Answering a few questions on the 2022 Ravens
As we plow through to the final third of the 2022 season for the Baltimore Ravens, there are still plenty of questions surrounding this team. The problem is… there aren’t exactly a lot of answers. Twelve games in and the Ravens are still a bit of a mystery, and that doesn’t even include some of the significant issues facing them this offseason.
Let’s dive into a few topics that merit some consideration, and try to offer a bit of clarity.
• The Ravens are pretenders who are too inconsistent to win a title — Yay
Let’s take a look at this objectively. The Ravens have been able to build a lead of at least nine points in all 11 games this season. That’s the good news, right? The bad news is they’ve blown four of them — in completely different ways. That would be the bad news.
This team could legitimately beat any other franchise in the league, and I wouldn’t blink twice about it, would you? A good effort by the defense, some magic moments from their quarterback and a consistent ground attack could take down the Chiefs, Bills, Eagles or whoever you put in front of them.
For one game!
However, I’m not sure they have shown to this point that they can string together four of these efforts in a row to win the whole thing. They just haven’t. Now there are six games still remaining on the schedule — and it’s not a daunting slate by any means. They could get there.
But they’re not there now. And I’m not sure they’re particularly close.
• The offensive line is still a problem — Nay
There have been injuries at both tackle spots this season that have required a little dash of Patrick Mekari and Daniel Faalele at times, but I have never really thought this has been a problem unit — particularly after those first few games where they were struggling to gain momentum in the run game. The hurries and pressures I’ve seen Lamar Jackson take have largely been due to coverage from what I can tell, as opposed to complete breakdowns.
Statistically, the Ravens are the third-ranked offensive line by PFF — ranking first in pass blocking with a grade of 79.7, and sixth in run blocking, at 73.8.
Has rookie center Tyler Linderbaum been pushed backwards by gigantic interior lineman on occasion? Sure. That happens in this big-boy league. But he’s also been pretty good, particularly for a rookie. He is currently rated the 12th best center in the league by PFF, and is ranked second on the line in run blocking — a big deal for a run-centric team.
The line is not the biggest concern. Not this year.
• Marcus Peters has been bad this year — Nay
Marcus Peters was bad last week against the Jaguars. It was not a great performance. And he wasn’t great against the Giants or Browns, either. The play against the Saints was horrendous. You know the one I’m talking about? The sideline one? Yeah, that’s the one.
The Ravens had no interest tackling/pushing Juwan Johnson out of bounds. A 41-yard touchdown for the Saints! 🏈 #MNF pic.twitter.com/sOeVCUBeDN
— The Comeback (@thecomeback) November 8, 2022
However, he has also had some terrific games this season. He had games graded over 90 by PFF against the Patriots and Panthers — and you could really argue he was the best player on the field in that Panthers game, just two weeks ago.
He’s coming back from a major, traumatic knee injury, and inconsistency often comes with that. He has six games left this season to get his bearings right before the playoffs. Let’s see where he is then before we start writing him off.
And, yes… I am a Peters truther. So, there’s a slight chance I’m giving him a larger benefit of the doubt than many of you will.
[Related Article: Peters’ Principles]
• The Ravens aren’t built to win in today’s NFL — Meh
Look, I get it. I see the complaints about the team not having a sophisticated passing offense in an era of sophisticated passing offenses. They have invested in safeties and tight ends, but not so much pass-rushers and receivers. A lot of you are frustrated with the endless “zigging versus zagging” philosophy that just hasn’t answered the call in important playoff moments.
I get it all. And I do share some of those frustrations — particularly in regards to the receiver room.
But at the end of the day, what matters on the football field is what team can score more points. Are the Ravens built to come back if they’re down double digits in the fourth quarter? I think they would struggle in that instance this year, particularly with the absence of Rashod Bateman and no good backup plan. Actually, I think most teams wouldn’t want to find themselves down double digits in the fourth quarter against a playoff team.
But that hasn’t been their problem. Not this year. Their problem has been blowing leads in the fourth quarter, and that’s what is supposed to be their strength — getting on top and strangling an opponent’s hopes with a relentless rush game and safeties who can prevent big plays over the top.
They really should be able to win this way.
I’m just not sure they’ve shown that they can, yet.
4 Responses
Interesting post! The Ravens are enigmatic, but…..when your offensive philosophy is defensive, i.e., ball control, keeping it close, playing not to lose so the defense can win, mistakes are magnified exponentially and it puts a tremendous amount of pressure on a defense that does not have a pass rush, which That, puts all the pressure on the secondary! With the emphasis today on the passing game in large part because defenses are hamstrung by draconian rules that hinder pass defense, it’s a recipe for disaster! And, that’s what we’ve been witnessing! So, regardless of the talent in the secondary, without a pass rush, there’s little reason to believe that we can beat the better QBs in the league! Just one fan’s opinion for a change…….
Here’s a solution. Is there any way we can put Roman on IR? I think this would remedy many of the offense’s ailments. Next man up? Just kidding but half serious.
Here’s a thought for the short yardage/red zone problems. We have Faalele, one of the biggest linemen in the NFL. I would think he should be able to push the line a yard or two. Why not find ways to utilize Faalele in these situations? I have visions of Refrigerator Perry from the Bears days running through my head. He is bigggg and has some athleticism. Let’s find ways of maximizing our assets. BTW, glad to see Duvs getting a few more touches last week.
Very telling PFF ranks the ravens OL #1 for pass blocking. WOW You would think we are a decent passing team with the best pass blocking OL.