Marlon Humphrey Impresses
The Baltimore Ravens had a very disappointing end to Monday Night Football following an overtime loss to the Las Vegas Raiders, 33-27. Many, myself included, believed that this Ravens squad would waltz into Sin City and come out with a win despite the injuries the team absorbed. It looked like that was going to be the case based off what we saw in the first quarter of action. Sure, there was some weaknesses initially, but it was almost what we expected.
But then the second half rolled around, and Baltimore’s flaws were completely exposed, and the team couldn’t get out of its own way. Too many lapses in judgement and play led to critical mistakes and ultimately a devastating loss. The Ravens will have a lot of ground to make up now.
But I won’t waste anyone’s time telling you what you (sadly) already know. In this Wednesday’s edition of Out to Lunch, we take a look at some awesome tweets and a few articles that definitely attracted attention. Let’s start out with this bit from Sarah Ellison:
If you’re looking for something to smile about from the Ravens’ MNF game, look no further than @Primetime_jet. He was fantastic.
6 targets, 6 catches, 69 yards, 1 TD pic.twitter.com/6m6jKVnYSo
— Sarah Ellison (@sgellison) September 14, 2021
Marquise Brown was arguably the best part of the Ravens Monday Night Football loss, as the third-year pro caught all six of his targets for 69-yards and a touchdown and converted a crucial third down on a 5-yard sweep. The man better known as Hollywood was electric and looked like the player Ravens Flock has been waiting to see. Hopefully he can continue his trajectory in the right direction.
For all our fantasy football fanatics, here’s something to get excited about…
Ty’Son Williams got an unexpected chance to be a starter.
And he looks like a keeper for the Ravens. pic.twitter.com/l2DQiqXrD0
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) September 15, 2021
The Flock has long been excited about Ty’Son Williams since his preseason performance last month and all his hard work paid off vs. Vegas. Williams toted the rock nine time for 65-yards including a 35-yard touchdown scamper on fourth down early in the game. Williams also managed to catch three of his four targets for 29 more yards through the air. Why the Ravens got away from him in the second half is a mystery to us, but Williams gave everyone reason to remain excited about his potential.
Brandon Judd of Deseret News had this to say about Williams:
“For a player thrust into a prominent role in his first NFL action, though, Williams was impressive much of the night — he finished with 94 total yards — and looked like someone who could be a solid playmaker for the Ravens this season.”
Overall, Judd had glowing things to say about Williams, and we completely understand where he’s coming from. Many good things are yet to come for the rookie, and we have plenty of reason to believe that if he stays dominant this year that he could end up having a future in Baltimore past 2021.
[Related Article: Ravens Stock Report]
Let’s check in on former Ravens wide receiver Willie Snead:
I obviously can’t catch now ???????????? #JustWinBaby 1-0
— Willie Snead IV (@Willie_Snead4G) September 14, 2021
Snead was a big part of the Ravens clutch end zone interception off Derek Carr via Anthony Averett. It was a play that had many jumping out of their sofas and screaming every word in the dictionary at the top of their lungs. But while some called Snead a secret agent for the Ravens, Snead has laughed off the moment and is enjoying the win.
We’re happy for you, Willie… but just know we are still a little bit salty.
I’ve never been much for a “winners and losers” article, but let’s focus on the winners Kevin Oestreicher highlights here:
The wide receivers definitely shined, as evidenced by Marquise Brown and Sammy Watkins inclusion. Both of these dudes look ready to break the mantra that the Ravens wide receivers can’t be difference makers. Oestreicher also highlighted Anthony Averett as a winner from Monday Night Football and it’s hard to say he wasn’t. Averett’s stock is trending up and Baltimore will be betting on his strong play to continue moving forward in 2021.
Benjamin Solak of the Ringer put out a glowing review of the best cornerback in football:
It’s impossible to overstate the ask on Marlon Humphrey tonight. Henry Ruggs, Hunter Renfrow, and Darren Waller are all on the poles of the spectrum of body types and play styles you can face in the league.
And he just blankets all three. Silly good player.
— Benjamin Solak (@BenjaminSolak) September 14, 2021
Marlon Humphrey can do it all. He’s one of a small few group of defensive backs who can play outside corner and nickel at an elite level. Humphrey is simply an eraser for this defense, and it showed vs. the Raiders. Humphrey hung in there with one of the league’s premier tight ends in Darren Waller and managed to mitigate the rest of the Raiders’ passing attack when they looked his way. Outside of that heartbreaking touchdown pass, Humphrey was nearly perfect.
Speaking of Marlo, here’s a quick little update on everyone’s favorite cornerback…
Life is good
— Marlon Humphrey (@marlon_humphrey) September 14, 2021
It’s great to see that Humphrey isn’t dwelling on a play that he could do very little about. In case you haven’t seen this yet, Humphrey was actually picked near the line of scrimmage by his own teammate on the Raiders game-winning touchdown pass. Hard to really blame the best cornerback in football for a “blown coverage” when he didn’t even get a fair chance to stop him. We’ll gladly take Humphrey 10/10 times vs. Zay Jones in a straight one-on-one matchup.
Any loss stinks, but this one especially stings.
Hopefully the Ravens take this loss in stride and come out with something extra to prove vs. the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday Night Football this weekend.
