So, what does it mean for the defense?

[tsylvester]

Some caveats out of the way...

 

The rain has to be considered, there were some drops, an unexplainable fumble from a wet shirt, hands and ball.... Ok, done..

 

Now, sure, there was only 1 sack, they lost their rush lanes/ discipline at times. But, there was pretty much constant pressure on the pocket, so much so, that a non-athletic quarterback would have been swallowed up. Yes, they gave up, 106 yards rushing, which is pretty good but nothing earth shattering.

 

They gave up ONLY 16 points to one of the best quarterbacks & offenses in the league, albeit with one missed field goal.

 

They held a likely HOF quarterback to a 65 qbr, completed only 50 % of his passes and got him for a pick six. He only threw for 241 yards, some of that to end the game, when the score was out of reach.

 

There were some blown coverages, but far less than other games and did we mention it was slippery?

 

5.1 yards per play they held the SeaHawks to, 1-4 in the redzone, against a qb like Wilson. This, with the offense of the Ravens sputtering for most of the game, TOP was 29:54 (Ravens)- 30:06 (SeaHawks)..

 

Most of that time was gained by Seattle in the first half. There were 9, Nine, tackles for a loss, 9.

 

Now Seattle was 10 of 17 on third downs, a total of 68 plays, at the same time, while this was bad, again, 1 of 4 in the redzone and, this shortened the game.

 

So, it was on the road, West Coast, in the rain, against an arguably HOF caliber quarterback and very, very quick receivers skilled in backyard plays.

 

Did the defense take another step? Sure, we know they need depth, they need help on the Dline and backer. But Fort & Ferguson played well for fill-ins.

 

How many times do we think Brady gets sacked if he were the qb in that game?

 

Can this defense keep getting better? Hold the penalties down, (I know, that officiating crew was one of the crews that holds their flags for late games)..

 

Still, what does it mean?

[vmax]

Great topic.

As I see it:

1. It means that with an average defense, the Ravens are now legit playoff contenders. The defense is average for now....at best a B.

2. Eric Decosta. Let's be grateful that he's the GM. His moves are really hitting pay dirt The Ravens have never made mid season moves like this. It's hard to believe that a couple of street free agents can come in midway, start, make a difference and stop the bleeding. With no training camp, no pre season. and then Marcus Peters! What a steal. His INT for a TD was the turning point in the game. The Hawks were driving with a chance to go up 17-6 or 13-6 and put the Ravens in a hole. Instead 13-10 Ravens. Eric deserves his own thread.

3. With Mahomes out, the only dominant team in the AFC that I see is the Pats. How many AFC teams will hit the playoffs hot and on a roll? Will the Title be up for grabs?

4. IF!......IF!... they can stay healthy. We'll find out about McPhee today. Can't afford to lose him. Looks like Smith and Peanut will be back for the Pats game. Just in time. Once again...they have to stay healthy! Then....we'll see come January.

5.It seems communication on the D has improved. So has assignment discipline. How that can happen boggles the mind with all the new players and with some players being put into new positions. Credit Martindale and his staff with a fabulous job. The D played their ass's off for 60 minutes. No quit in that dog. This game will give them more confidence and swagger and belief in themselves.

 

6. Yea....they can keep getting better.

[varaven45]

Great points ! My two cents :

 

1. Rain and muddy conditions are great equalizers. See Skins game- Skins kept the "unbeaten:" 49ers in check all day and could have won had they gotten out of their own way.

Anyway, back to our game, RW probably doesn't throw that pick 6 in decent, rain free weather. Taking nothing away from Peters pick which was a thing of beauty. Just saying.

 

2. Our D still has some holes...... in the middle - LB corps and secondary - but it has quickly improved. I really like Chuck Clark (Va Tech Hokie) who has more than filled in for Tony Jefferson. I thought last year and even more so this year he should be starting as safety. The boy is a thumper and a smart player (wearing the green dot). He, Earl Thomas, Peters and Humphrey are forming a strong secondary. With Jimmy Smith returning and Brandon Carr on hand, the secondary should continue to improve. FWIW - how did Wink go from being a bum to a great DC....again ?!

 

3. We still need a more prolific pass rush. With our secondary coming on, our D could take a quantum leap with a fortified pass rush. I'm not sure where its coming; just know its needed.

 

4. Lamar is a beast and now the face of the O if not the team. He is the man but still needs receiving help from his TE and WRs. Getting Brown back would be huge. Receivers need to catch the damn ball.

Lamar could benefit from spreading the rock around - Edwards, Ingram, Hill should get a few more touches. Otherwise, its a helluva backfield !

 

5. NE will be the ultimate challenge. Watching the Jets game closely tonight. We will see how we stack up against the best eh ? M & T will be rocking November 3rd !

[tsylvester]

Yes, while the linebackers have played well, both middle backers need to be upgraded. They are great fill in players, role players, over the course of a game or season they will be exposed. They don't track the ball well behind the los, thus not filling the holes in the running game.

 

 

Clarke, time will tell, he is a good communicator, & tackler, he is still a liability in coverage. Maybe with more playing time he will get better.

 

Smith coming back will help a lot, meaning Averett and company won't get as much playing time, Carr too can stop playing so much. He is terrible at route recognition, and always getting burnt.

 

The trade deadline is next week but I don't know of a legit pass rusher that is on the block nor worth trading for, there will be several in the upcoming draft.

 

Even so, the nucleus is there especially if Peters stays. Best to let the season play out, the league overall is having a down year talent wise; team wise. Even NE is untested.

[vmax]

McPhee is done. It's Ferguson's time to shine.

 

This bye week is at a good time.

The team has time to get healthy............

 

On more positive injury news, Harbaugh said he's "very optimistic" the Ravens will be at full strength coming off the bye. That means the return of receiver Marquise Brown, cornerback Jimmy Smith and linebacker Patrick Onwuasor........https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/27897766/ravens-lb-pernell-mcphee-likely-done-season-triceps-injury.

 

I don't see them putting together a shut down D.Too many injuries and off season losses. This is a unit on the in-season rebuild.

A good solid D is necessary and I think they can be that. There is still a solid corps of players in Pierce, Judon, Williams, Thomas, Peters, Smith, Humphrey and Clark. They can go to war with that.

 

It looks like the Ravens will have to rely on all 3 units, playing well, to win against the very good teams.