I’d like to open my OTL this week by sharing some quick thoughts on Harbaugh’s decision to go for two last Sunday evening against the Packers. Personally, I loved the 2-point conversion attempt against Pittsburgh, but just liked it against Green Bay.
For me, the two situations were different; while Baltimore didn’t have a strong secondary for either game, they’d played 60 minutes with their guys this time around. Additionally, against the Steelers, the Ravens had struggled to move the ball all game, so even if they had won the coin toss in OT, they may not have scored. That didn’t seem to be the case in Baltimore last week. I did appreciate the aggression and will to win, so I liked it overall, but I do think there was more of an argument for the other side this time around.
I won’t get into the play call, though. That’s where us Ravens fans were let down once again.
Former Ravens WR – and fan favorite – Torrey Smith made some comments of his own on Good Morning Football:
Was it the right decision for John Harbaugh to go for 2 at the end of the Ravens-Packers game?
@TorreySmithWR shares his thoughts. pic.twitter.com/FcNLJjQwkN— Good Morning Football (@gmfb) December 22, 2021
Smith’s enthusiasm for the decision was surprising to me, but I think the key here is that players want their coaches to go all-in on their games. As Herm Edwards famously said, “you play to win the game,” and whether you agree with Harbaugh’s call or not, he certainly does that.
Considering the injuries and COVID-19 issues, not many expected the Ravens to win last week. While that came to fruition, you had to be impressed with the team’s grit against an outstanding Packers team. The issue is, those hindrances are not going away this week. In fact, the road may only get rougher.
More COVID-19 issues for the Ravens. DT Justin Madubuike, ILBs Chris Board and Kristian Welch, S Geno Stone and practice squad OT David Sharpe have been added to the Reserve/COVID-19 list.
By my count, that's 15 total players on the list. Defensively, Ravens running out of guys
— Jeff Zrebiec (@jeffzrebiec) December 22, 2021
By my count, the Ravens had 13 (!) active-roster defensive players practice today:
DL: C. Campbell (limited), J. Ellis, B. Washington
OLB: Tyus Bowser, Odafe Oweh, J. Ferguson
ILB: P. Queen, J. Bynes, M. Harrison
CB: Anthony Averett, Kevon Seymour
DB: Brandon Stephens, A. Levine— Jonas Shaffer (@jonas_shaffer) December 22, 2021
Baltimore essentially has no defense at this point, which is not what you want heading into a must-win matchup against an explosive Bengals offense. The Ravens have already had unexpected players step up this year, but they continue to need more and more of those guys to take advantage of their opportunities. At this point, as RSR’s Adam Bonaccorsi pointed out, there’s not many stones left unturned on Wink’s unit.
Harbs to #RavensFlock https://t.co/A3pZ1S8Txk pic.twitter.com/v4M00WXBCp
— Adam Bonaccorsi (@AdamBMore) December 22, 2021
The Bengals aren’t struggling with the same COVID issues that are now crippling the Ravens roster. It’s a decided advantage for Cincinnati because the team John Harbaugh fields on Sunday will resemble a preseason lineup more than one competing for a division title in Week 16. Joe Burrow is relieved that his team hasn’t been affected by COVID the same way and he offers an explanation as to why…
"fortunately there's not a lot to do in Cincinnati" – Joe Burrow 😂😂😭 pic.twitter.com/6u2tyeYUPh
— Cincinnati 💔 (@CincyProblems) December 22, 2021
We’ll have to see what kind of performance the squad can put forth on Sunday afternoon, but it’s tough to have faith in the defense, especially knowing what Cincinnati did against a much healthier unit last time out.
To make matters worse (at least in some people’s mind), it remains unclear whether QB Lamar Jackson will suit up.
#Ravens QB Lamar Jackson once again did not practice today with his ankle injury.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 22, 2021
It’s still only Thursday, and Jackson appeared to be close to playing last Sunday, but you’d have to think that the Ravens brass would love to have the former MVP QB out there for a tough divisional matchup. Childs Walker put together a nice report on Jackson’s status via The Baltimore Sun:
Ravens QB Lamar Jackson misses another practice with ankle injury as team prepares for high-stakes matchup with Bengals https://t.co/7kETBwpOxQ
— Baltimore Sun Sports (@BaltSunSports) December 22, 2021
If Jackson is out, it’s nice knowing that Baltimore now has a backup that is capable of filling in without forcing the offensive play calling to see dramatic changes. Huntley, by my estimation, is the best backup for Jackson that the league has to offer. That said, there are some intriguing differences between Jackson and Huntley that Jonas Shaffer highlights below.
If Tyler Huntley starts again Sunday in Cincinnati, the Ravens could benefit from his quick-trigger efficiency — and more Lamar-like big plays. https://t.co/LIyo715PiX pic.twitter.com/nGALHE5x8O
— Jonas Shaffer (@jonas_shaffer) December 22, 2021
The big plays are missing from Huntley’s air attack thus far, but he does get the ball out of his hands quickly. Against an underrated Bengals pass rush, that could pay dividends. Additionally, if the Ravens do struggle to run the ball against Cincy, the short passing game could effectively be a second run game for the offense.
Overall, Huntley proved his worth against Green Bay last week. If Jackson does remain sidelined, you have to have full confidence in the backup QB to play well against the Bengals. I expect this game to be close regardless of who’s running Greg Roman’s offense.
