Following Baltimore's Week 1 victory over the Buffalo Bills, I had a discussion with a friend about the current apparent strengths and weaknesses of the Ravens. My friend insisted that nothing should make Ravens fans too excited after a narrow victory over a mediocre Bills team, and he was appalled by the Ravens' inability to score more points. I, however, was encouraged by a great many things, and while I certainly wasn't pleased with 13 points on the board, I recognize that such a score isn't indicative of where this team is going.
The Ravens defense not only looks improved--it looks downright dominant. My friend's initial response was to suggest that the Bills aren't anything impressive on offense. Well that might have made more sense if Buffalo hadn't then proceeded to put up 31 points on a Jets defense that features the likes of Darrelle Revis. It also wasn't as though the Bills avoided Revis. Tyrod Taylor attacked him early with speedy rookie deep threat Marquise Goodwin who ran a simple go route and left the future hall-of-fame corner face down on the turf on his way into the end zone.
The major issues with the Ravens secondary for the past few years have stemmed from their inability to prevent big plays downfield from speedy, explosive receivers such as A.J. Green in pivotal moments late in games. Big plays, however, aren't the only thing that doomed the Ravens late in 4th quarters. Because of a lack of healthy talent at both corner and safety, Dean Pees often elected to have corners play far off of the receivers they were assigned to cover. It wasn't uncommon to see corners playing 7 to 11 yards off of a receiver on a 3rd and short situation. Pees simply didn't have faith in the ability of his corners to be able to play press-man coverage effectively, and he desperately hoped to at least prevent against the aforementioned big play from a team's #1 wideout. Fast forward to last week when the Ravens went up against one of the most talented young wide recievers in the league, Sammy Watkins. Watkins was kept out of the endzone entirely and was limited to a mere 4 catches for 41 yards. The Ravens certainly didn't allow Marquise Goodwill to get behind their secondary either, and that can be tall task when facing a mobile quarterback who is dangerous when buying time with his legs.
The Ravens defense was SO incredibly stifling that it didn't even allow a single Buffalo first down in the 4th quarter. That statistic is mindboggling when one considers how many times the Ravens allowed late 4th quarter leads to slip away over the past few years. This team, it's safe to say, finally appears to have a defense on par with historically strong Ravens defenses of years past. They once again possess the ability to clamp down on a team and win with a narrow lead. No one should yet suggest that this is the next 2000 Ravens defense, but it definitely appears to be the strongest unit they've fielded since 2011, and it may prove to be much better than that by season's end.
This defense isn't even yet at full strength. Elvis Dumervil has yet to take the field, and will provide a major pass rushing boost when he does so within the next two weeks. Terrell Suggs is still working back into playing shape, and his midseason form should compliment Dumervil tremendously. What's truly amazing is that the Ravens defense looks so improved without its heralded pass rushing tandem that led the league in sacks in 2014. Not only have the Ravens found pass rushing production from young talent such as Timmy Jernigan and Matt Judon, but they also can afford to blitz more heavily because of their overhaul of the secondary. Lardarius Webb's position change and the acquisition of Eric Weddle have both given the Ravens a pair of safeties with excellent coverage and tackling skills for the first time since Ed Reed and Dawan Landry, Haruki Nakamuri, or Tom Zbikowski. For such a long time, the Ravens could pair Reed with a decent strong safety and expect excellence in coverage. Since Ed's departure, pass coverage from safeties was the team's biggest weakness. Weddle and Webb bring experience, athleticism, speed, and leadership that could potentially lead this team into the playoffs.
Safety play isn't the only improvement in the secondary. The cornerback trio of Jimmy Smith, Shareece Wright, and Will Davis is the most talented trio this team has started in years. The funny thing is that this unit is flying almost totally under the radar as few know who Will Davis is nationally because of his season-ending ACL tear last year after a brief, electrifying start. Jimmy Smith appears to be close to back to his 2013 form, and he should be able to cover big-bodied receivers such as Dez Bryant or A.J. Green. Shareece Wright may have flown under the radar last season, but after last week, I don't think any teams can ignore him. Wright had 11 total tackles, 3 of which were for a loss. Wright's tackles for a loss weren't just productive because of the loss of yardage, they were spectacular because of who he closed in on and tackled-- most notably LeSean McCoy.
