ExtremeRavens Posted yesterday at 11:30 AM Posted yesterday at 11:30 AM Let’s preface this by saying the Ravens’ four-game winning streak has come against Chicago, Miami, Minnesota and Cleveland, which have a combined record of 15 wins and 24 losses. It hasn’t exactly been a grueling schedule since the Ravens started off 1-5, but imagine if they had lost. So, now they are 5-5 and one game behind the Steelers (6-4) for the AFC North lead. They still face Pittsburgh and Cincinnati (3-7) twice. But it’s hard to evaluate the Ravens in the past four games because they have faced two second-year quarterbacks in Chicago’s Caleb Williams and Minnesota’s J.J. McCarthy, another guy in Miami who is way past his prime in Tua Tagovailoa, and those two Towers of Power in Cleveland, rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders, who probably won’t be remembered as the next Bernie Kosar. It won’t get any harder with the New York Jets (2-8) coming to town Sunday with quarterback Tyrod Taylor, and we probably won’t find out about the Ravens as legitimate contenders until they host the New England Patriots (9-2) on Dec. 21, followed by the Green Bay Packers (6-3) and Pittsburgh. We’re still learning about the Ravens, and today The Baltimore Sun unveils its midseason report card unpacking what we know so far. Quarterback It’s evident that Lamar Jackson has slowed down. It might be a result of him being injured and missing three games, or possibly not being willing to run as much now that he has played eight seasons. Regardless, his decision making is slower and he has caught from behind several times. Jackson has competed 68% of his passes for 206 yards per game with 15 touchdowns and has a passer rating of 115.5. But we’re used to seeing the old Jackson, and he set the standard pretty high in previous years. It remains to be seen if he can return to his old form, but he’ll need to step up his game in the postseason — if the Ravens make it there. Grade: C Running backs Top running back and future Hall of Famer Derrick Henry has had his moments, but he hasn’t been as successful as a year ago. Henry has rushed 156 times for 807 yards and seven touchdowns, but he has been hesitant at the line of scrimmage. The Ravens need to get him the ball more often going forward, with his foot planted in the ground. No. 2 running back Keaton Mitchell has been used sparingly, rushing 21 times for 124 yards, but the Ravens needs to use him more often, especially in the second halves of games. Justice Hill has 18 carries for 93 yards, and he has been an asset as far as pass blocking, but the Ravens have become predictable when he enters the game. Grade: C+ Offensive line A year ago, the Ravens were the best run blocking unit in the NFL, but this group hasn’t been nearly as dominant. The Ravens are currently ranked No. 4 in rushing offense, averaging 142 yards per game, but they have been ineffective inside the red zone, especially on first down. The pass blocking has been ineffective, and the Ravens have allowed 30 sacks this season for nearly 200 lost yards. The linemen haven’t been successful staying on blocks, and they get shed quickly. While guards Daniel Faalele and Andrew Vorhees have struggled, so has right tackle Roger Rosengarten and even center Tyler Linderbaum. Left tackle Ronnie Stanley has been solid, but it remains to be seen if he can play the entire season with lower leg injuries. It might be time for the Ravens to use Corey Bullock at guard or rookie Emery Jones Jr. at tackle or guard. Teams, though, don’t like to shuffle linemen during the season because a lot of the position is based on timing. Grade: C- Receivers It will be interesting to see how this group pans out in the second half of the season. Pass protection has been a problem, but it’s only part of the reason the Ravens haven’t been successful throwing the ball down the field. It could be the competition because the Ravens haven’t played a top team since they lost to the Rams, 17-3, on Oct. 12. The Ravens are ranked No. 29 in passing offense, averaging just 180 yards per game. The Ravens need to get slot receiver Zay Flowers more involved in the offense. He has 53 catches for 703 yards but only one touchdown. The Ravens could use him more on jet sweeps and quick screens. Tight end Mark Andrews is having a solid season with 32 catches for 276 yards and five touchdowns, but the Ravens still don’t have a solid blocker in the group consisting of Andrews, Isaiah Likely and Charlie Kolar. DeAndre Hopkins has 13 catches for 219 yards, but Jackson might want to use him more in isolated situations with the game on the line. Rashod Bateman has 16 catches for 194 yards, and the Ravens might need more out of him if they get to the postseason. He is still the best route runner