Ravens Feast on Fish

Ravens 56, Dolphins 19

Yesterday I watched “The Dreamer”, the latest Dave Chappelle standup comedy act on Netflix. Chappelle covers a wide range of topics but his central point, hence the title, is that he is a self-professed “powerful dreamer” and encourages his audience to realize their dreams and then live them because that’s how he got to where he is.

Chappelle is a DC native and is familiar with Baltimore. There’s a segment during the routine when he throws shade on Charm City. I didn’t take offense to it. The things he said about the inherent dangers of living in our town are unfortunately true. Chappelle isn’t alone in his criticisms of Baltimore. We’re used to it by now, right? We accept it for what it is and live our best lives. We fight through the adversity. Collectively, that’s what we do. It’s how we’re wired.

The shade dents our civic pride. But every now and then something comes along to provide a lift. And these days, that lift comes from the Baltimore Ravens.

There’s a familiar vibe these days as it relates to John Harbaugh & Co. You can feel it. To borrow from the Orioles, there’s magic in the air. The Holiday Season is being replaced by Festivus Maximus.

We felt Maximus’ grips in 2006 and 2019 only to watch it slip away when the Ravens were one and done in the playoffs, losing in the Divisional Round. But this season feels different. It hasn’t always been pretty but while the team was taking shape, while the offense began to gel, despite the mistakes, they were winning games. Today, the Ravens feel like the league’s most complete team on the field, and it appears that they haven’t even hit full stride yet.

They’ve weathered the adversity. They’ve fought through injuries. Their uncommon bond off the field, a byproduct of the culture that Harbaugh has crafted and the carefully blended personalities and talents of the men in the locker room orchestrated by the maestro, Eric DeCosta, have all morphed into the NFL’s most dangerous team. The story feels like a really good one. It tantalizes all of us who call Baltimore home. And now, we can’t wait to see how this journey ends.

With the 56-19 win over the Dolphins, the Ravens have clinched the AFC’s No. 1 seed and another AFC North crown. But looking at this team, listening to their words, the accomplishments to date mean nothing unless they finish the job. Chants from the 72,000+ at The Bank of “MVP” mean nothing to the chants’ target, Lamar Jackson. He’s blocked out the noise. His steely-eyed focus is set upon the one thing he covets most – the object of his desire, when he believed that he was slighted on Draft Day 2018. And of course, the target is Silver Betty, aka The Lombardi Trophy.

“The thing I want to mention, too, while I’m thinking about it, [is] depth – the depth we showed. We had a lot of guys out this game coming off that physical game last week [against the San Francisco 49ers] – guys that couldn’t end up going [and] couldn’t make it for … Our corners – for the way our corners stepped up the way they did [and for] receivers like [Rashod] Bateman that come out and play the way they did. It was just a very impressive performance. Ben Cleveland came out and played great, and there’s a spiritual depth to this team as well that underlines all that. I think that’s where the real power comes from.” ~ John Harbaugh

There’s more work to be done, but until then, let’s revisit The Good, Bad & Ugly from the New Year’s Eve festivities.

THE GOOD

The win marked the seventh time in franchise history that the Ravens recorded at least 300 passing yards and 150 rushing yards in a game. Ironically, the last three times it happened took place against the Dolphins…Justice Hill was explosive and had his best day as a Raven. In Todd Monken’s offense he’s been given an opportunity to shine and he’s taking full advantage. Hill finished with 3 rushes for 48 yards, adding 5 catches for a career-high 64 yards and 1 TD. Hill added kick returns totaling 101 yards, including a career-long 78-yard return to open the second half and set up a 7-yard Lamar Jackson-Isaiah Likely TD pass.

Backfield mate Gus Edwards tallied a team-high 68 rushing yards and 1 TD on 16 carries, guiding a Baltimore attack that totaled 160 ground yards and 2 TDs on 32 attempts (5.0 avg.). Gus now has 13 rushing scores, 12 have occurred in goal-to-go situations, marking the most by any NFL RB all year. The 13 scores are one shy of Jamal Lewis’ team record set in 2003 (14)…Pat Ricard was a force at the LOS and capped an afternoon of enabling teammates’ success, with a little of his own.

