Last week's game against the Cowboys confirmed two rather unfortunate things about the Ravens. The first is that the Ravens have no corner besides Jimmy Smith who can match up against a big #1 wide receiver. With Smith out, the Ravens had no answer for Dez Bryant. It was a pick your poison situation as they chose to either bring a safety up to help stuff the run game and force Dak Prescott to throw the football or drop a safety back to give help to whomever covered Dez on any given play. The move to stop the run was the wisest as running the football allows the Cowboys to more effectively control the clock. Without Jimmy, however, Dez Bryant was able to complete catches and run over tacklers regardless of how tight he was covered by smaller corners.
Because of the Ravens' choice to commit their resources to stuffing the run, little pressure was brought on Dak Prescott beyond the front 4, and at the same time, Dez Bryant was left in single coverage. The Ravens were simply one playmaker short of being able to put up a legitimate defensive fight. That brings us to the second unfortunate thing that last week's game confirmed: the Ravens offense still lacks consistency for more than one reason, and it hasn't been able to pick up the slack when the defense has had issues making stops.
The Cowboys defense wasn't great, and the Ravens offense knifed quickly through it to score the game's first touchdown. All three of the Ravens scores actually happened quite rapidly, which is why it was so frustrating that mistakes and penalties rooted in stupidity led to stalled drives. Once Dallas got on an offensive roll, it became clear that they could potentially score on every drive from that point on. It was, thus, vitally important that the Ravens offense take advantage of a relatively weak Dallas pass defense and a non-threatening pass rush to put points on the board and match the Cowboys score for score. The Ravens ended up losing by ten points and came one scoring drive short of having a shot to win or tie the game with the ball in Joe's hands and slightly under two minutes left on the clock. None of that mattered, however, because the Ravens knew full well that they had little hope of scoring 10 points with less than two minutes and zero timeouts left. Even if they still clung to what little hope they may have had left, Joe and company played with zero urgency and fire on what ended up being their final drive.
When Joe Flacco said to the media that the Ravens SHOULD have beaten the Cowboys, he meant that the opportunities were there and they simply didn't execute. It certainly didn't mean that the Cowboys aren't a great team, but they're a defensively flawed team and one that the Ravens offense should have scored on with far more frequency. There's no shame in losing to a nearly undefeated team on the road, but there is frustration that arises when the opportunities to beat that team presented themselves and were not taken advantage of by the players.
Jimmy Smith's absence isn't the only reason, however, that the Ravens didn't put up a better showing last weekend. The absence of a pass rush without blitzing safeties, corners, or inside linebackers has been an issue for most of this season. Elvis Dumervil's health issues and absence has meant reliance on an injured Terrell Suggs and rookie pass rusher Matt Judon to get pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Suggs has had decent pass rushing production, and Judon has had a respectable 3 sacks as well, but that's an incredible drop-off from the tandem production that Suggs and Dumervil produced when both men were healthy two seasons ago. Without Suggs last year, Dumervil found himself fighting off far more double teams, and without Dumervil this year, Suggs has had to do a lot by himself. Many people forget just how dire the corner and safety situation was in 2014, but the 29 combined sacks and incredible pressure brought by the tandem of Suggs and Dumervil made up for Jimmy Smith's absence and the lack of overall secondary talent to such a great degree that the Ravens were still able to finish 10-6 and beat the Steelers in the playoffs 31-17 in Pittsburgh.
It's difficult to know what, if anything, to expect from Elvis Dumervil as he potentially makes his return to the field either this week or next. Off-season foot surgery meant a disappointingly long recovery period that appears as though it may finally be over. Will Dumervil be the same dominant player who racked up 17 sacks in 2014? This week could answer that question, but it's still unclear as to whether or not he'll take the field. Dumervil is a speed rusher who can be incredibly useful against mobile quarterbacks. The rather impressive return of Suggs also means that Dumervil doesn't have to be on the field for all three downs. He can, instead, simply come in on third downs as a pass rushing specialist, and that's how he's been most explosive and effective during his time in Baltimore. Matt Judon's presence will also allow Dumervil to take a break if he needs it as Judon has proven a competent enough stand-in during Doom's rehab process.
The potential increase in pressure off the edge could certainly help turn the tide in what has been another painful, albeit less so than last year's, season to watch. There's a reason that pass rushers and corners are in such high demand. If consistently given an extra second or two to throw the football, even an inexperienced or ineffective quarterback can put up big numbers. That is why one other big factor may soon prove vital for the Ravens offense.
The Ravens once had a logjam at tight end at the beginning of this season. Maxx Williams and Ben Watson have since been placed on injured reserve, and the Ravens were left only with two "move" tight ends who can barely block and only effectively catch passes. Dennis Pitta has at numerous times disappointed me greatly with his unwillingness and inability to block. I understand that his hip injury has likely made him wary of taking on bigger, more ferocious pass rushers, but seeing him literally step out of the way of Jamie Collins to allow a free run at Joe a few weeks ago made me never want to see #88 on the field again...well certainly not as a blocker.
Against the Cowboys I saw a similar lack of both effort and technique from Pitta who pathetically lunged at an edge rusher and then turned his body to watch as the athlete bore down on Flacco. It reminded me of scared high school J.V. linemen who have not been properly taught pass protection footwork. Pitta and his current backup, Darren Waller, are simply useless as blocking tight ends, and neither should be tasked with giving help to either offensive tackle. That's where Nick Boyle comes in handy. Boyle is just getting off of a 10 game suspension for violating the league's drug policy, and he's a much bigger, stronger, more competent blocker. Boyle had also looked like arguably the Ravens most effective tight end when he found his way on to the field last season, so it's not as though he's a one trick pony. Having a serious extra blocker on the field who can also serve as a receiving threat will help not only in giving Flacco time to find open speedy receivers downfield, but it will also undoubtedly help open up more holes in a running game that has been disappointing despite flashes of absolute brilliance from two extremely talented young running backs.
The Bengals aren't nearly the opponent the Cowboys proved last week. Cincinnati not only wasn't doing well before last weekend, but now they've lost both Giovanni Bernard and A.J. Green. Green was the bane of the Ravens' existence for the past several seasons, and he and Bernard accounted for roughly 40% of the Bengals' receiving yards this season. Tyler Boyd and Tyler Eifert will undoubtedly be tasked in picking up the slack, but the Bengals simply don't have the same firepower that they did in recent years without Green, Sanu, and Marvin Jones to spread the field. The loss of Hue Jackson as offensive coordinator also has meant less creativity and production from Andy Dalton who flourished with Jackson's play-calling and offensive system. The Bengals have lost a good number of close games, but this will be the first game where they'll be totally without their most elite weapon. If the Ravens can't shut Dalton down and win this game, they don't deserve to be in the conversation of potential division winners and playoff teams. The Steelers were given the gift of playing the Colts without Andrew Luck, and they snatched up the opportunity and took the win. The Ravens have been given the gift of playing an already questionable Bengals team in Baltimore that now lacks both A.J. Green and Giovanni Bernard. The Ravens need to take advantage of the opportunity, and add a win to their record to regain first place in the division.
The Steelers actually have a tougher road ahead of them than they may have assumed earlier this season. Both the Bills and Giants are far more dangerous teams than many assumed at the beginning of the season, and the Steelers will face the Giants next Sunday and then travel to Buffalo to face the Bills the week after that. That could easily result in the Steelers dropping to 6-7 before they travel to Cincy to face the Bengals again. The Ravens must handle their own business this weekend to improve to 6-5, and they face their own challenges in the next two weeks as the Dolphins will travel to Baltimore next weekend and the Ravens will then visit the Patriots in the following weekend. It's a safe assumption that the Ravens won't beat the Patriots unless Tom Brady is injured somehow, so the Ravens MUST beat both the Bengals and Dolphins to finish the next three weeks 7-6 and a game up on the Steelers. With pieces such as Nick Boyle and Elvis Dumervil potentially returning this weekend as well as the pending returns of Crockett Gillmore and Jimmy Smith, it's safe to say that the Ravens could get stronger on both sides of the ball in time to make a serious push to win the division. The Ravens have not yet resembled a Super Bowl winning team, but they've been missing some players that could have very well turned close losses into narrow wins. One thing's for sure, with three division games left, a trip to Foxborough looming, and upcoming home games against formidable Dolphins and Eagles teams, the Ravens are going to have to EARN their way into the post-season.
Regardless of how things shake out, the Ravens are still in a much better spot than they were at this point last season. They're undefeated in their own division with a good chance to remain that way through this weekend, and they will hopefully once again be leading their division after tomorrow. Some of the losses have been easily avoidable such as that against the Raiders and Redskins, but losses during the regular season at least serve some kind of function. Losses force a team to evaluate its weaknesses. Losses force teams to try creative things they may have otherwise not considered. Were it not for three straight losses in 2012, the Ravens would not have fired their offensive coordinator, and they likely wouldn't have gone on to make their legendary second Super Bowl run. If there's one thing that many of the Ravens trips to the playoffs have shown, it's that this team simply needs to get in...and then they always seem to do some serious damage. Ok, let's take a look at this week's picks!