The Ravens defense looks tremendously improved and should be a major strength going forward, but my friend certainly did have a point about the offense needing to score more on a Bills defense that gave up 37 points to the Jets. Joe Flacco sat in the pocket too long at times, and seemed hesitant to get rid of the ball. Flacco, as a result, took some pretty big hits, and it's safe to say that adjustments need to be made in play-calling at overall offensive strategy. Marc Trestman appeared at times to try to get too cute with his play design, and he's going to have to understand and accept that Steve Smith Sr. will take time to get back into his usual explosive playing shape.
That isn't to say that there weren't offensive bright spots. Breshad Perriman's first NFL catch was on the level of sports center highlight catches made by top 10 receivers around the league. His potential to become a dominant weapon is undeniable. Flacco's 66 yard touchdown strike to Mike Wallace over the middle of the field when the Bills double teamed Smith Sr. was a thing of beauty, and it demonstrated how this receiving corps could force teams to pick their poison; either they let Steve Smith toss defensive backs around on his way into the endzone, or they get absolutely toasted by Mike Wallace, Breshad Perriman, or Chris Moore. Dennis Pitta played fearlessly once again and is back to his role as a critical 3rd down chain-mover.
The running backs flashed at times, but a total of 83 yards on the ground simply isn't enough to take pressure off of Flacco as he regains his confidence. Trestman appears leery of inside runs with two rookies starting on the left side of the offensive line, but he needs to remember that he has the most dominant guard in football on the right side behind whom Forsett, West, and eventually Dixon can run in short yardage situations. It's important that Trestman remember how this offense is built and not force his personnel to fit his system. He instead should adjust his system to fit the personnel.
An important thing to remember is that the Ravens could have easily put the ball into the endzone once more on the final drive of the game had they needed to do so. They had the time and timeouts to walk away with a respectable 20-7 score. There was, of course, no need to attempt to score once more, but one could easily look at the scoreboard and imagine that the Ravens were holding on for dear life to get the win. Such an assessment couldn't be further from the truth. The advantage of having a strong defense is knowing that the offense doesn't have to take unnecessary risks to win a game. I have no doubt that Trestman will look to put on a bigger display of offensive might against the Browns on Sunday, but expect the defense to hold the Browns to 13 points or less.
Despite a low points total in Week 1, the Ravens offense has the pieces that should make fans excited and optimistic about this season. Last week was, after all, the first time that starting offensive unit took the field together, and there are still plenty of pieces that will soon get healthy and add to the arsenal at Trestman's disposal. Besides, any week the Ravens win is a good week. Let's take a look at this week's picks!
