What Have We Learned About These Ravens?

And down the stretch they come.

Legendary race caller Dave Johnson delighted fans near and far with his iconic call during Triple Crown races for four decades, but the same could be said for this year’s NFL season — we are officially in the “nitty gritty” of things. And there, right smack dab in the middle of the action, sit the Baltimore Ravens with a 10-3 mark and the current top seed in the AFC.

So, how are they here at this point? Is the simple answer the health of Lamar Jackson? The addition of Todd Monken? The evolution of Mike MacDonald? Players performing beyond their expectations? Down years by other conference contenders? Crafty signings by General Manager Eric DeCosta?

Yeah. The short answer is yeah. All of those things. Let’s dive in.

The Quarterback is a Star

Jackson has not only been healthy this season, he has also performed very well, completing about 67 percent of his passes for more than 2,900 yards, to go with 16 touchdowns and only six picks. He has also rushed for a team-leading 644 yards and five touchdowns. He is just about even with his MVP season in yards per attempt and interception rate, and has shown noteworthy pocket awareness and leadership skills.

Jackson also seems a little more, shall we say, “gritty,” this season. It’s as if some of the adversity he has run into during the start of his career — playoff losses, injuries, etc. — has hardened him, and he displayed that once again with his stellar and courageous drive at the end of regulation against the Rams this past week. Jackson is showing that he is perfectly capable of leading an offense “in structure,” while maintaining his unique ability to produce something electrifying out of what would doom most offenses.

Again, go back to the Rams game. It wasn’t always smooth. It wasn’t always easy. But Jackson found and/or created big plays that very few people on the planet could have even dreamt of performing.

It’s a quarterback-driven league, and the Ravens have one who can duke it out with anybody. That matters.

Whatever it Takes

Head coach John Harbaugh has always talked about wanting a team that can win any number of ways, and it looks like this is the team he’s always wanted.

Need the defense to shut down the opponent because the offense just isn’t on its mark? Check. The Ravens are currently second in defensive DVOA.

Defense sputtering and need a jolt of offense? Check. The Ravens sit at 5^th in offensive DVOA, and have scored 30 or more points six out of the last seven games.

Nail-biter game that can tilt on special teams? How about Justin Tucker booting six field goals against the Titans or Tylan Wallace knocking off the dust and cementing himself in Ravens lore forever with a walk-off punt return?

The team is loaded, and, maybe more important in this day and age, deep. While considerably more healthy than they have shown the past few years, they have certainly had some big players miss significant time or look different because of injuries. Marlon Humphrey, Ronnie Stanley, Mark Andrews, Marcus Williams, JK Dobbins… these are significant guys, and the Ravens have kept marching because of a good, deep roster.

Bullies Getting Bullied

Over the past two seasons, the power players in the AFC have pretty much been the Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills and — sigh — the Cincinnati Bengals. I know, I know. I don’t have the Ravens on that list, but let’s be real. They just weren’t serious contenders, particularly when their star quarterback went down with injuries.

The Bengals this year started with an injured and somewhat ineffective Joe Burrow before losing him for the season a few weeks ago. Yeah, Jake Browning has done some good things, and certainly has improved his overall career arc, but this just isn’t the same team. They should be admired for playing better these past few weeks, and they could still find themselves in the playoffs, but… come on. They’re kind of like the Ravens the past few years. If they do get in, they’re not doing much.

The Bills have weirdly lost some games they should have won, maybe won a game or two they should have lost, and have been discombobulated enough to be hovering around the fringes of the playoff race after Week 14. Josh Allen could certainly steal a game or two for them in the playoffs if they do qualify, but could you see them winning four in a row against top competition to win a Super Bowl with the way they have performed for the majority of this season? Me, neither.

The Chiefs have a star quarterback, tough defense and an inexperienced coach, but appear to be doomed by a pedestrian receiving group that just doesn’t offer anything of significance to the pass game. Yes, they have an all-world tight end and quarterback, but they are going against NFL defensive coordinators, and if you don’t have receivers who can get separation or make tough catches, guess what you have? That’s right. The Ravens of the past few years.

Which brings up the next point.

These Guys Can Catch

When the Ravens signed Odell Beckham Jr. to a high-dollar contract this offseason, there were some chuckles around the league, and some anxiety from Ravens fans — myself included.

I eventually came around to the transaction, believing that, if nothing else, Beckham would be a veteran presence in the locker room, and it made Jackson happy while the team was negotiating for his services. If the Ravens had to overpay a little for that, so be it. They needed a guy in the room who knew what good play looked like, and understood what it takes to win a championship. And they needed Jackson’s signature on the line.

And while he had a bit of a rocky start, Beckham has shown to be worth the money as of late — actually on the field, not just in the locker room. Since missing the Arizona game, Beckham has averaged 68.6 yards per game (which projects to 1,166 yards over 17 games) and produced three touchdowns in those five games. His pairing with first-round pick Zay Flowers (a team-leading 64 catches for 673 yards and 1,846 broken ankles along the way) forms a dangerous tandem that the team hasn’t had in the past.