WEEK 12 NFL PICKS
TITANS AT BEARS- The Titans are a decent team and the Bears have lost all hope. Not a whole lot else to discuss here. TITANS 27-10
JAGUARS AT BILLS- The Jaguars have played several close games against decent teams this year, but the Bills are likely getting Sammy Watkins back this weekend, and they were already going to flatten the Jags even without him. BILLS 34-17
BENGALS AT RAVENS- I don't have a tremendous amount of faith in the Ravens secondary without Jimmy Smith in the lineup, but the Bengals are not the Cowboys. The Bengals will rely on Brandon LaFell, Tyler Boyd, Jeremy Hill, and Tyler Eifert to try to move the ball, but the won't have the major mismatch of A.J. Green that could have been devastating to the Ravens in Jimmy Smith's absence. The Bengals have won only a single road game this season, and it came against a useless Jets team because of a missed easy field goal from the Jets' kicker. Since then, the Bengals have been outscored 108-67 on the road, and each of those losses occurred while the Bengals still had A.J. Green to stretch the field. The Bengals will also likely be without their starting strong safety, Shawn Williams, and their #2 free safety, Derron Smith when they face a handful of speedy Ravens receivers and talented running backs. Cincinnati also has one of the worst rushing defense in the league as they rank 28th in the NFL in rushing yards allowed per game. That should theoretically allow the Ravens to sustain drives and control the clock. The Bengals also rank 22nd in the league in sacks, and that should help keep Joe upright long enough to connect on some big passes downfield. This won't be as lopsided as the Ravens' recent victory over the Browns, but it should be solid enough not to give fans in Baltimore a collective heart attack in the 4th quarter. RAVENS 24-16
CARDINALS AT FALCONS- The Cardinals defense won't be enough to carry this team as Carson Palmer finally appears to be fading in his advanced age. After a rocky stretch over the past month against some quality teams, expect the Falcons to make a statement by flattening the Cardinals in their return home to Atlanta. FALCONS 35-21
GIANTS AT BROWNS- Yawn. GIANTS 28-13
RAMS AT SAINTS- The Rams have lost a good number of painfully close defensive battles. The Saints don't have much defense, but they've got enough offense to make this an interesting game. Ultimately, it's difficult to see Drew Brees dropping this one at home to a 4-win team. SAINTS 33-28
49ERS AT DOLPHINS- The Dolphins win streak may end sometimes soon, but it certainly won't end this weekend. The 49ers are basically on the level of the Browns at this point, and their lone win is the only thing keeping them from the first overall pick in the next year's draft. No way the Dolphins lose this one at home. DOLPHINS 30-13
CHARGERS AT TEXANS- Despite some impressive flashes this season, the Chargers are only a 4-6 team with a 1-4 record on the road. Meanwhile, the Texans are 5-0 at home, and probably SHOULD have beaten the Raiders last week in Oakland. I doubted them earlier in the season, and I wasn't alone in doing so. This Texans team, however, is finally coming alive even without J.J. Watt. The Texans are far worse on the road, but they're not playing on the road this week. TEXANS 24-21
SEAHAWKS AT BUCCANEERS- As well as the Cowboys have done this season, the Seahawks are probably the NFL's best, most complete team. No other team possesses the same offensive AND defensive firepower as Seattle, and the Buccaneers won't be able to match them in any facet of the game. Despite commanding wins over the Bears and Chiefs over the past two weeks, the Buccaneers don't have what it takes to put up big numbers on a team that beat the Patriots in Foxborough. SEAHAWKS 26-20
PANTHERS AT RAIDERS- The Panthers have won 3 of their last 4 games, but they won't be able to beat the Raiders in Oakland--especially not without Luke Kuechly. This is a game where the Panthers will find themselves essentially outgunned. It's difficult to win games 3000 miles from home, but beating a much better team 3000 miles from home is a far tougher challenge. RAIDERS 33-21
PATRIOTS AT JETS- It doesn't really matter that Tom Brady is a game-time decision against the Jets. If Jimmy Garoppolo starts, the Patriots still have more than enough weapons to trounce the poor Jets. I hope, however, this is one of those bizarre upset games that no one sees coming. Not counting on that though. PATRIOTS 38-13
CHIEFS AT BRONCOS- The Chiefs have a respectable 3-2 road record, but the Broncos are 4-1 at home. Divisional matchups are always difficult to predict, but Alex Smith will find it difficult to move the ball with a rather suffocating Broncos defense collapsing the pocket as he struggles to suck wind a mile above sea level. This should, nevertheless, be one of the best games of the day. BRONCOS 23-21
PACKERS AT EAGLES- The Packers are an incredible disappointment, but they'll be facing the Eagles without Ryan Matthews who is suffering from what is being described as an MCL sprain. With any luck, the Ravens won't have to face Matthews in three weeks... The Packers are getting back a pair of starting defenders. Aaron Rodgers is 1-4 on the road this season, and winning this game might not fix their season, but it certainly will boost morale. Ryan Matthews' absence takes away a running back with 7 touchdowns on the season. Darren Sproles is dealing with a rib injury, but he'll likely try to play anyway. I won't be surprised if the Eagles pull of the win regardless, but I have a feeling they've lost too much in their running game to outscore a Packers team that can still put up a decent number of points. Carson Wentz started out with over a 100 passer rating in 3 of his first four games, but he has averaged a 72.3 passer rating in the 6 weeks that have followed. PACKERS 24-20
IT MAY NOT MEAN A TON TO BEAT UP ON THE BENGALS WITHOUT A.J. GREEN AND GIOVANNI BERNARD, BUT IN THIS LEAGUE ONE MUST TAKE ANY WIN THEY CAN GET. LET'S HOPE THE RAVENS CAN HANDLE BUSINESS AT HOME.
AS ALWAYS
GO RAVENS!!!
Saturday, November 26, 2016
Sunday, November 20, 2016
WEEK 11 NFL PREDICTIONS
There are two ways in my estimation to think about this Ravens-Cowboys game if you're a Ravens fan. The first is that losing this game wouldn't be the end of the world. Even if the Ravens lose and the Steelers beat the Browns (which they almost certainly will) the Ravens still own a head-to-head tiebreaker over the Steelers and, thus, first place in the division regardless of what happens this weekend. The second way of thinking about this game is far hungrier--far more spirited. This is a fantastic chance for Baltimore to prove itself against one of the league's best teams.
It's not uncommon to hear that a team is what its record says it is, but that statement can be misinterpreted. A team's regular season record gives an observer an idea of just how successful a team has been up until this point, but it does little to express the current strength of the team. There are far too many commentators and pundits that look at 8-1 and see a nearly flawless team because of a nearly flawless record. The Cowboys have certainly demonstrated a consistent degree of strength for months now, but last week saw them brought to the brink by a team on a losing streak that now stretches back an entire month.
Not only did the Steelers bring the Cowboys nearly to the brink of defeat, but they did so without the offensive firepower Pittsburgh has enjoyed over the past few season. Antonio Brown is still a premier receiver, but Markus Wheaton and Martavis Bryant's absence has allowed opposing teams to double and triple team Brown because they haven't needed to focus nearly as much attention at the likes of Darius Heyward-Bey, Sammie Coates, and Eli Rogers. Without the same caliber offensive weapons the Steelers needed to rely on an inconsistent defensive unit to bottle up one of the league's most potent offenses. Until Cameron Heyward became injured, that Steelers defense did exactly that.
Why was it that the Cowboys suddenly looked as though they were going to lose after beating 5 consecutive non-divisional opponents by an average of over two touchdowns? Injuries. Injuries to the offensive line made rushing more difficult for most of the game, and injuries to the secondary allowed the Cowboys defense to hemorrhage passing yards and touchdowns to the Steelers. Suddenly the Cowboys face a Ravens team coming off of an extended rest period, and the Cowboys still have critical injuries to their secondary and nagging injuries to their left offensive tackle. Are the Cowboys at the same strength now as they were when they destroyed the Packers or Bengals? It would appear not, but they were strong enough to keep their winning streak alive on the road last week, and that fact can't be discounted. So I guess the phrase should be "you are what your record and injury report say you are."
The Ravens aren't without injuries of their own. Left guard Alex Lewis isn't slated to return until the last game of the season, and the both Jimmy Smith and Elvis Dumervil are listed as doubtful. The Ravens defense hasn't had a healthy Dumervil all season, but Jimmy Smith is an integral cog in the works of the NFL's top rated defensive unit. We'll see if he suits up after all on Sunday. For now, however, let's take a look at what is likely to happen across the league!
THE PICKS
STEELERS AT BROWNS- The Steelers run defense is far worse without Cameron Heyward, but he won't be required to beat the Browns. The Steelers offense put up over 440 yards of offense against a better defense last week, and they'll likely torch the lowest rated defense in football this week. A word of caution for the Steelers though: conditions in Cleveland will be incredibly windy with gusts in excess of 30 miles per hour. Joe Haden and high winds could limit Antonio Brown's production, so Pittsburgh will need to lean on Le'Veon Bell. I simply can't see Big Ben losing this game, but it could be far closer than most would expect, but black and yellow should pull away late. STEELERS 27-17
RAVENS AT COWBOYS- I was not impressed with the Cowboys for nearly the first three quarters of last week's game against the Steelers. I've said for over a month to friends and readers that the Cowboys are the elite team that the Ravens were designed to beat. The Cowboys run the football, but the Ravens stuff the run. Dak Prescott has been efficient, safe, and effective, but he's never had to carry the team on his back. The Ravens tend to feast on rookie quarterbacks, and this certainly is not the most talented one they've faced. Dak has not yet gone against a safety like Eric Weddle, and his biggest weapon, Dez Bryant will be playing with a recently aggravated nagging back injury that limited him to a single catch against the Browns two weeks ago. The Ravens haven't lost a game with a healthy Ronnie Stanley, and they've never lost to the Cowboys. The Cowboys don't provide a particularly threatening pass rush, and Flacco has come alive as of late running a no-huddle offense. The Ravens simply have too much speed between Mike Wallace, Breshad Perriman, and a recently reactivated a 6'6" tight end who ran a 4.46 forty yard dash at the NFL combine in 2015, Darren Waller. Steve Smith Sr. will make a team pay if it fails to commit to stop him, and Dennis Pitta is still liable to find soft spots in an opposing defense for some clutch plays. The Cowboys secondary is vulnerable, but the Ravens may actually find success on the ground as well. Kenneth Dixon is a chain moving beast. His return to health and his skill not only running the football but also catching passes could prove to be the big difference between the Baltimore offense of earlier this season and the one that crushed the Browns in the second half last week. This Ravens team is rested, it's revamped, and ready to go. I know full well that this is a quality opponent with a lot of offensive firepower, but they showed their weaknesses last week, and simply don't have enough defensively to match up with one of the fastest receiving corps in football. The more I look at the stats and relevant stats for this game, the more I like Baltimore's chances. This is going to be an amazing game. RAVENS 27-23.
