REALITY: The Baltimore Ravens offense is ranked 31st in the NFL… second to last.
#Ravens offense ranks:
Total yards per game – 31st
Rush offense – 13th
Pass offense – 32nd
Points per game – 23rd
Third-down offense – 26th— Luke Jones (@BaltimoreLuke) October 23, 2017
Perception: It doesn’t take much to see the Ravens offense is just pitiful. Even quarterback Joe Flacco said “It is what it is”… in other words, it stinks but there is not much we can do about it. And believe it or not, he is right. Yes, Flacco can improve, but what else can the team do? The makeshift offensive line is doing the best it can under the circumstances of being all banged up. The running backs are doing above what anyone expected from a bunch of backups and no-names. The receivers… who? Exactly.
When you are missing your top two or three tight ends, your top three receivers, your top 3 running backs, and one of the best offensive linemen in the NFL, what do you expect from the offense?
Boomer Esiason, Phil Simms and Trent Green all express their condolences for Joe Flacco with the lack of weapons he has now.
— Ryan Mink (@ryanmink) October 22, 2017
Go ahead, complain about Flacco, but have you see what Matt Ryan is doing? Exactly, he is doing nothing with a much better group of guys on his offense. Flacco needs to improve, but this is not all on him.
REALITY: There continues to be no such thing as a “2-minute Drill” in Baltimore.
Instead of getting to the line of scrimmage, Jensen too busy involved in fighting. And he is the center who starts the play. Unreal.
— Mike Preston (@MikePrestonSun) October 22, 2017
Perception: I’ve been complaining about this for years, yet it never seems to get fixed. I suppose it’s silly to hope for anything better at this point. It’s hard to believe this is the same QB who authored that amazing final-minute drive to go the length of Heinz Field for the win in 2011. The Ravens have no sense of urgency until games are out of reach nowadays.
REALITY: The Baltimore Ravens defense is ranked 22nd in the league, but last against the run.
Perhaps most discouraging about #Ravens loss: Even w/Brandon Williams, D allowed 169 rush yards, same as avg. allowed in 4 games w/out him
— Bo Smolka (@bsmolka) October 22, 2017
Perception: No one expected this. Brandon Williams was a huge loss for the last couple of weeks, but the Vikings made it look like even he wasn’t there on Sunday. For as much hype as the Ravens D had at the start of the year, and after the first two games, they have dropped dramatically since then.
Sure, the offense is not helping them by scoring any points or giving the D any rest between series, but the plays that the D is letting up is not something this team is known for doing. It’s time for the defense to take a look at themselves and start taking responsibility for their level of play.
REALITY: The Ravens will continue their streak of playing against backup quarterbacks.
In span of 4 games v QBs EJ Manuel, Mitch Trubisky, Case Keenum & Jay Cutler:
Ravens 1-2 so far w Cutler in town Thurs #NFL— Mark Viviano (@MarkWJZ) October 22, 2017
Perception: Usually teams would be salivating at the thought of playing 4-straight games against back-up QBs, but that is simply not the case for the Ravens.
Yes, they won against Oakland and EJ Manuel, but then they made the Bears’ Mitchell Trubisky look way too good. Case Keenum has looked very good for the Vikings this season, but he’s still someone the Ravens should be beating. And now Jay Cutler is out for the Dolphins on Thursday Night. I’m sure the Ravens will have Matt Moore looking pretty good as he will throw all over them, and they’ll let Jay Ajayi run right through them.
REALITY: The Ravens take on the Dolphins in Week 8.
Perception: Miami always seems to give the Ravens fits. The regular season series between these two teams is tied 6-6, with the most notable game coming back in 2007, when the Ravens fell to the Dolphins in December, which was Miami’s only win of that entire season.
The Dolphins started terribly this season, but lately have found ways to win. Defensively, they are ranked 7th, led by a tough run D. Offensively, they are dead last in the NFL in total yards.
So if you thought the last two games for the Ravens were ugly, this could be another one. Two teams that can’t move the ball offensively. The Ravens are going to have to find a way to make Matt Moore make mistakes, but I have a feeling the Dolphins won’t let him, as they will rely on the run game, which should have its way with a soft Baltimore D.
But somehow, I believe Baltimore finds a way.
Ravens win 17-13.