“It was kind of one-handed. It wasn’t like Zay [Flowers], [Isaiah] Likely on fourth down with one hand, but I’ll take it. We have so many great guys that have ball skills, so for me to see that, week in and week out, I’m like, ‘You know what? I think I can do that.’ I practice it, and in a situation like that where the ball was a little higher, if I need to put my hand up, I can do it.” ~ Patrick Ricard

LAMAR JACKSON FINDS PAT RICARD FOR THE HOLY GRAIL JACKSON FIVE!!!

LETS FREAKING GOOOOOOOO

WHAT A CATCH PAT! #RavensFlock pic.twitter.com/4N1jhfSlNS

— Nic Mason (@British_Raven19) December 31, 2023

Zay Flowers recorded 3 catches for a team-best and career-high 106 yards, including a 75-yard TD grab that gave the Ravens a 20-13 lead. It was the first 100-yard game of his career. Flowers has now posted a franchise rookie-record 858 receiving yards, breaking WR Torrey Smith‘s previous record of 841 (2011). Flowers’ 77 receptions this season also mark a Ravens’ rookie record…Rashod Bateman seems to have a spring in his step these days and he is a threat on the boundary. Bateman had 4 catches for 54 yards and was inches from finishing a 75-yard long distance connection with Lamar on a pass that was just slightly overthrown.

Bateman absolutely cooks on this rep.

Doesn't look like he slows up to me, just not on the same page in terms of the depth.

Sure, slightly overthrown, but sometimes gotta come up with a tough one.

Nutty route though, so much explosiveness at the break point. pic.twitter.com/MAGbOCY1Ar

— Cole Jackson (@ColeJacksonFB) January 2, 2024

Isaiah Likely continues to help fill the massive void left by Mark Andrews’ absence. He’s been a productive understudy and while his numbers are not on par with Andrews’, he’s certainly been impactful. His 2 catches for 42 yards, including a one-handed snag on a crucial fourth-and-7 attempt and then adeptly navigating the sideline into the end zone for a 35-yard score, was a thing of beauty…Props to Charlie Kolar on his first NFL TD, but I have to say, it looked to me that either Kolar or Likely was in the wrong place at the right time. I thought Tyler Huntley’s pass was intended for Likely, but the result went as planned. You be the judge.

Not more than 2-3 QBs in the #NFL making this throw@Ravens @GetUpESPN pic.twitter.com/cfwHAdYxWE

— Dan Orlovsky (@danorlovsky7) January 1, 2024

Also major props for analyst Charles Davis having notes ready about Charlie Kolar's engineering school GPA when he probably needed a 30-point blowout to see a targetpic.twitter.com/uB0aE1eCE1

— Scott Spratt (@Scott_Spratt) December 31, 2023

Odell Beckham, Jr. hasn’t been ultra-productive on the stat sheet, but he makes timely plays, threatens opposing defenses and he comes up with catches from the WR position that we haven’t been accustomed to in these parts. The Ravens seem to be preserving him for the postseason. OBJ is a player who rises to the occasion in big moments. He had another on Sunday.

Looks at how beautiful this catch by Odell Beckham Jr. is

Vintage pic.twitter.com/AVEkEzRXap

— Kevin Oestreicher (@koestreicher34) December 31, 2023

The Ravens offensive line had a great game against a formidable Dolphins defensive front. Admittedly, I had concerns about Kevin Zeitler being inactive. I thought that former Raven Zach Sieler could be a problem. O-line coach Joe D’Alessandris had an answer in the way he slid protections to provide support for Ben Cleveland who appeared to have a rather flawless afternoon. D’Alessandris has adeptly rotated personnel to preserve ailing tackles Ronnie Stanley and Morgan Moses. And in the process, he’s given players like Daniel Faalele and Cleveland valuable playing time that improves the quality of depth across the offensive front.

Kyle Van Noy registered a sack for the second-consecutive game and now owns 4 QB takedowns over his last four outings. His 8 sacks this season mark a career high and let’s not forget that KVN didn’t even arrive in Baltimore until game 4. Some vets don’t need training camp. KVN is obviously one…Jadeveon Clowney was menacing while registering 3 pressures. His relentless motor is impressive. He added a PD…Tavius Robinson is quietly having a productive season. He holds down the edge nicely and has earned more playing time for the 2024 season. He should see plenty of time against the Steelers. Might also be an opportunity to elevate Malik Hamm.