JAGUARS AT LIONS- The Jaguars almost don't have anything to play for and the Lions are a decent team playing at home...hmmmm, this is a tough one. LIONS 28-13
TITANS AT COLTS- The Titans have a better record than the Colts, but the Colts finally have all of their starting offensive pieces healthy and ready to go. The Colts beat the Titans in Nashville earlier this season, and they should be able to edge Tennessee once more in Indy. This won't be a blowout though as the Titans have absolutely improved since the last time these two teams met. COLTS 33-24
BILLS AT BENGALS- The Bengals defense is starting to look tired and slow, and A.J. Green is not enough without Marvin Jones and Mohammed Sanu to make this offense truly dynamic anymore. Expect a big game from Lesean McCoy and a good amount of pressure on Andy Dalton to force some unfortunate errant throws...well only unfortunate if you're a Bengals fan. This loss would drop Cincy to 3-6-1, and it would mean they'd have to win out to have a chance to win their division--something they're not likely to do. It was nice knowing ya, Marvin Lewis. BILLS 31-20
BUCCANEERS AT CHIEFS- The Chiefs defense is too strong to lose this game at home. The Buccaneers do have a strong road record though, and they'll likely make this a game. CHIEFS 30-21
BEARS AT GIANTS- The Giants will improve to 7-3 with a huge win over a miserable Bears team this week. Eli Manning is finding his rhythm, and his defense is playing well enough to give the offense plenty of opportunities to put up points. GIANTS 28-13
CARDINALS AT VIKINGS- The Cardinals defense won't allow the abysmal Vikings offense to move the football. The Cardinals offense, however, has just enough firepower to win this game. CARDINALS 17-13
DOLPHINS AT RAMS- There will be a day sooner or later when the Dolphins lose another game, but it will NOT be tomorrow. The Dolphins have won some impressive games over the course of their current four game winning streak, and the Rams are significantly worse than 3 our of 4 of the opponents they just beat. DOLPHINS 31-16
PATRIOTS AT 49ERS- The 49ers have had the occasional close game with a quality opponent, but at this point they're 1-8 and haven't a prayer of outscoring the Patriots. San Francisco's defense is absolutely horrible, and will get shredded by the Patriots even without Gronk. I feel bad for Torrey Smith as he's putting up the worst receiving stats of his career with only 243 receiving yards and two touchdowns on the season. I bet he's homesick... PATRIOTS 42-21
EAGLES AT SEATTLE- The Eagles have only beaten one team on the road this season, and it was the horrendous Bears. The Seahawks actually have my vote as the strongest team in football, and they'll go to town on the Eagles at home. Seattle was able to keep the PATRIOTS out of the endzone for an end-of-game goal line stand. Russell Wilson is playing at a scary high level, and his defense is getting back to its old, dominant form. SEAHAWKS 33-20
PACKERS AT REDSKINS- The Packers have lost 4 of their last 5 games, and the Redskins are on a tear. The skins defense isn't strong enough to make this a blowout, but the Packers defense has given up a disturbing number of points to opposing teams over the last 5 weeks. Mike McCarthy will likely lose his job if the Packers keep losing. REDSKINS 31-28
TEXANS AT RAIDERS- The Texans' record of 6-3 might seem only slightly worse than the Raiders' 7-2, but the Raiders have serious wins over contending teams. The Texans have narrow wins over mediocre and plain bad opponents. The Texans offense simply won't be able to keep up with that of the Raiders, especially not on the road. RAIDERS 34-23
THE IMPORTANT THING TO REMEMBER IS THAT NOTHING CAN KNOCK THE RAVENS OUT OF FIRST PLACE IN THEIR DIVISION THIS WEEKEND. THIS IS A FANTASTIC OPPORTUNITY FOR THE RAVENS DEFENSE TO SHOW IT CAN PERFORM AGAINST EVEN A TOP OFFENSE, AND IT'S AN EVEN BETTER OPPORTUNITY FOR THE RAVENS OFFENSE TO SHOW TO CAN BE PRODUCTIVE AGAINST SERIOUS TEAMS. WHATEVER HAPPENS TOMORROW, LET'S HOPE THE RAVENS SHOW THEY'RE GETTING BETTER. THIS IS THE TIME OF YEAR THAT THEY TYPICALLY FIND THEIR RHYTHM.
NOW AND FOREVER
GO RAVENS!!!
It's not uncommon to hear that a team is what its record says it is, but that statement can be misinterpreted. A team's regular season record gives an observer an idea of just how successful a team has been up until this point, but it does little to express the current strength of the team. There are far too many commentators and pundits that look at 8-1 and see a nearly flawless team because of a nearly flawless record. The Cowboys have certainly demonstrated a consistent degree of strength for months now, but last week saw them brought to the brink by a team on a losing streak that now stretches back an entire month.
Not only did the Steelers bring the Cowboys nearly to the brink of defeat, but they did so without the offensive firepower Pittsburgh has enjoyed over the past few season. Antonio Brown is still a premier receiver, but Markus Wheaton and Martavis Bryant's absence has allowed opposing teams to double and triple team Brown because they haven't needed to focus nearly as much attention at the likes of Darius Heyward-Bey, Sammie Coates, and Eli Rogers. Without the same caliber offensive weapons the Steelers needed to rely on an inconsistent defensive unit to bottle up one of the league's most potent offenses. Until Cameron Heyward became injured, that Steelers defense did exactly that.
Why was it that the Cowboys suddenly looked as though they were going to lose after beating 5 consecutive non-divisional opponents by an average of over two touchdowns? Injuries. Injuries to the offensive line made rushing more difficult for most of the game, and injuries to the secondary allowed the Cowboys defense to hemorrhage passing yards and touchdowns to the Steelers. Suddenly the Cowboys face a Ravens team coming off of an extended rest period, and the Cowboys still have critical injuries to their secondary and nagging injuries to their left offensive tackle. Are the Cowboys at the same strength now as they were when they destroyed the Packers or Bengals? It would appear not, but they were strong enough to keep their winning streak alive on the road last week, and that fact can't be discounted. So I guess the phrase should be "you are what your record and injury report say you are."
The Ravens aren't without injuries of their own. Left guard Alex Lewis isn't slated to return until the last game of the season, and the both Jimmy Smith and Elvis Dumervil are listed as doubtful. The Ravens defense hasn't had a healthy Dumervil all season, but Jimmy Smith is an integral cog in the works of the NFL's top rated defensive unit. We'll see if he suits up after all on Sunday. For now, however, let's take a look at what is likely to happen across the league!
THE PICKS
STEELERS AT BROWNS- The Steelers run defense is far worse without Cameron Heyward, but he won't be required to beat the Browns. The Steelers offense put up over 440 yards of offense against a better defense last week, and they'll likely torch the lowest rated defense in football this week. A word of caution for the Steelers though: conditions in Cleveland will be incredibly windy with gusts in excess of 30 miles per hour. Joe Haden and high winds could limit Antonio Brown's production, so Pittsburgh will need to lean on Le'Veon Bell. I simply can't see Big Ben losing this game, but it could be far closer than most would expect, but black and yellow should pull away late. STEELERS 27-17
RAVENS AT COWBOYS- I was not impressed with the Cowboys for nearly the first three quarters of last week's game against the Steelers. I've said for over a month to friends and readers that the Cowboys are the elite team that the Ravens were designed to beat. The Cowboys run the football, but the Ravens stuff the run. Dak Prescott has been efficient, safe, and effective, but he's never had to carry the team on his back. The Ravens tend to feast on rookie quarterbacks, and this certainly is not the most talented one they've faced. Dak has not yet gone against a safety like Eric Weddle, and his biggest weapon, Dez Bryant will be playing with a recently aggravated nagging back injury that limited him to a single catch against the Browns two weeks ago. The Ravens haven't lost a game with a healthy Ronnie Stanley, and they've never lost to the Cowboys. The Cowboys don't provide a particularly threatening pass rush, and Flacco has come alive as of late running a no-huddle offense. The Ravens simply have too much speed between Mike Wallace, Breshad Perriman, and a recently reactivated a 6'6" tight end who ran a 4.46 forty yard dash at the NFL combine in 2015, Darren Waller. Steve Smith Sr. will make a team pay if it fails to commit to stop him, and Dennis Pitta is still liable to find soft spots in an opposing defense for some clutch plays. The Cowboys secondary is vulnerable, but the Ravens may actually find success on the ground as well. Kenneth Dixon is a chain moving beast. His return to health and his skill not only running the football but also catching passes could prove to be the big difference between the Baltimore offense of earlier this season and the one that crushed the Browns in the second half last week. This Ravens team is rested, it's revamped, and ready to go. I know full well that this is a quality opponent with a lot of offensive firepower, but they showed their weaknesses last week, and simply don't have enough defensively to match up with one of the fastest receiving corps in football. The more I look at the stats and relevant stats for this game, the more I like Baltimore's chances. This is going to be an amazing game. RAVENS 27-23.
JAGUARS AT LIONS- The Jaguars almost don't have anything to play for and the Lions are a decent team playing at home...hmmmm, this is a tough one. LIONS 28-13
TITANS AT COLTS- The Titans have a better record than the Colts, but the Colts finally have all of their starting offensive pieces healthy and ready to go. The Colts beat the Titans in Nashville earlier this season, and they should be able to edge Tennessee once more in Indy. This won't be a blowout though as the Titans have absolutely improved since the last time these two teams met. COLTS 33-24
BILLS AT BENGALS- The Bengals defense is starting to look tired and slow, and A.J. Green is not enough without Marvin Jones and Mohammed Sanu to make this offense truly dynamic anymore. Expect a big game from Lesean McCoy and a good amount of pressure on Andy Dalton to force some unfortunate errant throws...well only unfortunate if you're a Bengals fan. This loss would drop Cincy to 3-6-1, and it would mean they'd have to win out to have a chance to win their division--something they're not likely to do. It was nice knowing ya, Marvin Lewis. BILLS 31-20
BUCCANEERS AT CHIEFS- The Chiefs defense is too strong to lose this game at home. The Buccaneers do have a strong road record though, and they'll likely make this a game. CHIEFS 30-21
BEARS AT GIANTS- The Giants will improve to 7-3 with a huge win over a miserable Bears team this week. Eli Manning is finding his rhythm, and his defense is playing well enough to give the offense plenty of opportunities to put up points. GIANTS 28-13
CARDINALS AT VIKINGS- The Cardinals defense won't allow the abysmal Vikings offense to move the football. The Cardinals offense, however, has just enough firepower to win this game. CARDINALS 17-13
DOLPHINS AT RAMS- There will be a day sooner or later when the Dolphins lose another game, but it will NOT be tomorrow. The Dolphins have won some impressive games over the course of their current four game winning streak, and the Rams are significantly worse than 3 our of 4 of the opponents they just beat. DOLPHINS 31-16
PATRIOTS AT 49ERS- The 49ers have had the occasional close game with a quality opponent, but at this point they're 1-8 and haven't a prayer of outscoring the Patriots. San Francisco's defense is absolutely horrible, and will get shredded by the Patriots even without Gronk. I feel bad for Torrey Smith as he's putting up the worst receiving stats of his career with only 243 receiving yards and two touchdowns on the season. I bet he's homesick... PATRIOTS 42-21
EAGLES AT SEATTLE- The Eagles have only beaten one team on the road this season, and it was the horrendous Bears. The Seahawks actually have my vote as the strongest team in football, and they'll go to town on the Eagles at home. Seattle was able to keep the PATRIOTS out of the endzone for an end-of-game goal line stand. Russell Wilson is playing at a scary high level, and his defense is getting back to its old, dominant form. SEAHAWKS 33-20
PACKERS AT REDSKINS- The Packers have lost 4 of their last 5 games, and the Redskins are on a tear. The skins defense isn't strong enough to make this a blowout, but the Packers defense has given up a disturbing number of points to opposing teams over the last 5 weeks. Mike McCarthy will likely lose his job if the Packers keep losing. REDSKINS 31-28
TEXANS AT RAIDERS- The Texans' record of 6-3 might seem only slightly worse than the Raiders' 7-2, but the Raiders have serious wins over contending teams. The Texans have narrow wins over mediocre and plain bad opponents. The Texans offense simply won't be able to keep up with that of the Raiders, especially not on the road. RAIDERS 34-23
THE IMPORTANT THING TO REMEMBER IS THAT NOTHING CAN KNOCK THE RAVENS OUT OF FIRST PLACE IN THEIR DIVISION THIS WEEKEND. THIS IS A FANTASTIC OPPORTUNITY FOR THE RAVENS DEFENSE TO SHOW IT CAN PERFORM AGAINST EVEN A TOP OFFENSE, AND IT'S AN EVEN BETTER OPPORTUNITY FOR THE RAVENS OFFENSE TO SHOW TO CAN BE PRODUCTIVE AGAINST SERIOUS TEAMS. WHATEVER HAPPENS TOMORROW, LET'S HOPE THE RAVENS SHOW THEY'RE GETTING BETTER. THIS IS THE TIME OF YEAR THAT THEY TYPICALLY FIND THEIR RHYTHM.
