Let the Running Back Games Begin!
After yet another pathetic game on the ground by the Ravens offense, head coach John Harbaugh is now issuing a “who earns it, gets it” state for the Ravens running backs.
Harbaugh took the stand after a nail-biting win over the Bengals and proclaimed, “[Ray Rice and Bernard Pierce] are going to get a large number of carries, and I think whichever guy is playing better should get more carries as we go forward.”
Rice carried the ball 18 times Sunday racking up a total of 30 yards. Pierce, on the other hand, carried the ball eight times gaining 31 yards.
Sorry Ray, but speaking for all Ravens fans and myself, averaging 2.5 yards a carry does not steam our crabs.
As Ray continues his struggles in 2013, the door is wide open for Bernard Pierce to show he can lead this running attack in the direction the fans have been waiting for all season.
Alaska! Alaska!
Playing aggressive no matter what is usually the way to go in the NFL. No-huddles and audibles catch defenses off guard and it’s hard for them to determine the snap count.
Well, the Ravens sure played aggressive and went no huddle in the second half Sunday, but it didn’t produce much in the way of results. As a matter of fact, they didn’t score in the second half at all.
Instead of running down the play clock to its final seconds, Joe Flacco and company got the ball off more times than not with 10 seconds left on the play clock instead of just draining it.
The Ravens had three possessions in the fourth quarter Sunday, converting only four first downs and managing to only drain 6:38 off the clock.
Keep the aggressive offense going, but let’s try and score some points when we do.
Explaining the thinking on Monday, Harbaugh said that “When you go into the four-minute mode you change your rhythm. And when you get out of a rhythm sometimes you do things like jumping offsides and they know the snap count because you run the clock down and they can get off on your snap count.”
Oh well, we got the win!
Ravens Are Still In Position for a Playoff Berth
After taking the win over the Bengals Sunday, the Ravens stand at 4-5, tied with the Browns for second place and are one game behind the Bengals in the AFC North.
According to Ravens reporter John Eisenberg, its “a weird year in the AFC.”
The Steelers and Texans have a 5-13 combined record.
The Patriots may be winning but you can see they aren’t dominating their competition.
The Colts just got destroyed in every aspect by the Rams.
And then you saw the Bengals Sunday, not showing any resemblance of a division-leading, playoff caliber team.
It sure doesn’t seem like it, but the door is wide open for the Ravens to take this division or at least grab a wild card spot.
Competing for that spot with the Ravens are: the Jets (who play in Baltimore November 24th), Chargers, Titans (who gave the Jaguars their first win in Tennessee) Browns, and even the Dolphins (though they look cooked after losing in Tampa on Monday night).
The Ravens also play four of their seven remaining games at M&T Bank Stadium.
Bears Take An Arrow To The Knee
Jay Cutler goes down with a high ankle sprain and is officially ruled out for the upcoming game against the Ravens. Cutler could miss 4-6 weeks.
Josh McCown stepped in for Cutler this past Sunday against the Lions, and led the team on an impressive 10-play, 74 yard drive ending in a touchdown pass to Brandon Marshall.
Coming in for a total of three games for Jay this year, Josh has completed 42 of 70 passes for 538 yards racking up 4 touchdowns with a passer rating of 103.
While he hasn’t had much starting experience, holding a record of only 2-1 as a starter, he is no pushover. McCown led the Bears offense with 272 yds passing and 2 TDs in a victory in Green Bay in Week 9.
The Ravens might have caught a break knowing that guys like cornerback Charles Tillman and linebacker Lance Briggs will be out Sunday as well.
The Ravens will face difficulty, even with Cutler out, from the Bears offense.
With weapons such as Alshon Jeffrey, Brandon Marshall, and Matt Forte in the backfield, the Ravens could have their hands full.
Weather may be an issue as well, though perhaps not in the way you’d think. Though it’s only 33 in the Windy City today, it is expected to be about 20 degrees warmer on Sunday. However, showers are in the forecast.