Justin Madubuike tallied 5 total tackles and posted his 13th sack of the season. He now has a career-high 13 sacks in 2023, the most among all NFL defensive linemen. EDC cannot lose BK to free agency. He has now posted at least a half-sack in 12 of his past 13 games and owns a full sack in seven of eight home games this season…Odafe Oweh had a sack and 3 pressures in 33 snaps. He did struggle at times holding down the edge in run support…Michael Pierce was strong at the point of attack. Twice he stonewalled Dolphins’ ball carriers.

There was a point during the game when I thought the Ravens ILB’s weren’t getting deep enough drops and that provided a window for Tua to hit Tyreek Hill on those intermediate crossers. Just as I started to record the note, Roquan Smith stepped up and made a key interception late in the second quarter. That play was the pivot point in the game. Miami had the ball at the Ravens 44, trailing 21-13 just before the 2-minute warning. Smith made a one-handed snag and returned it 30 yards to the Dolphins 38. Four plays later it was 28-13. For all intents and purposes, this play coupled with Hill’s kick return to open the second half sealed Miami’s fate.

“It was kind of funny, because I think it was on the first or second drive, when [No.] 10 [Tyreek Hill] caught it to our right, and on the ‘Marlo’ [Marlon Humphrey] one, I saw it then, and I was like, ‘I didn’t get there fast enough.’ So, I was like, ‘Crap’ [and] thinking about it, and I was like, ‘If I get that again …’ And then I knew it had to be an in-breaking route, so I said, ‘I’m going to just run,’ and then I ran. I couldn’t believe it; I saw it. I was like, ‘Crap, let me stick this arm out,’ and that’s what happened.” ~ Roquan Smith

On the Dolphins' first drive, Tua squeezed a pass in to Tyreek Hill past Roquan Smith.

In the second quarter, they ran the same route & concept and Roquan read it all the way. Look how early Ro broke on his one-handed interception. 🧠 pic.twitter.com/8urSgZFFWJ

— Ryan Mink (@ryanmink) January 2, 2024

Patrick Queen had 6 tackles, 1 TFL and a PD. But it’s his warrior-like mentality that helps fuel the determination of Mike Macdonald’s unit that cannot be denied. For weeks he has been dealing with an ailing shoulder but that hasn’t changed the way he goes about his business.

The Ravens placed Jalyn Armour-Davis on IR. Brandon Stephens and Kyle Hamilton were scratched due to injury. Marlon Humphrey left the game after the 2nd series when he suffered a calf injury during a Dolphins FG attempt. Pepe Williams was a healthy scratch. Marcus Williams still appears to be playing with one arm. But the guys who filled in, hats off! Arthur Maulet competed well, even taking on Hill at times. He was targeted 6 times, allowing just 17 yards…Ronald Darby kept plays in front of him and provided key in-bounds tackles on successive plays during the Ravens defensive stand after they went ahead 28-13 just before halftime…Geno Stone was once again Johnny-on-the-spot, registering his 7th INT of the season.

You don’t get to say this often. Justin Tucker was 8-of-8 on PATs. Tucker has now scored 143 point this season, setting a new single-season franchise record. He has notched at least 140 points seven times during his career, tying (K Stephen Gostksowski) for the most such seasons in NFL history…Tylan Wallace had key blocks to help spring Hill twice. Once during the 78-yard kick return and then again during a run off-tackle for 41 yards.

THE BAD

Jordan Stout had two punts averaging 35.5 yards, the longest of which was 38 yards. Of his last 5 punts, 4 have gone for just 38, 33, 30 and 44 yards. It’s a concern!…I find it infuriating that the Ravens just don’t kick the ball through the end zone Every. Single. Time. Their coverage teams aren’t particularly great and whenever Tucker opts to force a return with a high kick short of the end zone, the opponent’s starting point is something north of the 25. Why risk further injury by kicking off in play if you can’t pin teams inside the 20? The juice just isn’t worth the squeeze – at least not with the Ravens coverage teams.