NOW AND FOREVER
GO RAVENS!!!
Saturday, November 19, 2016
RAVENS-COWBOYS MATCHUP ANALYSIS
There are good reasons as to why the 8-1 Cowboys would be widely favored going into a home game against a 5-4 Ravens team. Each team's record alone should leave the Cowboys considerably favored, and the Ravens' injury issues certainly help to bolster the Cowboys' cause as well. The Cowboys, however, are not without their own personnel issues, and as triumphant as their last second win against the was a week ago, it exposed many weaknesses in addition to Dallas' strengths.
The Cowboys offensive line is unquestionably the best in the league. Their stout offensive front has paved the way for what will prove to be a record setting season for Cowboys rookie starting running back, Ezekiel Elliot. No one is questioning the incredibly vision, acceleration, and incredible cuts Elliot has put on display every week since joining the league.
The Steelers, however, bottled Elliott under 70 yards on the ground (he did have an incredible 83 yard catch and run for a touchdown) up until a critical Steelers defender went down with a torn pectoral just before the end of 3rd quarter. If you'll recall, a major reason I predicted a Steelers win last week was the return to health of Ryan Shazier and Cameron Heyward. With a healthy Shazier and Heyward, the Steelers were able to bottle up two talented Ravens running backs the week prior, and with Shazier and Heyward both on the field, Elliot was mostly limited on the ground compared to his typical production--and DEFINITELY compared to what was about to come once Heyward went down.
After Cameron Heyward came off the field for his injury, the Cowboys proceeded to score 3 explosive touchdowns. Now one can't downplay the strength of the Cowboys offense, but it had performed at a relatively pedestrian level for most of the game up until that point, and suddenly it exploded for one of the most incredibly back-and-forth finishes of any NFL game of the past 20 years. One thing that was abundantly apparent was the disturbingly wide open running lanes allowed by a Heywardless Steelers run defense. Cameron Heyward was notably previously absent against the Dolphins and Patriots, and the Steelers gave up an astounding 204 rushing yards and two touchdowns to J. Ajayi and then gave up 124 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns to LaGarrette Blount. It should, thus, come as no surprise that Ezekiel Elliot would also run wild for two rushing touchdowns shortly after Cameron Heyward left the field.
The Steelers weren't the only ones without key defensive personnel last week. The Cowboys starting corner Morris Claiborne and starting safety Barry Church. Ben Roethlisberger, despite a lackluster arsenal of receiving weapons outside of Antonio Brown, absolutely lit up the Cowboys for over 400 passing yards and 3 touchdowns. What's even more impressive is that such a monster performance came as Ben Roethlisberger was and probably is still recovering from a fairly severe torn meniscus.
Joe Flacco has never put up regular passing stats on the level of Ben Roethlisberger, but Joe is certainly easily on the level of Ben when he's not 100%. This season has be an unquestionable low point in Flacco's performance as he has thrown nearly as many interceptions as touchdowns, and he has displayed an uncharacteristic lack of confidence that is undoubtedly due to a combination of injuries to offensive linemen and uneasiness of the stability of or potential reinjury to his surgically repaired knee. One alarming statistic was that the Ravens lost every game that starting left tackle, Ronnie Stanley, didn't play. For four weeks straight the Ravens lost without him, and now for two weeks straight they've won with him back. Sadly though, Baltimore lost starting left guard, Alex Lewis, to a high ankle sprain, and he won't be back until the final few weeks of the season.
When Alex Lewis went down against the Browns, I expected Joe Flacco to suddenly experience tons of pressure and the Ravens offense to stall. The Browns, after all, just traded for Jamie Collins who was giving Ronnie Stanley a hard time on the left side. Now suddenly the left side of the Ravens offensive line would be weaker without another starter, right? Well that could have been the case, but you wouldn't have known it. Joe Flacco came alive in the second half with 3 impressive touchdown passes to three difference receivers.
There's no question that the Browns defense is one of the worst in the league, but blowing out a team that took the Ravens to the brink earlier this season definitely signals major progress. It wasn't simply that the Browns were bad; Joe Flacco was finally doing things we hadn't seem him do all season. He stepped into throws confidently and fit passes into tight windows. The most important change that seemed to allow Flacco to find open receivers and get rid of the ball more quickly was the introduction of various crossing routes designed to utilize the incredibly speed of Mike Wallace and Breshad Perriman. Perriman, in fact, led the team in receiving yards and had the first touchdown of his career despite being in fairly tight coverage.
The Cowboys have an impressive list of receivers of their own including tight end Jason Witten, Terrance Williams, Cole Beasley, and physical freak Dez Bryant. Dak Prescott has distributed the ball to these receivers safely over the course of this season, but he's never been asked to carry the team as the Cowboys have always been able to lean on their rushing attack to take pressure off of Dak. The question will be whether or not the Ravens can stuff the run on early downs and force Prescott to make plays. It should be noted that Dez Bryant was forced to be limited at practice because of a flare-up of a back issue that caused him to be limited to a single catch against the Browns a couple of weeks ago.
Also ailing with back stiffness is Ravens starting cornerback Jimmy Smith. Jimmy Smith was also limited in Friday's practice, but he's listed as doubtful on the injury report. Harbaugh seemed to give a glimmer of hope that Smith would play when he explained that it was a "good sign" that Smith returned to practice on Friday. The question will be whether or not Jimmy will be cleared by doctors before the game tomorrow. The availability and health of both Dez Bryant and Jimmy Smith, in fact, will likely tip the scales in favor of one team or the other tomorrow. Jimmy has shut down the likes of Amari Cooper, Sammy Watkins, DeSean Jackson, and even Odell Beckham Jr. When Jimmy Smith came out of the game against the Giants, however, Odell Beckham Jr. ran absolutely wild and nearly beat the Ravens by himself. If Dez is too hampered by his lingering back injury to be his normal, explosive self, then Jimmy Smith's absence will matter far less. If Dez is a full go and Jimmy is nowhere to be found, Dak could find him for some absolutely critical plays.
Fortunately for the Ravens, they're coming off of an extended 10 day rest period following their drubbing of the lowly Browns. Jimmy Smith's absence, though potentially a major factor, shouldn't stop Baltimore's ability to stuff the run. Cowboys starting left tackle, Tyron Smith, is also dealing with injuries to his back and hip, and he'll have his hands full with a rested Terrell Suggs who is still a top 10 pass rusher and elite run stuffer even with his relatively advanced ago and his own injury issues earlier this season. Also fortunately for the Ravens, the Cowboys are not an elite pass rushing team. Dallas is ranked 3rd against the run, but they also only average a modest 2 sacks per game. It's also safe to say that Dallas' ability to control the clock and limit time of possession for opposing teams by running the football consistently causes teams to throw the football more often to conserve clock.
The Cowboys winning streak and incredible comeback win last week have caused many fans to ignore major flaws that allowed the Steelers to essentially score at will on them late in the game last week. The Cowboys offensive line, though impressive, struggled to impose its will in typical fashion against the Steelers until a critical Steelers defender came out of the game late. This SHOULD have made Cowboys fans a little bit nervous, but the win drowned out an concerns for the future. The Ravens offense has performed incredibly poorly overall, but its beginning to trend upward exactly at the right time. The Ravens will miss Alex Lewis this week, but they're getting back a rested Marshal Yanda. The Ravens may also find success on the ground with the incredibly tackle-breaking ability of their rookie running back Kenneth Dixon who put on a yards-after-contact clinic last week. If the Ravens are to pull an upset tomorrow, they must utilize their suffocating run defense to put the ball into the hands of a rookie quarterback long enough to force him to make critical errors, and Joe Flacco must exploit mismatches in speed in the Cowboys secondary with two critical starters out.
I'm not saying I'm confident in a Ravens win at Dallas, but the likely deciding factors of this game are far more complex and nuanced than simply comparing the Ravens' and Cowboys' respective records. One thing is for sure: this game will garner a TON of viewership nationwide.
STAY TUNED LATE TONIGHT FOR THE WEEK 11 NFL PICKS!
The Cowboys offensive line is unquestionably the best in the league. Their stout offensive front has paved the way for what will prove to be a record setting season for Cowboys rookie starting running back, Ezekiel Elliot. No one is questioning the incredibly vision, acceleration, and incredible cuts Elliot has put on display every week since joining the league.
The Steelers, however, bottled Elliott under 70 yards on the ground (he did have an incredible 83 yard catch and run for a touchdown) up until a critical Steelers defender went down with a torn pectoral just before the end of 3rd quarter. If you'll recall, a major reason I predicted a Steelers win last week was the return to health of Ryan Shazier and Cameron Heyward. With a healthy Shazier and Heyward, the Steelers were able to bottle up two talented Ravens running backs the week prior, and with Shazier and Heyward both on the field, Elliot was mostly limited on the ground compared to his typical production--and DEFINITELY compared to what was about to come once Heyward went down.
After Cameron Heyward came off the field for his injury, the Cowboys proceeded to score 3 explosive touchdowns. Now one can't downplay the strength of the Cowboys offense, but it had performed at a relatively pedestrian level for most of the game up until that point, and suddenly it exploded for one of the most incredibly back-and-forth finishes of any NFL game of the past 20 years. One thing that was abundantly apparent was the disturbingly wide open running lanes allowed by a Heywardless Steelers run defense. Cameron Heyward was notably previously absent against the Dolphins and Patriots, and the Steelers gave up an astounding 204 rushing yards and two touchdowns to J. Ajayi and then gave up 124 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns to LaGarrette Blount. It should, thus, come as no surprise that Ezekiel Elliot would also run wild for two rushing touchdowns shortly after Cameron Heyward left the field.
The Steelers weren't the only ones without key defensive personnel last week. The Cowboys starting corner Morris Claiborne and starting safety Barry Church. Ben Roethlisberger, despite a lackluster arsenal of receiving weapons outside of Antonio Brown, absolutely lit up the Cowboys for over 400 passing yards and 3 touchdowns. What's even more impressive is that such a monster performance came as Ben Roethlisberger was and probably is still recovering from a fairly severe torn meniscus.