WEEK 2 NFL PICKS
BENGALS AT STEELERS- For many this will be the game of the week in the AFC if not the NFL. Tensions will likely run high in a rematch of a violent and controversial divisional playoff game last season. Many might have been impressed with the Bengals' ability to edge the Jets, but the Jets proved defensively unimpressive with a single-score win over the Bills on Thursday. The Steelers, however, will be at home and seemed to score with ease in D.C. despite the absence of Le'Veon Bell and Martavis Bryant. The Steelers offensive line looks much improved from last season, and their defense should be able to slow down the Bengals just enough to get a close win here. STEELERS 31-28
TITANS AT LIONS- The Lions impressed me with their shootout win over the Colts last week. I expect a similar performance at home against a weak Titans team that lost last week to a Vikings squad without its starting QB. LIONS 38-13
RAVENS AT BROWNS- The fact that Josh McCown torched the Ravens last year means nothing at this point given the overhaul of the Ravens secondary. The Ravens could struggle early to run the football against the Browns 4-3 defensive front, but Cleveland has no sort of pass rush without Paul Kruger, and Flacco should the time and weapons to take some devastating shots downfield. The Browns may be bad, but they always play the Ravens tough, and Hue Jackson is no stranger to the Ravens. RAVENS 26-17
COWBOYS AT REDSKINS- The Cowboys may have lost in Week 1, but they showed a LOT more production than the Redskins. The Skins' defense can have Josh Norman follow Dez Bryant all over the field, and the Cowboys will STILL be able to run the ball right down their collective throat. Dak will get a triumphant first win over his team's biggest rival. COWBOYS 30-21
SAINTS AT GIANTS- I have to give Drew Brees credit for finding ways to put up insane amounts of offense year in and year out even after the departure of such weapons as Jimmy Graham and Darren Sproles over the past few years. The Saints have, however, a difficult time playing in outdoor road environments, and their defense is one of the worst in football. The Giants have the weapons this season to out-duel a team like the Saints, and they'll do so this weekend. GIANTS 42-35
49ERS AT PANTHERS- The 49ers won big over the Rams in Week 1, but they won't be able to travel across the country and beat the Panthers. I don't think this requires a ton of explanation, but the 49ers simply aren't as good. PANTHERS 27-14
DOLPHINS AT PATRIOTS- I was impressed with the Dolphins' ability to hold the Seahawks to 12 points in Seattle last week, but the Patriots are still quite strong on both sides of the ball even with Brady and Gronk out for the next couple of weeks. Factor in the home field advantage in Foxboro and you've got a game the Patriots aren't likely to lose. PATRIOTS 24-16
CHIEFS AT TEXANS- If the Chiefs can out-duel a healthy Chargers team, I can't imagine they'd have trouble outscoring the Texans. The Texans beat the Bears, but the Bears are also awful. Brock Osweiler is underwhelming most of the time, and Alex Smith was sensational with 363 passing yards last week. This could still be close. CHIEFS 23-20
SEAHAWKS AT RAMS- The Rams have played the Seahawks tough for the duration of Russell Wilson's career, but it's difficult to predict an upset for a team that was blanked by the 49ers last week. SEAHAWKS 20-13
BUCCANEERS AT CARDINALS- I expect the Cardinals to get back on their feet after a perplexing and unexpected loss to the Patriots last week, but the Bucs are not to be taken lightly. This is going to be an exciting battle. CARDINALS 30-28
JAGUARS AT CHARGERS- Losing Keenan Allen again was a depressing blow to a team that appeared to have a lot of promise early on in last week's matchup with the Chiefs. The Chargers still have enough firepower to outgun the Jaguars. It's difficult to win when traveling across the country.
CHARGERS 31-23
FALCONS AT RAIDERS- If the Raiders can beat out the Saints in New Orleans when Drew Brees is on fire, I have little doubt they'll make short work of a Falcons team that simply hasn't been the same since Tony Gonzalez retired. RAIDERS 38-20
COLTS AT BRONCOS- The Colts still don't have the defense to stop a team like the Broncos often enough to give Andrew Luck the time and opportunities to win on the road. BRONCOS 27-23
PACKERS AT VIKINGS- Aaron Rodgers is going to have fun with this one. Without Bridgewater and with waning production from Adrian Peterson, the Packers should embarrass their divisional rival in Minneapolis. PACKERS 33-17
EAGLES AT BEARS- The Eagles were impressive in their Week 1 thumping of the Browns. They'll beat out another crappy opponent this Monday. EAGLES 34-14
THE RAVENS SHOULD BUILD MOMENTUM AND CONTINUE TO WORKOUT THE KINKS IN THEIR OFFENSE AS THEY MAKE HUE JACKSON WISH HE NEVER LEFT CINCINNATI. THIS RAVENS TEAM IS UNQUESTIONABLY BETTER THAN THAT OF LAST SEASON, AND THEIR RECORD SHOULD REFLECT IT BY MIDSEASON.
NOW AND FOREVER
GO RAVENS!!
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