Perception is Reality
REALITY: There’s an old saying: Defense Wins Championships.
"They say defense wins championships. Well it does." Ravens today definitely in the win column with a season to play for thanks to their defense.
— Morgan Adsit (@MorganAdsit) November 19, 2017
Perception: The Ravens have two championships – both those squads had strong defenses, though the 2012 team was much more balanced, while the 2000 team was all defense (and special teams).
Before this season started, fans were already comparing this year’s defense to the ones of the past, wondering if they could be one of the best. After the first two games, it looked like maybe they could, but those games were against the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns. Could we really count those games as a realistic view of how good the Ravens defense is? I don’t think so. The defense fell apart against the Jacksonville Jaguars and Pittsburgh Steelers. They played well against the Oakland Raiders, but couldn’t keep up with the Chicago Bears or Minnesota Vikings. Their inconsistency continued as they whipped up on the Miami Dolphins, couldn’t stop the Tennessee Titans, and rocked the Green Bay Packers.
That is the struggle with this defense. Can we count on them? When they are on, they are the best defense in the NFL and any team would have trouble scoring on them. But they also drop too many stinkers. When the playoffs arrive, if they are not on, the Ravens have no chance to win. The offense is not good enough to lead this team, as it did through much of their previous Super Bowl run.
Ravens have led at halftime in 5 games & won those 5 games.
They’ve trailed at halftime in 5 games & lost those 5 games. #trends— Mark Viviano (@MarkWJZ) November 19, 2017
If the defense gets off to a slow start, the Ravens can’t win. They are not built to come from behind. If they get the lead, and can run the ball effectively on offense, the defense can do what they do best. But if the defense gets back on their heels and lets up points in the first quarter, the Ravens will probably lose.
If the Ravens are to make the the playoffs and a run in the postseason this year, it will absolutely have to be the defense that leads them.
REALITY: Sam Koch leads the NFL with 24 punts inside the 20, and was robbed of his 25th on Sunday.
Sam Koch's last three punts left the Packers starting from their own 6, 8 and 6. And another should have had them starting from the 1. Might not be sexy, but field position was critical, especially vs. struggling backup QB
— Bo Smolka (@bsmolka) November 19, 2017
Perception: Koch could be the best punter in the NFL. If you go by yardage, he ranks 8th in the NFL with 2504 yards. When you look at his average yards per punt, he ranks 16th with 45.5 yards.
But the stat that means the most to me is “Inside 20.” I want my punter to put it inside the 20-yard line every single time he kicks it. Those other stats can be skewed by other things happening, but my punter putting the ball inside the 20-yard line is never skewed. It is what it is, and that matters the most to me. Koch leads the NFL in that category with 24 (should be 25).
Former Indianapolis Colts punter, Pat McAfee, understands punting. And he said the punt that Koch hit on Sunday in Green Bay was “the most perfect punt in the history of the world.”
(Caution: Language)
? POSITIONISM IN FULL EFFECT IN GREEN BAY #ForTheBrand pic.twitter.com/WLc1QQEVZq
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) November 19, 2017
With Koch and Justin Tucker leading the special teams, Baltimore should feel very good about having the Wolf Pack on their side.
REALITY: The Ravens are in the 6th position in the AFC, good for the 2nd Wild Card in the playoff race.
Ravens improve to 5-5 and are in the thick of the playoff race.
Titans lost Thurs.(6-4). Keep an eye on Buffalo Bills (5-5) ,Oakland Raiders (4-5) and Miami Dolphins (4-5) today.
— Sarah Ellison (@sgellison) November 19, 2017
Perception: Baltimore definitely has the advantage to get the final AFC playoff spot.
They are tied with the Buffalo Bills, but Buffalo still has to face the New England Patriots twice.
The Ravens have a one-game lead on the Dolphins, New York Jets, Cincinnati Bengals, Houston Texans, Los Angeles Chargers, and Raiders. They have already beaten Miami, Cinci, and Oakland, and play the Texans on Monday night.
The Ravens have a pretty easy remaining schedule and should be able to hold on to the 6th position. The Titans are in the 5th position and have an easy remaining schedule also, and have beaten the Ravens, so they should hold onto that spot.
If things hold tight, the Ravens would travel to Jacksonville for a rematch against the Jaguars. Thankfully that game wouldn’t be in London.
REALITY: The Ravens take on the Texans Monday night.
Perception: Prime time games have been good to Baltimore. Since John Harbaugh took over in Baltimore, the Ravens are 11-1 at home in prime time, the second-best winning percentage in the NFL. The defense has been extremely good at home in prime time. All that spells bad news for a Texans team that is led by Tom Savage at quarterback.
All-time, the Ravens lead the series with the Texans 7-2, including a playoff win in 2012.
Houston is ranked 20th in the league in defense, while the Ravens are sitting at #6.
Offensively, the Texans are 12th in the NFL, but most of that was with Deshaun Watson leading the team. They are nowhere near a high-powered offense with Savage behind center.
I think it’s a very big deal that this game is in Baltimore. That drastically helps a Ravens team that is struggling on offense. Alex Collins should get plenty of carries in this game, and the Ravens should have a few more chances than they’ve had in recent games to throw the ball downfield to Jeremy Maclin and Mike Wallace.
The Ravens win this game going away, 28-13.