Joe Flacco has never put up regular passing stats on the level of Ben Roethlisberger, but Joe is certainly easily on the level of Ben when he's not 100%. This season has be an unquestionable low point in Flacco's performance as he has thrown nearly as many interceptions as touchdowns, and he has displayed an uncharacteristic lack of confidence that is undoubtedly due to a combination of injuries to offensive linemen and uneasiness of the stability of or potential reinjury to his surgically repaired knee. One alarming statistic was that the Ravens lost every game that starting left tackle, Ronnie Stanley, didn't play. For four weeks straight the Ravens lost without him, and now for two weeks straight they've won with him back. Sadly though, Baltimore lost starting left guard, Alex Lewis, to a high ankle sprain, and he won't be back until the final few weeks of the season.
When Alex Lewis went down against the Browns, I expected Joe Flacco to suddenly experience tons of pressure and the Ravens offense to stall. The Browns, after all, just traded for Jamie Collins who was giving Ronnie Stanley a hard time on the left side. Now suddenly the left side of the Ravens offensive line would be weaker without another starter, right? Well that could have been the case, but you wouldn't have known it. Joe Flacco came alive in the second half with 3 impressive touchdown passes to three difference receivers.
There's no question that the Browns defense is one of the worst in the league, but blowing out a team that took the Ravens to the brink earlier this season definitely signals major progress. It wasn't simply that the Browns were bad; Joe Flacco was finally doing things we hadn't seem him do all season. He stepped into throws confidently and fit passes into tight windows. The most important change that seemed to allow Flacco to find open receivers and get rid of the ball more quickly was the introduction of various crossing routes designed to utilize the incredibly speed of Mike Wallace and Breshad Perriman. Perriman, in fact, led the team in receiving yards and had the first touchdown of his career despite being in fairly tight coverage.
The Cowboys have an impressive list of receivers of their own including tight end Jason Witten, Terrance Williams, Cole Beasley, and physical freak Dez Bryant. Dak Prescott has distributed the ball to these receivers safely over the course of this season, but he's never been asked to carry the team as the Cowboys have always been able to lean on their rushing attack to take pressure off of Dak. The question will be whether or not the Ravens can stuff the run on early downs and force Prescott to make plays. It should be noted that Dez Bryant was forced to be limited at practice because of a flare-up of a back issue that caused him to be limited to a single catch against the Browns a couple of weeks ago.
Also ailing with back stiffness is Ravens starting cornerback Jimmy Smith. Jimmy Smith was also limited in Friday's practice, but he's listed as doubtful on the injury report. Harbaugh seemed to give a glimmer of hope that Smith would play when he explained that it was a "good sign" that Smith returned to practice on Friday. The question will be whether or not Jimmy will be cleared by doctors before the game tomorrow. The availability and health of both Dez Bryant and Jimmy Smith, in fact, will likely tip the scales in favor of one team or the other tomorrow. Jimmy has shut down the likes of Amari Cooper, Sammy Watkins, DeSean Jackson, and even Odell Beckham Jr. When Jimmy Smith came out of the game against the Giants, however, Odell Beckham Jr. ran absolutely wild and nearly beat the Ravens by himself. If Dez is too hampered by his lingering back injury to be his normal, explosive self, then Jimmy Smith's absence will matter far less. If Dez is a full go and Jimmy is nowhere to be found, Dak could find him for some absolutely critical plays.
Fortunately for the Ravens, they're coming off of an extended 10 day rest period following their drubbing of the lowly Browns. Jimmy Smith's absence, though potentially a major factor, shouldn't stop Baltimore's ability to stuff the run. Cowboys starting left tackle, Tyron Smith, is also dealing with injuries to his back and hip, and he'll have his hands full with a rested Terrell Suggs who is still a top 10 pass rusher and elite run stuffer even with his relatively advanced ago and his own injury issues earlier this season. Also fortunately for the Ravens, the Cowboys are not an elite pass rushing team. Dallas is ranked 3rd against the run, but they also only average a modest 2 sacks per game. It's also safe to say that Dallas' ability to control the clock and limit time of possession for opposing teams by running the football consistently causes teams to throw the football more often to conserve clock.
The Cowboys winning streak and incredible comeback win last week have caused many fans to ignore major flaws that allowed the Steelers to essentially score at will on them late in the game last week. The Cowboys offensive line, though impressive, struggled to impose its will in typical fashion against the Steelers until a critical Steelers defender came out of the game late. This SHOULD have made Cowboys fans a little bit nervous, but the win drowned out an concerns for the future. The Ravens offense has performed incredibly poorly overall, but its beginning to trend upward exactly at the right time. The Ravens will miss Alex Lewis this week, but they're getting back a rested Marshal Yanda. The Ravens may also find success on the ground with the incredibly tackle-breaking ability of their rookie running back Kenneth Dixon who put on a yards-after-contact clinic last week. If the Ravens are to pull an upset tomorrow, they must utilize their suffocating run defense to put the ball into the hands of a rookie quarterback long enough to force him to make critical errors, and Joe Flacco must exploit mismatches in speed in the Cowboys secondary with two critical starters out.
I'm not saying I'm confident in a Ravens win at Dallas, but the likely deciding factors of this game are far more complex and nuanced than simply comparing the Ravens' and Cowboys' respective records. One thing is for sure: this game will garner a TON of viewership nationwide.
STAY TUNED LATE TONIGHT FOR THE WEEK 11 NFL PICKS!
Sunday, November 13, 2016
RAVENS-BROWNS REACTION AND WEEK 10 NFL PREDICTIONS
Something about this NFL season has felt so fast--so brief. Here we are over halfway finished the season, and it seems as though things are just getting warmed up. Maybe for Ravens fans it's the fact that they've waited each week to see if the offense will fiiiiinally click. They've waited to see Breshad Perriman break out, they've waited to see how Steve Smith Sr. and Dennis Pitta would perform coming back from injuries, they've waited to see what Kenneth Dixon could add to the rushing attack, and they've waited to see what exactly Mike Wallace has left in the tank. They've waited to see if and when the switch to Marty Morhninweg as offensive coordinator would ultimately pay off, and, most of all, they've waited to see Joe Flacco finally play with confidence, accuracy, and proper mechanics so as to utilize the biggest collections of weapons he's ever had at his disposal. Fortunately for Ravens fans, I think they just got at least some of those questions answered.
Thursday night's game against the Browns wasn't exactly a clash of two league powerhouses. The Ravens came into the game with a 4-4 record and only one win in their last 5 games. The win against the Steelers was a pleasant surprise for many, though I have lost fear of a team that has gone 3-9 against the Ravens in the last 6 seasons. The problem was that the Ravens offense still couldn't get going against Pittsburgh despite the defense's impressive performance and another huge play from special teams. Then the Ravens were set to host a familiar foe on a short week; a foe that gave them first quarter fits in Cleveland earlier this season. I didn't buy into the idea that it would be an impossibly close game, but I assumed (rightly so) that the Browns would ultimately put Josh McCown back in the driver's seat because of his recent penchant for lighting up the Ravens defense. McCown had, after all, thrown for an average of 302 passing yards per game in his previous three meetings with the Ravens.
There was a moment in the second quarter that undoubtedly made Ravens fans nervous when the Browns drove effortlessly downfield, and their starting rookie quarterback, Cody Kessler, threw a touchdown pass to a frustratingly wide open fullback. The Ravens found themselves losing to an 0-9 team only days after beating the first place team in the division. That scoring drive would be the last success the Browns found, however, as the Ravens defense clamped down so hard in the second half that Cleveland could barely move. Baltimore's defense only allowed 37 total offensive yards in the second half. The Browns are the worst team in football, but they usually play incredibly close games against the Ravens regardless of their annual abysmal record.
Offensive progress, even over a bad team, is still welcome in Baltimore right now. Joe Flacco had his moments where he made two head-scratching throws that resulted in picks, and he appeared to simply not see open receivers at times. Flacco more than redeemed himself late, however, as he threw three well-placed touchdowns in the second half to three different receivers including Darren Waller and Breshad Perriman. The Ravens had high hopes for Perriman with his 4.24 second 40 yard dash and Waller with his 6'6" frame and an impressive 40 yard dash time of his own at 4.46 seconds. Waller, now that he's off his suspension for marijuana, is one of the fastest tight ends in the NFL. There was never any question that the Ravens had weapons, but there was question about their ability to get those weapons the ball.
Healthy quality offensive linemen have often been in short supply for Baltimore this season. The Ravens didn't win a single game with Ronnie Stanley out, and it didn't help that Marshal Yanda was out nearly as many weeks along with him. After a Browns player fell violently into the side of starting left guard Alex Lewis' knee, Joe Flacco found himself without the protection of BOTH of his starting guards as Marshal Yanda sat out the entire game. Flacco, nevertheless, stood in and threw more confidently than he's thrown all season to 9 different receivers. It appeared as though he finally played without fear in the second half of the game despite the ever-looming physical presence of the newest Brown, Jamie Collins. This tells me that much of Flacco's poor performance was do to his own psychological limitations. His fear of reinjuring his surgically repaired knee, and his lack of confidence in his offensive line appears to have finally dissipated enough for him to look like his old self en route to a throttling victory over a bad team. Remember that it wasn't long ago that the Ravens LOST to a bad Jets team, so this performance is unquestionably a sign of progress.
Nothing is more predictive of the Ravens' success than the health and availability of their starters. The bye week really allowed the Ravens to rest and retool in each phase of their game, and if they end up making it to the playoffs, they can look back at that 14 day span as the turning point of their season. Players such as Marshal Yanda, Elvis Dumervil, and Crocket Gillmore have had trouble finding their way back on to the field, but Baltimore has a 10 day break to rest, get healthy, and prepare to go on the road and face a strong, yet suddenly potentially vulnerable Cowboys team.
The Cowboys definitely didn't show any vulnerability in their last game which, coincidentally, happened to be against the Browns. The Cowboys won a decisive, dominant 35-10 victory over Cleveland, and helped to ensure the worst start in Browns history. The Cowboys, however, find themselves a bit banged up at some key positions just as they go into Pittsburgh to face a Steelers team that has played extremely well at home this season. Dallas' starting left tackle, Tyron Smith, did not participate most of the week, and he only participated on a limited basis on Friday. Cowboys starting strong safety, Barry Church, has been ruled out, and one of their starting corners Morris Claiborne is out with a groin injury. More troublesome still is the fact that Tyron Smith's backup, Chaz Green did not participate in Friday's practice, and starting left guard, Ronald Leary, only finally returned to practice on Friday after spending the rest of the week in concussion protocol.
