Saturday’s loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers signaled the end of a fun 2023 regular season for the Ravens. While falling to an archrival is never a welcome result in Baltimore, the circumstances effectively made it so last weekend. On a cold, gross day, it was the kind of display from backups that Ravens fans had expected.
And in reality, there was really only one play that did the team in. Either way, I’d like to tie a bow on some things from the season to show how holes I’d thought the team would have were filled.
First, I expected the biggest hole to be in the secondary, with the seeming lack of cornerback depth behind Marlon Humphrey. In reality, Brandon Stephens took the next step, while Arthur Maulet and Ronald Darby were ready to play their roles perfectly.
More importantly, though, I didn’t know Kyle Hamilton would become one of the best safeties in the NFL:
To put this in context, if you could do this to each of the 5 opposing eligible receivers, you'd give up just 2.4 yards per pass play before consideration for sacks.
The #Ravens possibility of a SB run is closely tied to his health.#RavensFlock https://t.co/eWWQ4SwQzn
— Ken McKusick (@FilmstudyRavens) January 9, 2024
Altogether, the secondary has played like one of the league’s top units:
The Ravens defense has allowed negative EPA per play in every primary coverage, per @SumerSports. pic.twitter.com/Oxgpwzo90J
— Hayden Winks (@HaydenWinks) January 9, 2024
Their performance is only amplified by that of the Defensive Line, which, last summer, was the other huge hole in my eyes. I couldn’t have been more wrong about that, but how many of us really predicted the impact Justin Madubuike would have?
Justin Madubuike's 64 QB pressures this season are more than his first three seasons COMBINED (54) 🤯
Statement showing in a contract year 📈 pic.twitter.com/h8EpfuYGuc
— PFF BAL Ravens (@PFF_Ravens) January 9, 2024
Not all these are directly forced by the secondary or Madubuike alone, but they got their hands on a number of interceptions and fumbles this season. Here’s a compilation of all turnovers Baltimore forced in 2023:
Enjoy every turnover caused by the Ravens defense this year 🎥 pic.twitter.com/6it3ousDHA
— The Ravens Realm (@RealmRavens) January 9, 2024
Another question were the skill positions and injuries. Early on, it seemed the Ravens would struggle with the injury bug again, with JK Dobbins suffering a devastating injury in Week 1. Mark Andrews had his season ended early, as well.
And yet, the Ravens somehow kept winning:
INSANE: The #Ravens don't have a 1K rusher or receiver yet they have the best record in the #NFL pic.twitter.com/F50GLGaia7
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) January 9, 2024
What’s different about this year’s offense versus those of the past is the scheme, in my opinion. Offensive Coordinator Todd Monken deserves all his praise, as he’s helping guys like Nelson Agholor and Isaiah Likely succeed.
They’ve held up their end of the bargain, as well, and there’s no doubt Baltimore’s depth at skill positions is improved.
Something to look ahead at, as well, is the fact that they now have two incredibly talented TEs. Where have we seen this before?
The thing about the Ravens…
They gonna take 2 TEs in the same draft and the second one gonna be a star. That simple. pic.twitter.com/RMhJjYkuxq
— Zach Bollinger (@zachbollinger18) January 9, 2024
Two tight end options always worked well for Joe Flacco, but I think it could work even better for Lamar Jackson. The threat of run is always there, but is magnified with two more big bodies on the line.
With Andrews and Likely on the field and firing, the passing attack will be unreal.
But one guy makes it all tick: Lamar Jackson. In reality, there were questions about how he’d perform, too, coming off the big contract. Could Ravens fans have really expected it to go much better?
A 🧵 of 25 ridiculous Lamar Jackson throws this season …
— Ryan Mink (@ryanmink) January 9, 2024
And, if you’ll excuse Cam Newton’s French (NSFW language), you’ll see how locked in Jackson is for a Super Bowl:
"That's the team. That's the culture. The unsung heroes behind the scenes. Nobody can do it by themselves."@Lj_era8 has the @Ravens behind him, and the entire city of Baltimore in his hands right now pic.twitter.com/sMN3HjqPjV
— 4thand1show (@4thand1show) January 9, 2024
Now it’s time for him to go get it!