THE UGLY

The Dolphins opened the game on fire. They ripped through the Ravens defense during their first two possessions and as it was happening, it was hard not to flashback to 2022 when the Dolphins shredded the Ravens defense for over 200 yards and 4 TD’s in the 4th quarter. To their credit, the Ravens settled down and allowed just 9 points to the league’s No. 1 offense from Miami’s third possession forward.

COACHING

This was OC Todd Monken’s best game. He effectively got nearly all his skill position players involved and kept the Dolphins on their heels the entire game. He steered clear of Jalen Ramsey and targeted Xavier Howard before his injury and then Eli Apple after…Mike Macdonald made some key halftime adjustments and instead of employing simulated pressures like he did in San Francisco, Macdonald went back to basics and used a tight cover 2 scheme limiting the Dolphins big play options. The Dolphins had 269 yards of offense in the first half. In the second half they produced just 106 yards.

John Harbaugh had to have had a hand in the Ravens keeping the pedal to the metal despite a commanding lead. And I’m all for it. I did however question his decision to go for it on 4th-and-7 from the Dolphins 38 just after Roquan’s INT. He explains why he went for it:

“I felt good about our offense, first of all. I felt like we were really doing some good things, and then the kick was [going to be] tough. The wind was coming out of that end [of the field], and it was just going to be a real challenging kick. I thought we had at least as good a chance of making the fourth down as we probably did [the field goal]. ‘Tuck’ [Justin Tucker’s] the best in the business. ‘Tuck’ was already out there. Does that surprise anybody? He probably would’ve made it, but we had a great chance, I thought, to get [the first down]. It turned out to be the right call.”

Harbs was right and it worked, just like most things did for the Ravens during the afternoon.

THE MEGAN FOX AWARD

Is there any doubt? Lamar Jackson was spectacular. Before I describe just how brilliant Lamar was, I first need to touch on his resilience. On the very first offensive play he just missed on a 75-yard connection with Bateman. A couple of plays later he hit Hill for a 26-yard gain only to have it called back for an OPI on Likely, a very questionable call. Facing a 3rd-and-16, Lamar hit Hill on a screen and the speedy tailback moved the chains with a gain of 18. The Ravens went on to score and knot the game at 7.

In the grand scheme of things, it wasn’t huge, but it sent a message that the Ravens weren’t going to cave in or be intimidated by the surgical way the Dolphins offense carved up the Ravens defense in Q1. Lamar’s never lost focused. He was simply unstoppable.

Lamar completed 18-of-21 passes (85.7%) for 321 yards and 5 TDs, finishing with a perfect passer rating (158.3) for the third time in his career. Jackson connected on TDs with players from every skill position – RB Justice Hill, WR Zay Flowers, TE Isaiah Likely (two) and FB Patrick Ricard.

Lamar now has three career games with a perfect passer rating (min. 15 pass attempts), tied with Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Ben Roethlisberger, and Kurt Warner for the most in NFL history.

His 35 yards rushing moved him to 821. It’s his third-career 800-yard rushing season, breaking a tie with Michael Vick (two) for the most such seasons reaching that mark by a QB, again in NFL history.

And that TD pass to Flowers, WOW!

Look at Lamar Jackson hold the Dolphins’ defense in the palm of his hand

Drops back as if he’s a left-handed QB, which sends Miami’s LBs and S flying towards that side. He then flips back and finds Zay Flowers for a long TD as the defense scrambles pic.twitter.com/XNbardemCO

— Kevin Oestreicher (@koestreicher34) January 1, 2024

We often talk about other teams and those that worry us most – those teams that stand in the way of the Ravens ultimate success. There has been concern about Joe Flacco coming back to haunt the Ravens; the legend of Patrick Mahomes; the broad skill set of Josh Allen. Legit concerns no doubt, but the scariest player in the league right now is none other than Lamar Jackson. And it’s not even close.