The Cowboys' biggest strength is unquestionably their offensive line, but injuries could severely limit that strength. Ezekiel Elliot is a tremendous talent, but he'll have trouble putting his talent on display without holes to run through. The Steelers had been gashed by good running backs in the two weeks prior to their game against the Ravens, but both Ryan Shazier and Cameron Heyward returned to the field against the Ravens, and the Steelers run defense suddenly displayed the juice and intensity not seen since the previous generation of Steelers defenders took the field. It wouldn't come as a total shock to see Ezekiel Elliott held well under 100 rushing yards against this Steelers run defense, especially in light of the injuries to the Cowboys' offensive line.
I will, of course, be rooting for the Cowboys to beat the Steelers and extend Pittsburgh's losing streak, but if Dak and company can't manage to put down the Steelers, there is still value in a Steelers win. A Steelers win would give the Ravens a blueprint to beating the Cowboys next weekend. The Ravens are an even more highly rated run-stuffing team, and could benefit tremendously from film on how to shut down Zeke and Dak. It is for that reason that Sunday's game between the Cowboys and Steelers is the most important for Ravens fans and staff to watch. For the rest of the league, however, the game of the week to watch is almost certainly the Seahawks traveling to Foxboro to play a rested Patriots team with Dion Lewis possibly returning, and THAT brings us to this week's picks!
WEEK 10 NFL PICKS
PACKERS AT TITANS- It's difficult to know what to expect from the Packers at this point. Aaron Rodgers has seemed lost at times despite having already thrown 20 touchdowns and only 5 interceptions through the first half of the season, but over a third of those touchdowns have come in shootout losses to the Falcons and Colts in the past two weeks. The Packers have also fared incredibly poorly when facing quality defenses. The Titans certainly don't fall into the quality defense category, but Marcus Mariota should be able to trade scores with Rodgers for most of the game. If Rodgers can't win this game, I'm losing faith in him as an elite QB. PACKERS 31-27
VIKINGS AT REDSKINS- The Vikings defense is fantastic, but the Vikings' offensive personnel issues are simply too big to overcome right now. The Vikings offense has only put up 12 points per game in Minnesota's three consecutive losses. Without both of their offensive tackles, the Vikings simply can't protect Sam Bradford or run the football. The Redskins offense won't exactly run wild, especially without DeSean Jackson to help stretch the field, but they will inevitably find success as the game wears on because the Vikings defense will have been on the field for such an exhausting amount of time. REDSKINS 20-13
BEARS AT BUCCANEERS- The Bears offense simply can't score enough to keep up with the Bucs. The Buccaneers have lost two consecutive, high-scoring games against two of the league's top pass offenses in the Raiders and Falcons, but they're hosting a foe that ranks 31st in the league in points scored per game with 16.4. This won't be fun for the people of Chicago. BUCCANEERS 28-16
CHIEFS AT PANTHERS- This is actually one of the better matchups of the weekend for two teams that have both come alive as of late. The Chiefs defense has been able to limit some incredibly high-powered pass offenses in the last month. The held the Raiders to 10 points, the Colts to 14 points in Indianapolis, and the Saints to 21 points. The Panthers, on the other hand, finally got back on track by winning their last two games over the Cardinals and Rams. It's difficult to know which Panthers team will show up, but I don't think a home win over a heavily injured Cardinals team and a 13-10 road win over a horrendous Rams team is enough to make me believe Carolina can beat a Chiefs team that has already limited some impressive offensive teams both at home and on the road this season. CHIEFS 26-17
FALCONS AT EAGLES- The Falcons aren't undefeated, but they can move the ball on anyone they face. They even put up 24 points on the Seahawks in Seattle, but barely lost 26-24. Since that game, the Falcons haven't scored any less than 30 points in a game. The Eagles looked great at the beginning of the season, but their rookie QB has stumbled since their 3-0 start. I have a hard time believing he'll be able to outscore Matt Ryan, even if the Falcons will be on the road. The Eagles haven't lost a home game this season, but two out of three of their home games came within Carson Wentz's early hot streak, and the third was against the Vikings after the Vikings offense fell apart because of major injuries to critical offensive linemen. Matty Ice helps to solidify his case for MVP today. FALCONS 34-23
RAMS AT JETS- It would have been nice if the Ravens had caught the Jets when they were starting their third string quarterback, but the Ravens are actually a big part of the reason that's happening (Geno Smith tore his ACL on a brutal sack by Matt Judon). The Rams are not great, but they're good enough to beat the Jets in their current predicament. RAMS 17-14
BRONCOS AT SAINTS- After a rough start against some good teams, the Saints have begun to catch fire. As good as the Broncos defense is, it's difficult to imagine them being able to limit the Saints in New Orleans. If the Seahawks defense couldn't stifle the Saints offense in Nawlins, I can't imagine the Broncos will be able to do so to a degree that would allow them to outscore Drew Brees and company. SAINTS 27-20
TEXANS AT JAGUARS- The Jaguars have been a massive disappointment after being picked as a dark horse chock full of young talent before the season began. The Texans have not won a road game yet this season, but the Jaguars have only won two games total. The Jaguars have, however, played some good teams extremely closely in Jacksonville. They may not be a winning team, but the Jags can go toe to toe with most teams at home. The Texans, on the other hand, are a totally different animal on the road. Their offense barely moves outside of Houston. JAGUARS 19-14
DOLPHINS AT CHARGERS- The Dolphins have been on quite the tear as of late. They won their last 3 games in a row, but all were at home in Miami. I would love to see the Fins upset Philip Rivers in San Diego, but the Chargers have been on a tear of their own as they've won 3 of their last 4 games. The Chargers were able to put up 43 points on the Titans, 33 points on the Falcons, and they beat the Broncos in San Diego 21-13. It's difficult to picture Jay Ajayi's heroics will be enough to outscore the Chargers three thousand miles away from South Beach. CHARGERS 31-21
COWBOYS AT STEELERS- The Cowboys have run over almost everyone they've faced this season, but they're about to run into a wall. With key injuries to offensive linemen and a revamped Steelers run defense, it's going to be a tall task for Dak Prescott to lead this team to victory on the road against a desperate Steelers team. Without one of their starting corners and their starting strong safety, it's difficult to imagine that the Cowboys will be able to shut down the Steelers the way the Ravens did last Sunday. This is a week that Jerry Jones will have thoughts of sticking Tony Romo in the game despite the wishes of everyone else in the world...except anyone in Romo's immediate family of course. No question Ravens fans should be rooting for the 'Boys though. STEELERS 28-17
49ERS AT CARDINALS- The 49ers can score, but they can't stop anyone else from scoring. CARDINALS 34-27
SEAHAWKS AT PATRIOTS- No Thomas Rawls, no Michael Bennett, and the Seahawks are going on the road in Foxboro to face the Patriots after a bye week. This is not the Seahawks defense of a few years ago. The way the Bills drove swiftly down the field in Seattle, it's no stretch to imagine the Patriots doing exactly the same thing but more often. Jimmy Graham is great, but he won't be nearly enough to outscore a rest, well-prepared Patriots team in Foxboro. We may see Dion Lewis take the field as well, and that could make the Patriots nearly unstoppable in the regular season. The Patriots' one weakness is uneven play from the secondary at times, but that won't matter enough to change the winner of this game. PATRIOTS 35-23
BENGALS AT GIANTS- The Bengals are coming off of a bye week, but their defense isn't good to limit a Giants offense that just finished putting up 28 points on a much stronger Eagle's D. The Giants should have enough firepower, especially when running no-huddle, to outscore the Bengals. If the Bengals are able to win this game, they may have turned the corner, but with only three wins, that's difficult to imagine. If they lose and fall to 3-5-1, that may be the nail in their season's figurative coffin. GIANTS 28-24
AFTER TWO WINS IN 5 DAYS, THE RAVENS HAVE EARNED A WELL-DESERVED WEEKEND OFF. DESPITE WHAT STUBBORN SKEPTICS MIGHT SAY, THE RAVENS HAVE ABSOLUTELY IMPROVED AND CONTINUE TO TREND UPWARD GOING INTO NEXT WEEK. ENJOY WATCHING THE REST OF THE LEAGUE BEAT EACH OTHER UP THIS WEEKEND, RAVENS NATION!!
AS ALWAYS,
GO RAVENS!!!
Thursday night's game against the Browns wasn't exactly a clash of two league powerhouses. The Ravens came into the game with a 4-4 record and only one win in their last 5 games. The win against the Steelers was a pleasant surprise for many, though I have lost fear of a team that has gone 3-9 against the Ravens in the last 6 seasons. The problem was that the Ravens offense still couldn't get going against Pittsburgh despite the defense's impressive performance and another huge play from special teams. Then the Ravens were set to host a familiar foe on a short week; a foe that gave them first quarter fits in Cleveland earlier this season. I didn't buy into the idea that it would be an impossibly close game, but I assumed (rightly so) that the Browns would ultimately put Josh McCown back in the driver's seat because of his recent penchant for lighting up the Ravens defense. McCown had, after all, thrown for an average of 302 passing yards per game in his previous three meetings with the Ravens.
There was a moment in the second quarter that undoubtedly made Ravens fans nervous when the Browns drove effortlessly downfield, and their starting rookie quarterback, Cody Kessler, threw a touchdown pass to a frustratingly wide open fullback. The Ravens found themselves losing to an 0-9 team only days after beating the first place team in the division. That scoring drive would be the last success the Browns found, however, as the Ravens defense clamped down so hard in the second half that Cleveland could barely move. Baltimore's defense only allowed 37 total offensive yards in the second half. The Browns are the worst team in football, but they usually play incredibly close games against the Ravens regardless of their annual abysmal record.
Offensive progress, even over a bad team, is still welcome in Baltimore right now. Joe Flacco had his moments where he made two head-scratching throws that resulted in picks, and he appeared to simply not see open receivers at times. Flacco more than redeemed himself late, however, as he threw three well-placed touchdowns in the second half to three different receivers including Darren Waller and Breshad Perriman. The Ravens had high hopes for Perriman with his 4.24 second 40 yard dash and Waller with his 6'6" frame and an impressive 40 yard dash time of his own at 4.46 seconds. Waller, now that he's off his suspension for marijuana, is one of the fastest tight ends in the NFL. There was never any question that the Ravens had weapons, but there was question about their ability to get those weapons the ball.
Healthy quality offensive linemen have often been in short supply for Baltimore this season. The Ravens didn't win a single game with Ronnie Stanley out, and it didn't help that Marshal Yanda was out nearly as many weeks along with him. After a Browns player fell violently into the side of starting left guard Alex Lewis' knee, Joe Flacco found himself without the protection of BOTH of his starting guards as Marshal Yanda sat out the entire game. Flacco, nevertheless, stood in and threw more confidently than he's thrown all season to 9 different receivers. It appeared as though he finally played without fear in the second half of the game despite the ever-looming physical presence of the newest Brown, Jamie Collins. This tells me that much of Flacco's poor performance was do to his own psychological limitations. His fear of reinjuring his surgically repaired knee, and his lack of confidence in his offensive line appears to have finally dissipated enough for him to look like his old self en route to a throttling victory over a bad team. Remember that it wasn't long ago that the Ravens LOST to a bad Jets team, so this performance is unquestionably a sign of progress.
