varaven45

Well that stinks . I hope Weiters and Maxhado make monster comebacks and Duquette has his checkbook ready.

FWIW. Joe and the offense put up 33 points against the 7th rated D in the NFL. SD is a good team as evidenced by their 8-4 record and likely WC berth. Yes, Joe got us in the red zone and we settled for 4 FGs. But we had too many dropsies at critical moments; Joe cant throw and catch the ball, too. This L is on the D, mostly the makeshift secondary and their inability to cover and finish, with an assist from the refs. FWIW2- Jimmy Smith is SORELY missed.

Both QBs are very impressive but neither team has a championship level D. Seattle is peaking at the right time, and Arizona and San Fran are fading. My money is on the team that's getting the hot hand - Seattle. And they have em a pretty decent QB to boot.

As we've discussed all season, the Ravens are an average to better than average - 7 to 9 win team. You can't ask or expect much more. Yes, we might have won today with 1 or 2 breaks going our way. Instead, the Chargers who, by all accounts are a better than average team as well, made the plays and won. It's that simple. This team is good at times - last Monday night in NO , the blowout in Tampa - and other times can't seal the deal such as today. Looking ahead, this team will likely win 1 maybe 2 games and be second guessing the 2 losses to Cincy, and today's heartbreaker and wondering what might have been in this watered down NFL. Let's face it: there's a fine line between the AFC Division leaders and the teams in the hunt. In reality, as I felt going into the season, this is a 7-9 win team with holes on defense, especially in the secondary, and in need of young playmakers on the offense, particularly at Wr and TE. A good draft or two, some adjustments in coaching, and strong leadership will help right the ship. Until then, we are a competitive, middle of the pack team right now which, given a few good fortunes in the next year, could become more relevant again in the AFC.

Good points Max. Actually, fwiw- the Ravens have the 5th rated D and 6th rated O in terms of points, which is a pretty good balance. It will be tested Sunday when the Chargers come calling.

Spot on TSylvester.

After last night's win - and what a victory - everything is good (even the oatmeal taste pretty dang good ). I blew my prediction which I had us losing by 10. And after watching the refs BLOW 2 MAJOR CALLS in 1st half (DPI & LATE HIT on NGATA), my prediction looked good at the half with the Saints up 17-14. It was at that point I resigned myself to the notion that the Ravens would have to beat the Refs and Saints in the 2nd half. Well, we beat both and won in convincing fashion. My observations of last night's game: We finally established our offensive identity through a dominant running game. And we needed that to win last night's game. Establish a strong running game, get Joe in a comfort level, and let his receivers (Smith & Smith) do their thing. Granted it was against NO, but we established an offensive identity and our OL made a dang statement. Joe played an outstanding (not great) game. Joe was Joe - he led his troops, established the run and made critical throws at key points in the game. He nearly threw a pick six which arguably could have changed the outcome. But he didn't and Joe led a good, balanced, dominant offense and it was a thing of beauty. They need to follow this blueprint down the stretch run. Justin Forsett is an amazing player and a real find. Thank goodness Kubiak, Harbaugh snatched him in the offseason. He, Pierce and Lorenzo will be key down the stretch. We have an enigmatic defensive. Our front seven, including our run D (Ngata et al) and pass rushing (Suggs. Elvis) is strong and often dominant. And it has to be in order mask our leaky pass D and keep us in games. Will Hill is as advertised and made the D play of the game with his pick 6. Somehow, someway the little sisters of the poor in our secondary (Brooks, Elam) have got to emulate Hill's tenacity and toughness on defensing the pass. This is going to be critical moving forward. Our ST's play were key last night. Koch's booming punt and Tucker's kicks were clutch, and Jacoby might be finding his legs again (maybe). Lastly, last night s game was huge and the team showed a lot of grit in overcoming adversity and BAD, BAD CALLS. While the victory was significant , it was 1 win that merely keeps us in the hunt. Harbaugh and the team have to build from last night and bring it every Sunday from here on out need. In spite of what many will say, the Chargers and Rivers will bring it Sunday. Expect no less than a war. Keep on keepin' on ! Go Ravens

I've seen enough bad calls tonight. The refs blown call that extended the Saints 1st TD on 3rd and short. Then the bogus late hit call on Ngata on Brees. Lastly, the incomplete pass called compete along the sideline. Ravens will have to beat the referees and the Saints in the 2 half. Refs ain't goin to let it happen. I'm out.

