After the events that transpired on Monday involving Ray Rice, one thing is for sure: the Ravens need to focus and move forward and focus on the upcoming battle against the Steelers on Thursday. Before we take a look ahead at the always-exciting rivalry game, let’s take a look back at this past Sunday’s matchup.
Forsett the Favorite
After posting 70 yards and a TD on 11 carries against the Bengals on Sunday, Justin Forsett should be the clear favorite to take over the feature back role in place of the recently released Ray Rice. Considering the fact that Bernard Pierce had a costly fumble and Lorenzo Taliaferro didn’t record a single carry in week one, it seems like it is the obvious choice.
Could Aiken, Campanaro See More Snaps?
Hopefully, Steve Smith can continue with the” Dr.Jekyll” act he displayed in the 2nd half against the Bengals (5 Rec, 108 yds, 1TD) and drop (no pun intended) the ”Mr.Hyde” one (4 drops, 2 Rec, 10 yds in the 1st half).
In total, Ravens pass catchers dropped eight would-be receptions Sunday. On top of that, there were way too many mistakes and big plays missed out on that proved costly in the end. As a result of all of the drops, could Kamar Aiken, who impressed last week with the first 4 catches of his career covering 30 yards, see an increase of snaps as the 3rd WR?
Or could we see Michael Campanaro make his highly-anticipated regular season debut against the Steelers?
Depth Needed at CB
If it wasn’t obvious before, it is now crystal clear that the Ravens need to add a legitimate CB3 to the roster after a rough outing by Chykie Brown against the Bengals. Although Asa Jackson (5 tackles, 1 PD) had a solid debut overall and should be penciled into the slot CB role on Thursday, adding a veteran CB would be ideal for the Ravens.
Perhaps the Ravens finally make a call to free agent CB Chris Houston, formerly of the Detroit Lions. Houston, 29, has recorded 324 tackles, 80 passes defended, 13 Int’s and 3 pick-sixes in his seven-year NFL career, mostly as a starter (91/99 games started) while recording double-digit numbers in PD’s in five of his seven NFL seasons.
Pass Rush Needs to Get Going
After recording zero sacks in last Sunday’s season opener, the Ravens front seven needs to wreak havoc on Ben Roethlisberger & Co. on Thursday, especially after Roethlisberger just torched the very solid Cleveland Browns secondary for 365 yards in week one. It could get ugly if Terrell Suggs, Elvis Dumervil, Haloti Ngata, and the rest of the Ravens pass rush give Big Ben all day to throw against the thin CB corps.
Positive on Offense: Tight Ends and O-Line
A couple of positives to take away from the Ravens offensive output against the Bengals includes the tremendous effort from TE’s Dennis Pitta ( 10 catches, 83 yards) and Owen Daniels ( 4 receptions, 34 yards). More importantly, the Ravens O-Line was very impressive as a whole. Rick Wagner received an honorable mention at tackle on PFF’s all week-1 team, and Kelechi Osemele, with a +4.7 rating, earned the status of #1 Guard in the NFL for the week after being perfect in pass protection on 68 dropbacks and grading out at a stellar +2.7 in the run blocking department.
Positives on Defense: In the Red Zone and Against the Run
Two positives to build on from last week was first and foremost the resiliency of the Defense in the first half to hold the potent Bengals “O” to field goals on five dangerous Cincinnati drives, effectively keeping the Ravens in contention going into the half, and the stellar team effort and execution at stopping the run, holding the Bengals to 79 yards on 26 carries (3.0 avg).