Nothing is more predictive of the Ravens' success than the health and availability of their starters. The bye week really allowed the Ravens to rest and retool in each phase of their game, and if they end up making it to the playoffs, they can look back at that 14 day span as the turning point of their season. Players such as Marshal Yanda, Elvis Dumervil, and Crocket Gillmore have had trouble finding their way back on to the field, but Baltimore has a 10 day break to rest, get healthy, and prepare to go on the road and face a strong, yet suddenly potentially vulnerable Cowboys team.
The Cowboys definitely didn't show any vulnerability in their last game which, coincidentally, happened to be against the Browns. The Cowboys won a decisive, dominant 35-10 victory over Cleveland, and helped to ensure the worst start in Browns history. The Cowboys, however, find themselves a bit banged up at some key positions just as they go into Pittsburgh to face a Steelers team that has played extremely well at home this season. Dallas' starting left tackle, Tyron Smith, did not participate most of the week, and he only participated on a limited basis on Friday. Cowboys starting strong safety, Barry Church, has been ruled out, and one of their starting corners Morris Claiborne is out with a groin injury. More troublesome still is the fact that Tyron Smith's backup, Chaz Green did not participate in Friday's practice, and starting left guard, Ronald Leary, only finally returned to practice on Friday after spending the rest of the week in concussion protocol.
The Cowboys' biggest strength is unquestionably their offensive line, but injuries could severely limit that strength. Ezekiel Elliot is a tremendous talent, but he'll have trouble putting his talent on display without holes to run through. The Steelers had been gashed by good running backs in the two weeks prior to their game against the Ravens, but both Ryan Shazier and Cameron Heyward returned to the field against the Ravens, and the Steelers run defense suddenly displayed the juice and intensity not seen since the previous generation of Steelers defenders took the field. It wouldn't come as a total shock to see Ezekiel Elliott held well under 100 rushing yards against this Steelers run defense, especially in light of the injuries to the Cowboys' offensive line.
I will, of course, be rooting for the Cowboys to beat the Steelers and extend Pittsburgh's losing streak, but if Dak and company can't manage to put down the Steelers, there is still value in a Steelers win. A Steelers win would give the Ravens a blueprint to beating the Cowboys next weekend. The Ravens are an even more highly rated run-stuffing team, and could benefit tremendously from film on how to shut down Zeke and Dak. It is for that reason that Sunday's game between the Cowboys and Steelers is the most important for Ravens fans and staff to watch. For the rest of the league, however, the game of the week to watch is almost certainly the Seahawks traveling to Foxboro to play a rested Patriots team with Dion Lewis possibly returning, and THAT brings us to this week's picks!
WEEK 10 NFL PICKS
PACKERS AT TITANS- It's difficult to know what to expect from the Packers at this point. Aaron Rodgers has seemed lost at times despite having already thrown 20 touchdowns and only 5 interceptions through the first half of the season, but over a third of those touchdowns have come in shootout losses to the Falcons and Colts in the past two weeks. The Packers have also fared incredibly poorly when facing quality defenses. The Titans certainly don't fall into the quality defense category, but Marcus Mariota should be able to trade scores with Rodgers for most of the game. If Rodgers can't win this game, I'm losing faith in him as an elite QB. PACKERS 31-27
VIKINGS AT REDSKINS- The Vikings defense is fantastic, but the Vikings' offensive personnel issues are simply too big to overcome right now. The Vikings offense has only put up 12 points per game in Minnesota's three consecutive losses. Without both of their offensive tackles, the Vikings simply can't protect Sam Bradford or run the football. The Redskins offense won't exactly run wild, especially without DeSean Jackson to help stretch the field, but they will inevitably find success as the game wears on because the Vikings defense will have been on the field for such an exhausting amount of time. REDSKINS 20-13
BEARS AT BUCCANEERS- The Bears offense simply can't score enough to keep up with the Bucs. The Buccaneers have lost two consecutive, high-scoring games against two of the league's top pass offenses in the Raiders and Falcons, but they're hosting a foe that ranks 31st in the league in points scored per game with 16.4. This won't be fun for the people of Chicago. BUCCANEERS 28-16
CHIEFS AT PANTHERS- This is actually one of the better matchups of the weekend for two teams that have both come alive as of late. The Chiefs defense has been able to limit some incredibly high-powered pass offenses in the last month. The held the Raiders to 10 points, the Colts to 14 points in Indianapolis, and the Saints to 21 points. The Panthers, on the other hand, finally got back on track by winning their last two games over the Cardinals and Rams. It's difficult to know which Panthers team will show up, but I don't think a home win over a heavily injured Cardinals team and a 13-10 road win over a horrendous Rams team is enough to make me believe Carolina can beat a Chiefs team that has already limited some impressive offensive teams both at home and on the road this season. CHIEFS 26-17
FALCONS AT EAGLES- The Falcons aren't undefeated, but they can move the ball on anyone they face. They even put up 24 points on the Seahawks in Seattle, but barely lost 26-24. Since that game, the Falcons haven't scored any less than 30 points in a game. The Eagles looked great at the beginning of the season, but their rookie QB has stumbled since their 3-0 start. I have a hard time believing he'll be able to outscore Matt Ryan, even if the Falcons will be on the road. The Eagles haven't lost a home game this season, but two out of three of their home games came within Carson Wentz's early hot streak, and the third was against the Vikings after the Vikings offense fell apart because of major injuries to critical offensive linemen. Matty Ice helps to solidify his case for MVP today. FALCONS 34-23
RAMS AT JETS- It would have been nice if the Ravens had caught the Jets when they were starting their third string quarterback, but the Ravens are actually a big part of the reason that's happening (Geno Smith tore his ACL on a brutal sack by Matt Judon). The Rams are not great, but they're good enough to beat the Jets in their current predicament. RAMS 17-14
BRONCOS AT SAINTS- After a rough start against some good teams, the Saints have begun to catch fire. As good as the Broncos defense is, it's difficult to imagine them being able to limit the Saints in New Orleans. If the Seahawks defense couldn't stifle the Saints offense in Nawlins, I can't imagine the Broncos will be able to do so to a degree that would allow them to outscore Drew Brees and company. SAINTS 27-20
TEXANS AT JAGUARS- The Jaguars have been a massive disappointment after being picked as a dark horse chock full of young talent before the season began. The Texans have not won a road game yet this season, but the Jaguars have only won two games total. The Jaguars have, however, played some good teams extremely closely in Jacksonville. They may not be a winning team, but the Jags can go toe to toe with most teams at home. The Texans, on the other hand, are a totally different animal on the road. Their offense barely moves outside of Houston. JAGUARS 19-14
DOLPHINS AT CHARGERS- The Dolphins have been on quite the tear as of late. They won their last 3 games in a row, but all were at home in Miami. I would love to see the Fins upset Philip Rivers in San Diego, but the Chargers have been on a tear of their own as they've won 3 of their last 4 games. The Chargers were able to put up 43 points on the Titans, 33 points on the Falcons, and they beat the Broncos in San Diego 21-13. It's difficult to picture Jay Ajayi's heroics will be enough to outscore the Chargers three thousand miles away from South Beach. CHARGERS 31-21
COWBOYS AT STEELERS- The Cowboys have run over almost everyone they've faced this season, but they're about to run into a wall. With key injuries to offensive linemen and a revamped Steelers run defense, it's going to be a tall task for Dak Prescott to lead this team to victory on the road against a desperate Steelers team. Without one of their starting corners and their starting strong safety, it's difficult to imagine that the Cowboys will be able to shut down the Steelers the way the Ravens did last Sunday. This is a week that Jerry Jones will have thoughts of sticking Tony Romo in the game despite the wishes of everyone else in the world...except anyone in Romo's immediate family of course. No question Ravens fans should be rooting for the 'Boys though. STEELERS 28-17
49ERS AT CARDINALS- The 49ers can score, but they can't stop anyone else from scoring. CARDINALS 34-27
SEAHAWKS AT PATRIOTS- No Thomas Rawls, no Michael Bennett, and the Seahawks are going on the road in Foxboro to face the Patriots after a bye week. This is not the Seahawks defense of a few years ago. The way the Bills drove swiftly down the field in Seattle, it's no stretch to imagine the Patriots doing exactly the same thing but more often. Jimmy Graham is great, but he won't be nearly enough to outscore a rest, well-prepared Patriots team in Foxboro. We may see Dion Lewis take the field as well, and that could make the Patriots nearly unstoppable in the regular season. The Patriots' one weakness is uneven play from the secondary at times, but that won't matter enough to change the winner of this game. PATRIOTS 35-23
BENGALS AT GIANTS- The Bengals are coming off of a bye week, but their defense isn't good to limit a Giants offense that just finished putting up 28 points on a much stronger Eagle's D. The Giants should have enough firepower, especially when running no-huddle, to outscore the Bengals. If the Bengals are able to win this game, they may have turned the corner, but with only three wins, that's difficult to imagine. If they lose and fall to 3-5-1, that may be the nail in their season's figurative coffin. GIANTS 28-24
AFTER TWO WINS IN 5 DAYS, THE RAVENS HAVE EARNED A WELL-DESERVED WEEKEND OFF. DESPITE WHAT STUBBORN SKEPTICS MIGHT SAY, THE RAVENS HAVE ABSOLUTELY IMPROVED AND CONTINUE TO TREND UPWARD GOING INTO NEXT WEEK. ENJOY WATCHING THE REST OF THE LEAGUE BEAT EACH OTHER UP THIS WEEKEND, RAVENS NATION!!
AS ALWAYS,
GO RAVENS!!!
Sunday, November 6, 2016
RAVENS-STEELERS ANALYSIS AND WEEK 9 NFL PICKS
It's difficult to know what to expect from the Ravens and Steelers week. Neither team has won in quite some time, and both teams are coming off of sorely needed bye weeks. The Steelers looked unquestionably more dominant in each of their four wins than the Ravens did in any of their 3, but schematic familiarity and sheer rivalry-fueled animosity has meant that the better overall team doesn't always win. The Ravens have been unquestionably the worse team overall for a season and a half now; there's no way around that. Baltimore, nevertheless, swept the Steelers last season despite having their worst regular season record in nearly a decade.