NOTABLES AND QUOTABLES

“It’s just a great feeling, like I said. Those [moments] – I wish everyone in their life can experience the bit of happiness like we feel, and everyone feels in this locker room like we came to win. We also know at the same time, this is a steppingstone for the big goal that we all have in mind, so it’s a good feeling, but we just have to find a way to keep going and keep getting better.” ~ OBJ

Joe Schad, so Sad

Joe Schad, a columnist for the Palm Beach Post wrote an article following the game titled, “John Harbaugh allows ruthless, unnecessary, distasteful touchdown pass at end of 56-19 win”.

Schad goes on to say, “John Harbaugh has a reputation of never letting off the throttle, and we saw him live up to that reputation once again on Sunday.”

No he doesn’t!

How many times have we all criticized John for letting opponents get up off the deck – for not putting them away? Too many, right? Schad seems butt-hurt about the butt-kicking. And he seems to have forgotten that earlier this season the Dolphins beat the Broncos 70-20 while posting 726 yards of offense. Ahead in the game 56-13 with 9:05 in the game, Dolphins’ backup QB Mike White hit Robbie Chosen (fka Robbie Anderson) for a 68-yard touchdown on a 9-route, after which White jumped around in celebration as if the play landed the Dolphins a berth in Super Bowl 58.

Spare us Schad!

Last 5 teams the #Ravens have faced that were 3+ games over .500 at the time:

o Miami (11-4): Won 56-19
o SF (11-3): Won 33-19
o Jax (9-4): Won 26-7
o Sea (5-2): Won 37-3
o Det (5-1): Won 38-6

Combined 190-54 (avg 38-11)#RavensFlock

— Ken McKusick (@FilmstudyRavens) January 2, 2024

Happy New Year ~ Celebrate Good Times

Happy New Year from @urbanlegend96 and Michael Pierce 🤣 pic.twitter.com/4yPrbrvVZ5

— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) January 1, 2024

John Harbaugh on his locker room dance: "While I was dancing, I thought it was pretty darn good. I thought I was smooth, rolling. Then my daughter showed it to me later on tape. The tape doesn't lie. I was a little bit disappointed in the performance."pic.twitter.com/sB14sIRuwc

— Jamison Hensley (@jamisonhensley) January 1, 2024

I Was Wrong

Back in 2019 in response to a question submitted, I wrote:

“Lamar will never be a pocket passer, but he can be a threatening signal caller provided he develops in the passing game. There’s a ton of work to be done but when you listen to the players, he’s doing some eye-opening things in practice in the passing game. The challenge will be to move such accomplishments from The Castle on weekdays to The Bank on Sundays.”

Obviously, I was wrong. This topic has somehow surfaced again on our forums and Twitter. Maybe people just want to say, “I told you so!” All good. I’m in the opinion business and in that line of work, sometimes you get wrong and the criticisms come with the turf. And sometimes, you’re more than happy to admit the mistake.

In 2019 I wrote that Lamar would never be a pocket passer. He's a unicorn. He's everything the position can be. And as a fan of the #Ravens I'm happy to eat humble pie & say that I was wrong. He's a running QB AND a pocket passer. And a damn good one!https://t.co/GaVPgIfo3q

— Tony Lombardi (@RSRLombardi) January 2, 2024

Redemption & Forgiveness

I was also wrong about questioning the timing of Ray Rice as the Ravens Legend of the Game. I never questioned whether Ray had earned it. I questioned the timing. I worried that some might not like the idea of such accolades for Rice so why risk the potential backlash during an important game. Those worries were put to rest when Ray took the field with his wife and child. Everyone is worthy of a second chance and Rice has been a model citizen since his monumental mistake.

Tonight on our Purple Connection show, Ray Rice talked about how special it was to be with his children as the #Ravens legend of the game.

“It was like winning the Super Bowl for me.” #RavensFlock @wjz pic.twitter.com/ekAmKP4a9C

— WJZ Sports (@WJZ13sports) January 2, 2024

There’s Something Happening Here

“It’s everything. It’s the way the organization is run. It’s the players. This is the best team I’ve ever been on in my entire life, I want to say. [It’s] definitely one of them. I had a crazy freshman [year] team in college, but this is the best team I’ve been on in the NFL ever in my entire life.” ~ OBJ

Positive vibes only pic.twitter.com/wxrQqfXh6F

— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) January 1, 2024