Yep. Me too. It's fun to throw out an opinion amongst the many

While we are addressing Joe and his burdensome contract, does anyone have constructive ideas on the FO might pursue as next QB ? Jay Cutler, RG III, and Andy Dalton might be hitting the unemployment line next year. Or future picks like Jameson Winston (FSU), Marcus M (Oregon) and other future scramblers with 1-2 yr shelf lives might be available in next years draft, Not exactly a smorgasboard of current or future QBs out there.

I am inclined to agree with the above and would add: Brees and Jimmy Graham go off .....finally and secondary is exposed again on National TV Joe remains in his mild slump 1 more week. Run game mysteriously disappears and Harbaugh laments in the aftermath but vows that "we have to get better" Saints win by 10, we fall to 6-5, and desperation sets in Tuesday AM.

Agree with Crav; got to pound the rock. In addition, and as bad as the Saints have been, we will have to game plan and execute flawlessly to win. If we sleep walk into game (a la Titan game), we are toast !

Max, It"lł take an exorcism and a little Bart Scott hot sauce to sneak a W in Nawlins ' !!

Yep. Me too

I don't share the same optimism on number of wins but see extremely close games down the stretch. We may witness a cliff hanger win or two and lose a heartbreaker or two. Stock up on your best beverages, pain meds, zantac, etc. for the final run. It should be interesting.

I really don't know about number of wins, Crav, though I predicted (before season) and am sticking with 7 to 8 wins (largely because of secondary). I see us seriously grinding out every outcome, W or L, and being competitive in every game. We could literally be involved in outcomes of 3 pts or less in all games. Justin Tucker might be a busy dude down the stretch.

Thanks Max . I thought it was a decent thread when initiated in the morning.

And the beat goes on ........

Yep. The dynamic changes next yr when we face the NFC west.

True. But its a watered down league and mediocrity runs ramped in todays NFL. Every team has played a few garbage teams.

Hard to argue here. Brees and TE Jimmy Graham should have EPIC MONSTER games. Our secondary will be busy

Crav and Papa, We are 4th in red zone defense - http://www.teamrankings.com/nfl/stat/opponent-red-zone-scoring-pct The last 3 (mostly the Steeler meltdown) did us in, eh ? But we are dang good at home ! Rank Team 2014 Last 3 Last 1 Home Away 2013 1 Jacksonville 41.67% 55.56% 100.00% 37.50% 45.00% 60.00% 2 Kansas City 42.31% 22.22% 0.00% 50.00% 37.50% 55.81% 3 Cleveland 44.44% 25.00% 0.00% 40.00% 50.00% 64.00% 4 Baltimore 46.88% 70.00% 50.00% 18.18% 61.90% 48.78%

Crav, is there really hate for Joe ?

After ten games, here's where we stack up (points wise) : Offense (scoring): 26.1 ppg; tied for 6th with Dallas, Pittsburgh Defense : 18.1 ppg (behind Detroit 15.8, KC 16.8) In terms of offensive yards gained, we are Passing 8th Running 4th Meanwhile, in terms of yards allowed, we are: Passing 31st Rushing 6th Its no surprise we are 31st in yards allowed. Talk about an Achilles heel ! Maybe this newfangled, makeshift secondary can make a difference. NO will be a great litmus test. As an aside, while listening to ESPN, Mike and Mike mentioned that, according to Elias Sports, the QB with the most road playoff victories (with 6) is none other than our beloved Joe Flacco. I thought many of our Joe lovers would appreciate

fwiw, I like this kid. He's an NFL survivor and, like Forsett, is giving his all to make the team. As pointed out, itll be interesting to see how he does in NO next week.