on the team. Grade: C Defensive line In line with the competition they have faced, the Ravens have gotten better in the past four games and it’s not coincidental. Tackle Travis Jones has stepped up his game with a total of 22 tackles. Nose guard John Jenkins has been a big plus on the inside replacing the injured Nnamdi Madubuike. They aren’t in the same class, especially as far as pass rushing, but Jenkins has been tough in the middle and has 24 tackles, 11 of those solo. The Ravens have worked third-year player C.J. Okoye into the rotation as well, and last week against Cleveland all three tackles either knocked down passes or forced both of the Browns’ rookie quarterbacks to move in the pocket. It will be interesting to see what outside linebacker Dre’Mont Jones brings to this mix because he can play on the outside or at tackle. He wasn’t a great addition for the Ravens, but he does upgrade their pass rush. Grade: C+ Linebackers Rookie weakside linebacker Teddye Buchanan is tied for the team lead in tackles with veteran middle linebacker Roquan Smith. Both have improved in pass coverage, an area they were lacking in when training camp ended. Smith has 45 solo tackles while Buchanan has 36. Buchanan has been somewhat of a surprise because he was expected to back up weakside linebacker Trenton Simpson at the beginning of the season, but now has emerged as a starter. Simpson, though, is more of a “fetch” player on the outside as a pass rusher. He’s best when asked to chase down quarterbacks. Veteran outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy has been steady, but the Ravens need more from veteran outside linebacker David Ojabo (nine tackles). Rookie Mike Green has played reasonably well on the outside, especially for a player in his first season. Green has 23 tackles, including 1 1/2 sacks, and he’ll get better next season. He still has to learn to come up with a a second or third move, but he has a very strong motor as far as pursuing ball carriers. Grade: B- Ravens defensive backs Marlon Humphrey and Alohi Gilman have helped solidify the secondary with their performances this season. (Kevin Richardson/Staff) Secondary It’s hard to rate this group because of the quarterbacks the Ravens have faced. Now, they get to face Taylor on Sunday. Go ahead, laugh. It’s easy to understand why the Ravens had so many injured players absent from practice Wednesday. The Ravens, though, have improved on the back end. Second-year cornerback Nate Wiggins (43 tackles) is tackling better, as is fellow cornerback Chidobe Awuzie, who also came up with several big pass breakups last week against Cleveland. Safety Kyle Hamilton is the best tackler on defense and is second on the team with 59 tackles. He also has five tackles for loss and four quarterback hits. The addition of fellow safety Alohi Gilman has been a major turning point for this team because it allows Hamilton to play more near the line of scrimmage while rookie Malaki Starks can play center field. Starks has 54 tackles and two interceptions while Gilman has 24 tackles. It will be interesting to see how this group plays against a top offense in the league, especially when nickel cornerback Marlon Humphrey returns from a finger injury. Grade: C+ Special teams Rookie kicker Tylor Loop has converted on 19 field goal attempts with his two misses coming on attempts of 55 and 56 yards. That’s a great rookie season, especially when following in the footsteps of Justin Tucker. The final verdict on Loop, though, will probably come in the postseason when he has to convert in crunch time, possibly in snowy and wintry conditions in places such as Denver or Buffalo. Jordan Stout is averaging 50.2 yards per punt with a net of 45.1 and has put 17 inside the 20-yard line. The Ravens are decent as far as kickoff returns, but rookie LaJohntay Wester is shaky as a punt returner. Overall, this group hasn’t been a major concern lately. Grade: B Coaching To borrow a phrase from former NFL coach Bill Parcells, the Ravens are exactly what their record says they are: a 5-5 team, which is average. The Ravens still have a lot to improve on. The offense is inconsistent, and the defense still has to prove it can play against the better teams in the NFL. Offensive coordinator Todd Monken has to get more out of his unit by using the speed of Flowers and Mitchell, and the defense has improved, but it remains to be seen how much. Coach John Harbaugh has done a good job of holding this team together despite the 1-5 start, but that’s what Harbaugh does best. He is great at building teams and providing chemistry. Regardless, the Ravens won’t be judged until they get into the playoffs. Grade: C 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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