Another week in the NFL, another slew of crazy games and unexpected outcomes.
I still cannot make rhyme or reason of any of this. One week a great team loses to an awful team, then comes back to beat a ‘contender’ the following week. Toss in some unfortunate injuries and dumb luck, and it’s just another week in the 2017 season…
In case you missed the action while at a children’s birthday party or collecting foliage or picking pumpkins – none of which are viable excuses, mind you – here’s the recap of Week 6:
-The Yinzers are back to the ‘count the rangs’ chatter after the Steelers beat a previously 5-0 Chiefs team in KC. Post-game, Big Ben tried to act like ‘haters’ doubted him after a 5-pick game at home the previous week… when he was the one who originally questioned his age/skill. Nice try.
-The Cowboys were on a bye, but Zeke Elliott had his suspension upheld. Fantasy owners went nuts picking up Darren McFadden & Alfred Morris… then the suspension was delayed again, and the Cowboys’ backup backs were dropped quicker than a pass to Breshad Perriman.
-The Giants stunned the Broncos in Denver, with a starting WR tandem of… I think maybe I saw Mark Clayton? Pretty sure the other starting wideout was the winner of a Twitter “RT for a chance to catch passes from Eli!” contest.
-Our beloved A-a-ron Rodgers (don’t need to be a cheesehead to love this guy) is done for the season with a broken collarbone. Kaep chatter instantly started. Then Colin filed a grievance against the NFL. Then the chatter stopped. Brett Hundley is thrilled that his job is safe as the new starter in Green Bay.
-The Pats barely beat the Jets, the Falcons lost to the Fins, the Browns got blown out by the Texans, and the Skins almost lost to a winless, hapless 49ers team.
Last Week in Baltimore…
So Chicago came to town, and Ravens fans were treated to exactly what we’ve come to expect.
Nonsense.
The Ravens offense reverted back to their old ways, as it was a day chock full of awful play calling, miscues, dropped passes, turnovers, breakdowns on the offensive line, injuries, and general frustration.
Key drops by Perriman (who also took a shot to the head and left with an injury early), Michael Campanaro, and Chris Matthews – 2 of which ever so carefully handed the ball to the Bears defense, one of which was returned for a touchdown – really set the tone for the day. Meanwhile, successful running from Alex Collins again was shoved to the back of the playbook while Flacco threw the ball 40 times to receivers who couldn’t catch a cold.
UPDATE: Marty Mornhinweg is still the offensive coordinator as of this writing, and likely won’t go anywhere all season because stubborn pride, I guess.
On defense, the Ravens got trounced in the run game (again), as Jordan Howard racked up… like 600 yards or something. Given the success of the run game, Dean Pees decided it was best not to crowd the line, not throw any pressure at rookie QB Mitch Trubisky, and instead, sit back in his typical Pees-ian ways, while not making any adjustments.
Vanilla, baby!
So yea. The Ravens lost at home for the 2nd time in 3 games thus far in the 2017 season. Everything is awful. Sky is falling. You know the drill by now.
This week in Minny…
The Ravens head north to Minnesota for a tilt with the Vikings.
I’d say by now, we know what to expect of our Ravens…
Their 3-3 record is not reflective of this team by any stretch of the imagination. Schedule aside, this team has the look of a defeated, deflated bunch who is destined for 6-10, give or take a game.
The question then becomes what we can expect of their opponent this week- the Vikings.
On defense, the Vikings are a solid team top to bottom. If you may have noticed last week, LB Anthony Barr had the massive pressure/crushing blow that led to Packers’ QB Aaron Rodgers broken collarbone (no, it was not a dirty hit).
So yea, expect some of that…
Also, there’s this:
Yards allowed per game: 5th (295.5)
Pass ypg allowed: 14th (216.8)
Rush ypg allowed: 3rd (78.7)
Points per game allowed: 5th (17.2)
Yup… that’s the defense the Ravens anemic offense will have to overcome.
Good luck, Marty!
On offense, Minny is without their starting quarterback, Sam Bradford… and rookie stud RB Dalvin Cook… and former Terp star WR Stefon Diggs‘ status is up in the air for Sunday.
3 offensive stars gone… and I still have no hope.
Prediction:
More of the same.
The Vikes will play subpar, to the point where we, the Ravens fans, will believe it’s possible to steal a win; however, this hope will be short lived, as the offense will continue their anemic ways in both the play calling and the ability on the field, while the defense gets taxed along the way, giving up a brief lead and the Vikings never looking back.
Flacco throws 2 more picks, Collins leads the Ravens running game with 50 yards on the ground and finally finds the end zone, while the defense allows another 120 yards on the ground, as the Vikings will ground and pound this game out in under 2 1/2 hours to end our misery quicker than the usual 3 hours of pain…
3-4 here we come!
BAL 13
MIN 24
The Best of the Rest
There’s a few great match-ups this weekend worth tuning into, with the best coming on Sunday night.
Saints @ Packers Sun 10/22 @ 1pm. I’m hoping this is airing on FOX so I can flip over every time the Ravens do something to piss me off. Brett Hundley is starting for the Packers, and gets a fortuitous match-up against a shaky Saints D. Brees & Co laid a 50 spot on Detroit last week. Gonna be a high scoring affair, no doubt.
Falcons @ Patriots Sun 10/22 @ 8:30pm. I hate the Pats. I hate the Falcons. But I cannot wait for this Super Bowl rematch, where I really, really want the Patriots to hand out 28-3 signs to everyone in attendance. Also, I get to watch our future head coach, Matt Patricia, in action (don’t @ me).
Skins @ Eagles Mon 10/23 @ 8:30pm. The Skins have been okay. The Eagles have been surprisingly good. I don’t even have anything snarky here, this is just a legit good game, especially after the Skins get lambasted so they can shut the hell up about the Ravens (I couldn’t just let it be!).
Rank ‘Em!
Let’s go ahead and tackle one of the elephants in the room- the injury bug. And let’s do it from the perspective of the broadcast team of Greg Gumbel and Trent Green (on the docket for this week) because what better way to announce it?
Top-5 Ravens Injuries We’re Likely To See This Week
5-“Yanno Greg, it’s crazy to think the entire Ravens receiving group is injured except the oft injured Michael Camp…a…nar…oooooh never mind, he’s hurt now too.”
4-“And it looks like Joe Flacco is injured, as he’s not moving in the pocket… wait, he’s not hurt? Just standing still and refusing to scramble under pressure? Huh…”
3- “Just getting word from the Ravens that Mike Wallace is out with… gout? Wait. That’s a typo. It says POUT. Yes, he’s pouting because Joe won’t throw it to him more…”
2- “Justin Tucker misses the field goal from 50, and it appears his pride is hurt, Trent… yup, there he goes into the tent with the trainer behind him carrying a box of Puffs Plus.”
1-“Greg, Trent… I’m being told the reason we haven’t seen Ravens head coach John Harbaugh since before halftime is due to a cranial-coccyx injury, or in layman’s terms, his head is stuck up his own ass.”