Happy hump day, y’all! The Baltimore Ravens are 3-1 and tied for first place in the AFC North. Meanwhile, the Pittsburgh Steelers sit at 1-3 on the year and appear to be on their way towards earning a top-10 draft pick for 2022. Life is good.
We’ve made it halfway through the week and people are still talking about the Baltimore Ravens’ “controversy” during their win vs. the Denver Broncos. Has it gotten old? Absolutely. Thankfully, there are other things going on that we can talk about on a Wednesday edition of Out to Lunch. Let’s get started.
I’ve never been the biggest Shannon Sharpe fan, but Sharpe had some very strong opinions about the Ravens electing to run the football with three seconds left against the Broncos rather than take the knee. Despite playing for both teams involved in said “controversy” during his career, Sharpe took the side of John Harbaugh and the Ravens:
Shannon Sharpe spoke facts on @undisputed about the end of game drama between the Ravens and the Broncos
“John Harbaugh is under no obligation to take a knee” pic.twitter.com/WbfgJf9NqA
— Kevin Oestreicher (@koestreicher34) October 5, 2021
Sharpe seems incredibly supportive of Baltimore’s decision to keep the 100-yard rushing game streak alive and well and goes on to say that “John Harbaugh is under no obligation to take the knee.” Couldn’t have said it better myself, Shannon.
Here’s another update for you on the highest graded Ravens through four games (minimum 100 snaps) provided by PFF:
Highest-graded #Ravens through four weeks (min. 100 snaps):
1️⃣ Calais Campbell, DI- 88.9
2️⃣ Lamar Jackson, QB- 83.8
3️⃣ Marquise Brown, WR- 82.6
4️⃣ Mark Andrews, TE- 80.3
5️⃣ Bradley Bozeman, C- 79.1 pic.twitter.com/cz6P6LwKiU— PFF BAL Ravens (@PFF_Ravens) October 5, 2021
It shouldn’t shock many to see who all tops the list. Calais Campbell continues to be exceptional for Baltimore despite having a big, fat zero in the sack column. We are hoping that changes sooner rather than later. Lamar Jackson has been terrific and his stats would be even more impressive if not for a few drops last week by his receivers. Hollywood Brown bounced back in a big way against Denver and continues to look like a Pro Bowl-caliber player. If Mark Andrews had any touchdowns (remember, he had one against the Broncos that was called back on a penalty) we’d be talking about him as one of the five best tight ends in the league this year. Andrews has lived up to his new contract and is on pace for over 1,000 yards. Bradley Bozeman continues to impress in his move back to center. Hopefully, EDC and the Ravens prioritize a new contract with him to ensure stability on the offensive line.
Have you been living under a rock? If so, then let me remind you how good Odafe Oweh has been in 2021:
Odafe Oweh has obviously been impressive, but the consistency is what is key to me. 4 straight games with multiple pressures. 2 games with high impact moments (the FF and a 3rd down sack).
Can't remember the last rookie pass rusher that brought this consistency.#RavensFlock
— Cole Jackson (@ColeJacksonFB) October 5, 2021
Oweh should be considered one of the favorites for the Defensive Rookie of the Year award. Oweh is tied for the team lead in sacks at two and has a real shot at double-digit sacks this season. Oweh looks like one of the steals of the 2021 NFL Draft.
Is Lamar Jackson being untreated fairly by NFL officiating crews? Jackson certainly thinks so (as do many of us):
Lamar Jackson is unhappy with unpenalized hits against him.
Jackson hasn't taken a roughing the passer penalty since December 2019.
That's a stretch of 600 dropbacks for Jackson without a roughing the penalty called.https://t.co/jOvUlFE7qL
— Jamison Hensley (@jamisonhensley) October 4, 2021
Jackson is not being protected by the league the same way that Cam Newton wasn’t during his prime years in Carolina. For a league that preaches about player safety, they sure do find ways to be inconsistent and not protect their star players. Jackson is taking hits IN THE POCKET and not getting flags thrown that passers like Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady would absolutely be getting. It’s a problem that needs to be resolved immediately. For whatever the reason is that Jackson isn’t getting the calls for his own protection, they need to be nulled and voided. It’s unfair and unsafe.
Here’s your daily “Lamar Jackson is really good at football” tweet:
Lamar Jackson becomes first QB to throw for 1,000 yards, rush for 250 yards in first four games of season. One of a kind. #RavensFlock
— Ravens Flock Report (@ReportRavens) October 5, 2021
‘Nough said.
Let’s talk about these wide receivers for a second…
The Ravens have never had an elite wide receiver corps. They’ve put together some very solid one-two punches over the years like Derrick Mason–Anquan Boldin or Steve Smith, Sr.-Torrey Smith, but the overall depth at the position has always been lackluster.
That no longer appears to be the case and Clifton Brown of the team’s official website would agree:
The depth is there this year, as is the variety of skills and talent amongst its guys. Brown had this to say on the depth and variety, “This is what the Ravens envisioned, a diverse and deep group of targets that would give Lamar Jackson more weapons than he’s ever had since he became the starting quarterback in 2018. That vision is coming to fruition, even though first-round pick Rashod Bateman and Miles Boykin have yet to return from injured reserve.”
The wide receivers corps has proven to be better than ever and we couldn’t be more excited about it. There truly is so much to be happy about from this group and it will only get better upon the returns of Bateman and Boykin. With the unit soon to be at full strength, the firepower of this team will be unstoppable.
Let’s end it here with a little bit of serotonin:
This angle of @primetime_jet's crazy touchdown catch. ??
We're back in action on MNF vs. the Colts on ESPN! pic.twitter.com/ERX0GMtGbb
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) October 4, 2021
Honestly, I can’t get enough of this play and I’m sure many of you can’t, either. Hollywood Brown has arrived, people. The Ravens have finally hit on a first-round wide receiver and the best part is we still haven’t gotten a glimpse at Bateman yet…
Things are looking up for the Baltimore Ravens and their suddenly potent passing attack. Stay tuned…