Rashod Bateman and Nelson Agholor have filled the rest of the room with legitimate play, and let’s not forget about Isaiah Likely, who is doing his part in filling Andrews’ shoes, producing nine catches for 123 yards and a touchdown in the two games he has been the top tight end option.

Jackson now has a complement of receivers who can get open, catch the ball and create with the ball in their respective hands, even with the absence of Andrews.

These Guys Can Hit

Most of the Ravens universe anticipated a good defense this season, especially after seeing the impact Roquan Smith made in the second half of the 2022 season. Granted, there have been a few “hiccup games” (Rams, second Browns game), but the defense has truly been difference-making this year.

Yes, Smith and his counterpart Patrick Queen are a unique tandem that combine speed and controlled rage, bringing together the front and back ends of the defense. They are a special duo that contributes in pass rush, the run game and the pass game. That’s unique.

Do you know what else is unique? Kyle Hamilton. That guy is unique. Like Queen and Smith, Hamilton can impact all three levels of the defense, and we have literally seen him do that in one defensive series. If Smith is Dude A, Hamilton has firmly become Dude B.

That line up front has mostly created havoc against opposing quarterbacks, and they are benefitting from a defensive backfield that has provided good coverage on the back end, giving them an extra second to chase the passer. In return, their relentless pressure has permitted players like Hamilton, Smith and Queen to go either forward or backward, however MacDonald sees fit. When the defensive coordinator gets to dictate the action, that is an advantage.

Low-Profile Hits by EDC

There were several acquisitions this offseason, and early part of the regular season, that should be included in General Manager Eric DeCosta’s personal highlight reel.

A perceived weakness this offseason in pass-rushing has instead become a strength, as the Ravens pace the lead in sacks. While up-and-coming defensive tackle Justin Madubuike leads the team in sacks, and rising edge defender Odafe Oweh has begun to shine through as well, there were some lower-profile signings that DeCosta made this offseason that have been home runs. Jadeveon Clowney has 7.5 sacks and 17 quarterback hits, lining up all over the defensive front, while late addition Kyle Van Noy has six sacks and seven hits coming from the linebacker spot. Van Noy blew up a swing pass in the Rams game that pushed the visitors outside of field goal range and was an underrated factor in helping the Ravens get that big 10^th win of the season.

Arthur Maulet has shown a lot more good than bad in a nickel role, displaying aggression near the line and on blitzes, and providing tight coverage against shifty slot weapons. How about Ronald Darby, combining good coverage with great special-teams work? On offense, the Ravens have gotten mostly solid play from Raiders castoff John Simpson at left guard, and Agholor has become a weapon, totaling over 300 yards receiving this season, and appearing nearly un-guardable on crossers.

How about Keaton Mitchell, folks? Would you be surprised if he stole a playoff game this year with a pair of explosive runs? There were 31 other teams who could have had that guy as a depth piece this year.

Also, Some High-Profile Guys Have Hit

Last year’s first-round picks Hamilton and Tyler Linderbaum have been huge successes, and they both have a big impact on this team’s success. This year’s first, Flowers, is showing plenty of proof that he is going to be a difference-maker in Baltimore for a long time. Big-money free agent Marcus Williams has had some injuries his two years in Baltimore, but he has shined when healthy, and he looks to be getting healthy now, turning in a pair of high-end performances in a row. Oweh has been fighting some injuries of his own, but we are now seeing that training-camp flash show up regularly in games that count.

Oh, and Jackson and his new contract has to count as a high-profile transaction this year too, right? I’ll go ahead and chalk that one up as a win at this point.

And, Yeah… the Coaching Has Been Good

People can criticize Harbaugh for his record on officiating challenges, time management or utilization of a perceived “dog house” for players who don’t toe the company line or make costly fumbles. That’s fair. It’s a big-boy business, and Harbaugh is a big boy. He knows his decisions are analyzed.

There have been times over the past several years when it appeared Harbaugh’s bouts with stubbornness and his commitment to coaches he was long familiar with was, let’s say, keeping the team from taking the next step in its development. Things appeared a bit stale from time to time, and it was beginning to look like a return to true contender status was not really close to happening. Those are also reasonable critiques to make.

But it’s also perfectly reasonable to credit Harbaugh for what he has built here — particularly in terms of having two coordinators who both appear to be doing a terrific job not only in scheming throughout the week and making adjustments, but also in putting their players in the best position to succeed.

And it goes deeper than the coordinators. Bringing in Chuck Smith to help with the pass-rushers seems to have been a grand-slam signing, and Anthony Weaver’s defensive linemen have all improved, from youngsters Madubuike and Travis Jones to seasoned veterans like Brent Urban and Michael Pierce. Tee Martin moving to quarterback coach, Zach Orr working with linebackers and Dennard Wilson coaching up the defensive backs all appear to be home runs, as well.

Harbaugh has always been a very good “Monday through Saturday” coach who nourishes a competitive atmosphere that runs like a clock and looks and sounds like a first-class organization. His willingness to step out of his comfort zone with some out-of-the-box hires this year might just be the thing that returns this team to a championship, sooner than later.