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Next Up: Myles Garrett

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I have to say, a busy work week is just what I needed following Sunday’s heartbreaking loss against the Pittsburgh Steelers. For what it’s worth, I will add that I stand by Harbs’ decision to go for two at the end of the game. If you’re going to take risks all season, you shouldn’t stop there, especially without a CB room for overtime.

When Baltimore, failed to convert the two-point conversion, all of Charm City surely let out a wail of despair. In my eyes, nothing encapsulates our collective emotions more than Alejandro Villanueva’s reaction in the clip below:

AV’s response to the poorly executed two-point play shows how much it meant to him and to the team. The Ravens play with extra heart when facing the Steelers, and we all know that’s reciprocated by the opposition. Of course, that’s what makes it so crushing when Baltimore is on the losing end, but it’s also what makes the rivalry special – it’s what makes these games fun.

Without harping on the loss too much, it hits harder considering the major injury Baltimore suffered in the Steel City. This is a broken record now, but Humphrey is a player the Ravens seem unable to recover from losing. CB Anthony Averett will have to step up in a big way, and while his comments are reassuring, I still have my doubts.

His message is similar to a team motto from a few years back: “Nobody cares, work harder.” Hopefully that credo is one Ravens players remember, because they certainly have their work cut out for them now.

In response to the injury, Baltimore has made the following moves:

These activations were much-needed for the Ravens, but a Humphrey-sized loss may be the straw that breaks the camel’s back this season. We’ll have to see.

[Related Article: Rock Spring Financial’s In The Hood, the AFC North]

Heading into Cleveland, Lamar Jackson will surely be pleased that Steelers EDGE TJ Watt is in the past, at least for now. Watt took home the AFC Defensive Player of the Week for his disruptive performance last game, and it’s deserved.

Watt is a menace, and his career stats show that, too. He’s still early in his career, but Watt is the all-time leader in sacks per game as of now.

That’s quite the statistic. Unfortunately, though, Jackson can’t get too excited, as the name just below Watt’s is Myles Garrett, who he’ll have the pleasure of facing this Sunday. We saw how one dominant pass-rusher changed each play for the Ravens last week, so we’ll have to hope they have plans for Garrett their second time facing him.

Perhaps Garrett is a factor in this, but Baltimore will be an underdog to Cleveland heading into their matchup.

This is just the second time all season that the Ravens are not favored in a game, but if it’s any indication, the last time was at Denver, a game that saw Baltimore leave as 23-7 victors. Personally, I’m confused as to why the Ravens are underdogs this week.

Yes, they have their laundry list of injuries that’s only gotten longer, but they are just a couple weeks removed from beating Cleveland in a game that shouldn’t have been as close. What’s more, the Browns have a few key injuries of their own:

Missing a few TEs, QB Baker Mayfield will likely have to lean on the running game and pass outside to his receivers. If Baltimore can once again shut down Nick Chubb & Co., they should be alright defensively, even with the injuries.

Further, on the other side of the ball, the Ravens are strong at tight end. Mark Andrews is quietly having the best season of any Baltimore TE in franchise history.

Andrews is likely to surpass Heap’s 2005 record this week, and even though he’s had some drops, there’s no doubt he’s had another prolific season. Look for the Ravens to utilize him heavily yet again on Sunday.

Finally, to cap today’s largely somber Out to Lunch with something positive, let’s look back at one of the best Ravens games I can remember, which happened 8 years ago on Wednesday:

This snowy encounter with Minnesota had one of the wildest endings I can remember as a Ravens fan. If there’s any other regular season game that compares, it may just be Baltimore’s last trip to Cleveland, which featured some incredible Lamar Jackson heroics.

If this game isn’t quite as crazy as last year’s, let’s hope the result stays consistent.

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