving forward. He was a star against Miami – rushing for 48 yards on 3 carries, catching 5 passes for 64 yards and a touchdown and even returning kicks. His 78 yard return set up a TD that put the game out of reach earl in the Third Quarter.
2) Steelers Suck? Not so Fast – I say this with all seriousness. How are the Steelers still in the hunt for a playoff spot? They are in the bottom third in team rankings for offense and defense. They fired their Offensive Coordinator weeks ago because things were so bad. Pittsburgh was in the midst of a three game losing streak and lost starting quarterback Kenny Pickett for the rest of the season due to injury.
And then Mason Rudolph. Rudolph has the team riding a two game winning streak and a chance with help to go to the post-season. Give head Coach Mike Tomlin credit – this isn’t an incredibly talented group but he will avoid a losing season for his 17th straight season. This weekend not only do they have a chance to keep their season going but they can also sweep these Ravens who will be resting many players since this game is essentially meaningless to them.
3) Who to Watch? – The Ravens will show off their depth this week as they give many players a rest one of which will be Lamar Jackson. I don’t want to hear the rest against rust argument as many other teams (Cleveland & Kansas City) are also resting their quarterbacks in their team’s final games. For us that means it’s Tyler Huntley time. This may be Huntley’s last season in Baltimore and that also means we may see Josh Johnson or potentially Malik Cunningham (though not under center) to audition for a backup role in the future.
I’m also interested in watching Melvin Gordon, who hit paydirt for the first time this season last week. With Dalvin Cook looming and not playing in this game it gives Gordon a chance to impress with a lot of carries.
Happy Football everyone! Enjoy Week Seventeen 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.