The King is Dead, Long Live the King: Baltimore Ravens Week 3
Week 2, Sunday Night Football, Ravens vs Chiefs. An apparent referendum on the young career of Lamar Jackson. In case you didn’t know, Lamar Jackson had never beaten Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. It wasn’t the Ravens who were 0-3, but Lamar. His play on the field leaves precious few targets for his detractors, so being winless against the Chiefs became proof of his limitations as a passer. His record was confirmation that, while exciting, Lamar’s style would never bring a super bowl to Baltimore. Sunday’s game seemed destined to reinforce those narratives as Lamar opened up with a pick six and an ill-advised throw into triple coverage for his second interception. The Ravens had a different ending in mind this time and Jackson took control in the second half. Lamar finished with 239 yard passing, with 1 TD and another 107 yards and 2 TDs on the ground. Whether he was gliding through the defense chaining jukes together or connecting on jump passes after freezing the entire defense with nothing more than a step, Lamar was unstoppable. He led the Ravens to touchdowns on 3 of 4 second half possessions and on the 5th he converted a 4th & 1 to end the game.
Obviously Jackson didn’t do it on his own. Strong performances from Hollywood Brown, Ty’Son Williams, and the offensive line played big roles in the 36-35 win. Particularly the line who gave up just 1 sack and 1 QB hit after a woeful performance in Las Vegas. But the other hero of the night lined up on the defensive side, Odafe Oweh. The athletic first round pick tallied 3 tackles (1 for loss), 1 QB hit which led to a Tavon Young interception, and a perfectly timed swipe that knocked the ball from Clyde Edwards-Helaire’s grasp. Oweh jumped on the ball, ending what was in all likelihood a game winning drive for the Chiefs, who were already in field goal range. As silly as the Lamar bashing was, this win does matter for the Ravens. Not only does it keep them from falling behind in a crowded AFC but it removes all doubt about the kind of team they are at their best. Lamar’s brilliance and Oweh’s timely playmaking should not overshadow the fact that Baltimore’s defense has been a shadow of itself through two weeks. Defense doesn’t win championships but if the Ravens hope to end the season posing with the Lombardi they’ll need better than the worst in the league efforts they’ve gotten to this point. That’s where their week 3 opponent comes in.
The Detroit Lions have played tough through their 0-2 start, just as Head Coach Dan Campbell promised. Jared Goff has been better than most expected and as a whole they’ve been a decent, if uninspiring, club. The Lions aren’t particularly good or bad at anything, they lack difference making talent and even if they had it, they lack an identity to allow that talent to shine. They’re a good run blocking team but their RBs largely fail to take advantage of that. They’re a decent pass blocking team but more time for Goff means more time to find Quintez Cephus and as far as I know that’s never helped anyone win anything. The bright spots on offense are TE Hockenson who will look to continue a disturbing trend for the middle of the field defenders in Baltimore, and rookie LT Penei Sewell who will give Oweh and Hayes a proper test this Sunday. On the other side of the ball Detroit has the worst unit in the league by DVOA, and that was before losing starting corner Melifonwu to injury last Monday against the Packers. The Ravens defense is dealing with a long list of injuries, but so are the Lions and everyone else, it’s time to prove that the money and draft picks were well spent on that side of the ball. They weren’t, but the Ravens have more than enough talent to right the ship even with some starters and contributors out.
This week the Ravens need to stick with the aggressiveness that brought them the W last week. Allow Lamar to be Lamar, get a lead and get after Jared Goff. Just as important though, is making sure to get key members of the team turned in the right direction. Get Mark Andrews involved early and often, Ty’Son Williams looks to be the best option at RB so give him a chance to prove it, continue manipulating the defense with movement and PA to hide the deficiencies of the offensive line, learn how to run a screen pass etc. Defensively, continue what you started last week, more zone and fewer sell out blitzes. Put some trust in the Edge rushers you’ve drafted and let them do their job. What I expect to see is a coaching staff relieved to go back to business as usual after they successfully got their backs off the wall. I also expect a big win for Baltimore as the Lions simply aren’t good enough to hang with them, Baltimore gets a two TD victory as they gear up for what should be a long winning streak with their upcoming schedule.