ExtremeRavens Posted 22 hours ago Posted 22 hours ago The Ravens needed a win. Any win. That happens when a team is 1-5 and scrounging to get into the postseason, so the 30-16 victory against the Chicago Bears was a big deal. The Ravens are now 2-5, and that abyss the team has been staring into since the season started doesn’t appear to be as deep or as dark. And once the Ravens beat Miami on Thursday night as expected, they are back in contention for the AFC North because no team, not even the division-leading Pittsburgh Steelers, is going to run away with the title. It’s a dog fight until the end. Well, it’s more of a chicken fight. Get used to it, because what was on display Sunday is what you will see for at least the next month or so because the NFL’s product is awful. There are maybe five good teams in the league right now, and the rest are pretty poor. Kansas City is again the top team with the best quarterback, followed by Philadelphia, Buffalo, Denver and possibly Detroit. Go ahead, you can pick the order, because it has become the standard modus operandi for the Ravens until the final two weeks of the season when they travel to Green Bay and Pittsburgh. The Ravens weren’t great Sunday, but their upcoming opponents are worse. The Ravens still have to play Cincinnati twice. The Bengals can score points because they have quarterback Joe Flacco and receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, but they don’t have a defense, which is why they lost, 39-38, to the previously winless New York Jets. The Jets? The stinking, rotten Jets. They play the Ravens here in Baltimore on Nov. 23. The Ravens also face Cleveland again later this season and the Minnesota Vikings, both teams without a top starting quarterback, and the “Clowns” were a 32-13 loser to the New England Patriots on Sunday. The Ravens still have to play Pittsburgh twice, including the final day of the regular season, but the Steelers have too many older guys on their roster. They’ll fold like they did last season, when they lost their last four regular-season games and were eliminated by the Ravens, 28-14, in the wild-card round. That’s why, for all those who kept asking about whether Ravens coach John Harbaugh should be fired during the bye week, the answer was a resounding no. During the first six weeks, five of the opponents were in the playoffs last season, and it’s going to get easier, much like Sunday’s win against Chicago. The Bears are an ugly team but had won four straight. Then they turned into the Bears again. They are the only team that can get more penalties and finish with more turnovers than the Ravens. Baltimore had six penalties for 45 yards, and Chicago had 11 for 79. Ravens backup quarterback Tyler Huntley didn’t throw an interception despite almost turning it over twice in scoring position, but Bears quarterback Caleb Williams threw one in the fourth quarter that led to a 10-yard touchdown pass from Huntley to tight end Charlie Kolar. Running back Derrick Henry scored on a 2-yard run with 2:09 remaining to seal the win. This game was far from picturesque. Actually, it was dreadful, but that’s the state of the NFL these days. In five of the previous six games, the Ravens couldn’t run the ball, stop the run or keep their quarterback protected. But on Sunday, they rushed for 177 yards on 35 carries and had 355 yards of total offense. The Bears had 372 yards of total offense, and the Ravens looked lost at times in the secondary again, especially without a consistent pass rush. But they can get by for now on this schedule, especially playing on a short week against the Dolphins. Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson will play in that game because it is in his home state. It’s like a guarantee, sort of like death, taxes and Jackson playing in front of friends and relatives. It was intriguing how the Ravens, including Harbaugh, tried to downplay Jackson’s hamstring injury throughout the week, but it’s all about trying to stay one step ahead of the competition. Harbaugh wanted the Bears to spend the entire week preparing for Jackson, even though he took repetitions Friday with the scout team, which should have changed his participation to limited. Of course, the Ravens came out with a statement Saturday explaining the situation, but it’s clear what they attempted. They’ll face a fine or possibly lose a draft pick, but the Ravens accomplished a major goal. They won. Ravens tight end Charlie Kolar, right, celebrates his touchdown catch against the Bears. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff) As for Jackson, it wouldn’t be surprising if he simply told the Ravens that he wasn’t going to play Saturday morning and that ended any future conversations. Jackson, a two-time league Most Valuable Player, might be the biggest enigma in the NFL. Whatever he wants, he gets from Harbaugh and this organization. But he’ll play Thursday night against the Dolphins, who have no defense. In the end, the Ravens needed to win after getting thrashed by Houston, 44-10, and then pushed around by the Los Angeles Rams, 17-3, nearly two weeks ago. They were previously 4-12 in games without Jackson being the starting quarterback since 2018, but now they might get on a mini roll. They’ll get Jackson back, and now they have middle linebacker Roquan Smith, safety Kyle Hamilton and left tackle Ronnie Stanley healthy again instead of shuffling them in and out of the starting lineup. That’s why winning Sunday was so important. They beat the Bears and should win against Miami. They’ll be on a two-game winning streak and they know that there isn’t a clear-cut favorite to win the AFC North. That’s why the Ravens were so happy Sunday. Actually, downright giddy. They didn’t play well, but they played well enough to win and saved their season. In this league, that’s good enough for now — and in the immediate future. Have a news tip? Contact Mike Preston at epreston@baltsun.com, 410-332-6467 and x.com/MikePrestonSun. View the full article Quote
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