It's always tempting to rave about the talent at the Steelers' disposal. Le'Veon Bell is a fantastic, versatile running back, and Antonio Brown is one of the most talented receivers in the league. Ben Roethlisberger has appeared to be the best quarterback in the league for stretches of games, and analysts always speak about the trio of Bell, Brown, and Ben being the most talented RB/WR/QB combo in the league. There are, however, a few major factors that tend to derail that idea when it comes to Ravens-Steelers games. The first is the fact that Antonio Brown has almost been a total non-factor in his career against the Ravens. In thirteen career games against Baltimore, Brown has accumulated a total of one touchdown. You read that correctly...one touchdown. Brown has also not been a major factor from a yardage standpoint as he has only caught for 100+ yards in two of his 13 games against the Ravens. Le'Veon Bell has been injured or suspended far too often to be thought of as a durable, dependable all-purpose back, and Ben Roethlisberger seldom stays healthy over the course of an NFL season. The Ravens have, furthermore, won 8 of the last 11 contests against the Steelers since the departure of Bruce Arians as the Steelers' offensive coordinator after the 2010 season.
Much like the lowly Rams always seem to give the Seahawks fits, so too do the Ravens seem to have the Steelers' number over the past 5 seasons. Does that guarantee a win today? Of course not, but it should absolutely give Baltimore fans hope that their team can pull off a win over a team that has unquestionably looked better than they have over the first half of this season--especially with the questionable status of Ben Roethlisberger.
Big Ben will likely play against the Ravens, but one can't help but wonder if he'll be a little ginger on that recently-scoped knee or whether his not yet fully healed knee will slow him down a step. He could proceed to have a sensational game and not be too terrifically bothered by it because of painkillers, but something tells me that a week of limited practice means he couldn't possibly feel 100%.
Ben's health isn't the only thing that could bode well for the Ravens. The return to health of Baltimore's offensive line should help dramatically as they look to exploit a Steelers run defense that has struggled over the last couple of games. Possibly the biggest factor that the Ravens could benefit from tremendously is a comparative lack of a pass rush from Pittsburgh. The Steelers as a team only have two more sacks than Terrell Suggs this season--and Sizzle has missed the last two games. Joe Flacco's biggest obstacle thus far has been finding the time and confidence to step into his throws and find open receivers downfield. If the Steelers can't manage to dial up pressure and force Joe to make errant throws, he actually has enough weapons to make this a long day for Pittsburgh.
I'd like to think that the Ravens offense at close to full strength has a chance to have decent production against the Steelers defense, but schematic familiarity could nullify some of that to a degree that statistics from early games this season can't predict. History would suggest that this will be a 20-17 or 23-20 win for one of these teams, but there has been the occasional statistical outlier game like that of Week 1 in 2011 where the Ravens won 35-7 or Week 2 of 2014 where the Ravens won 26-6, or like Week 9 of 2014 where Big Ben threw 6 touchdowns and absolutely blasted the Ravens after Jimmy Smith went down the week prior. Come to think of it, no game in 2014 WASN'T a big win as the Ravens proceeded to beat up on the Steelers in the playoffs 31-17. In 2015, however, the Ravens-Steelers rivalry reverted to its usual impossibly close margin of victory for both contests.
The Ravens, on paper, don't appear as good as the Steelers, but the Steelers simply aren't the Super Bowl favorites that many people assumed they'd be early in the season. Big Ben has had a total of 3 complete seasons over 13 years in the league, and it is largely that reason that the Steelers will typically have the potential to be a truly great team but struggle to dominate consistently. Let's hope that this is one day where he struggles mightily against a healthy Ravens team.
THE PICKS
I apologize that time this week has limited my ability to post more through explanations of each matchup. I will briefly post a list of the winners of each game:
RAVENS 24-20
COWBOYS 34-13
CHIEFS 31-17
MIAMI 23-21
EAGLES 30-21
PANTHERS 20-17
CHARGERS 27-20
PACKERS 31-28
RAIDERS 33-24
SEAHAWKS 31-27
THIS IS IT, RAVENS FANS. THIS IS THE MATCHUP WE WAIT FOR ALL SEASON, EVERY SEASON. THE NFL HASN'T BEEN ENTERTAINING THIS SEASON, BUT LET'S HOPE TODAY CHANGES THAT IF ONLY FOR A FEW HOURS.
NOW AND FOREVER
GO RAVENS!!!
It's always tempting to rave about the talent at the Steelers' disposal. Le'Veon Bell is a fantastic, versatile running back, and Antonio Brown is one of the most talented receivers in the league. Ben Roethlisberger has appeared to be the best quarterback in the league for stretches of games, and analysts always speak about the trio of Bell, Brown, and Ben being the most talented RB/WR/QB combo in the league. There are, however, a few major factors that tend to derail that idea when it comes to Ravens-Steelers games. The first is the fact that Antonio Brown has almost been a total non-factor in his career against the Ravens. In thirteen career games against Baltimore, Brown has accumulated a total of one touchdown. You read that correctly...one touchdown. Brown has also not been a major factor from a yardage standpoint as he has only caught for 100+ yards in two of his 13 games against the Ravens. Le'Veon Bell has been injured or suspended far too often to be thought of as a durable, dependable all-purpose back, and Ben Roethlisberger seldom stays healthy over the course of an NFL season. The Ravens have, furthermore, won 8 of the last 11 contests against the Steelers since the departure of Bruce Arians as the Steelers' offensive coordinator after the 2010 season.
Much like the lowly Rams always seem to give the Seahawks fits, so too do the Ravens seem to have the Steelers' number over the past 5 seasons. Does that guarantee a win today? Of course not, but it should absolutely give Baltimore fans hope that their team can pull off a win over a team that has unquestionably looked better than they have over the first half of this season--especially with the questionable status of Ben Roethlisberger.
Big Ben will likely play against the Ravens, but one can't help but wonder if he'll be a little ginger on that recently-scoped knee or whether his not yet fully healed knee will slow him down a step. He could proceed to have a sensational game and not be too terrifically bothered by it because of painkillers, but something tells me that a week of limited practice means he couldn't possibly feel 100%.
Ben's health isn't the only thing that could bode well for the Ravens. The return to health of Baltimore's offensive line should help dramatically as they look to exploit a Steelers run defense that has struggled over the last couple of games. Possibly the biggest factor that the Ravens could benefit from tremendously is a comparative lack of a pass rush from Pittsburgh. The Steelers as a team only have two more sacks than Terrell Suggs this season--and Sizzle has missed the last two games. Joe Flacco's biggest obstacle thus far has been finding the time and confidence to step into his throws and find open receivers downfield. If the Steelers can't manage to dial up pressure and force Joe to make errant throws, he actually has enough weapons to make this a long day for Pittsburgh.
I'd like to think that the Ravens offense at close to full strength has a chance to have decent production against the Steelers defense, but schematic familiarity could nullify some of that to a degree that statistics from early games this season can't predict. History would suggest that this will be a 20-17 or 23-20 win for one of these teams, but there has been the occasional statistical outlier game like that of Week 1 in 2011 where the Ravens won 35-7 or Week 2 of 2014 where the Ravens won 26-6, or like Week 9 of 2014 where Big Ben threw 6 touchdowns and absolutely blasted the Ravens after Jimmy Smith went down the week prior. Come to think of it, no game in 2014 WASN'T a big win as the Ravens proceeded to beat up on the Steelers in the playoffs 31-17. In 2015, however, the Ravens-Steelers rivalry reverted to its usual impossibly close margin of victory for both contests.
The Ravens, on paper, don't appear as good as the Steelers, but the Steelers simply aren't the Super Bowl favorites that many people assumed they'd be early in the season. Big Ben has had a total of 3 complete seasons over 13 years in the league, and it is largely that reason that the Steelers will typically have the potential to be a truly great team but struggle to dominate consistently. Let's hope that this is one day where he struggles mightily against a healthy Ravens team.
THE PICKS
I apologize that time this week has limited my ability to post more through explanations of each matchup. I will briefly post a list of the winners of each game:
RAVENS 24-20
COWBOYS 34-13
CHIEFS 31-17
MIAMI 23-21
EAGLES 30-21
PANTHERS 20-17
CHARGERS 27-20
PACKERS 31-28
RAIDERS 33-24
SEAHAWKS 31-27
THIS IS IT, RAVENS FANS. THIS IS THE MATCHUP WE WAIT FOR ALL SEASON, EVERY SEASON. THE NFL HASN'T BEEN ENTERTAINING THIS SEASON, BUT LET'S HOPE TODAY CHANGES THAT IF ONLY FOR A FEW HOURS.
NOW AND FOREVER
GO RAVENS!!!
RAVENS-STEELERS ANALYSIS AND WEEK 9 NFL PICKS
It's difficult to know what to expect from the Ravens and Steelers week. Neither team has won in quite some time, and both teams are coming off of sorely needed bye weeks. The Steelers looked unquestionably more dominant in each of their four wins than the Ravens did in any of their 3, but schematic familiarity and sheer rivalry-fueled animosity has meant that the better overall team doesn't always win. The Ravens have been unquestionably the worse team overall for a season and a half now; there's no way around that. Baltimore, nevertheless, swept the Steelers last season despite having their worst regular season record in nearly a decade.
It's always tempting to rave about the talent at the Steelers' disposal. Le'Veon Bell is a fantastic, versatile running back, and Antonio Brown is one of the most talented receivers in the league. Ben Roethlisberger has appeared to be the best quarterback in the league for stretches of games, and analysts always speak about the trio of Bell, Brown, and Ben being the most talented RB/WR/QB combo in the league. There are, however, a few major factors that tend to derail that idea when it comes to Ravens-Steelers games. The first is the fact that Antonio Brown has almost been a total non-factor in his career against the Ravens. In thirteen career games against Baltimore, Brown has accumulated a total of one touchdown. You read that correctly...one touchdown. Brown has also not been a major factor from a yardage standpoint as he has only caught for 100+ yards in two of his 13 games against the Ravens. Le'Veon Bell has been injured or suspended far too often to be thought of as a durable, dependable all-purpose back, and Ben Roethlisberger seldom stays healthy over the course of an NFL season. The Ravens have, furthermore, won 8 of the last 11 contests against the Steelers since the departure of Bruce Arians as the Steelers' offensive coordinator after the 2010 season.
Much like the lowly Rams always seem to give the Seahawks fits, so too do the Ravens seem to have the Steelers' number over the past 5 seasons. Does that guarantee a win today? Of course not, but it should absolutely give Baltimore fans hope that their team can pull off a win over a team that has unquestionably looked better than they have over the first half of this season--especially with the questionable status of Ben Roethlisberger.
Big Ben will likely play against the Ravens, but one can't help but wonder if he'll be a little ginger on that recently-scoped knee or whether his not yet fully healed knee will slow him down a step. He could proceed to have a sensational game and not be too terrifically bothered by it because of painkillers, but something tells me that a week of limited practice means he couldn't possibly feel 100%.
Ben's health isn't the only thing that could bode well for the Ravens. The return to health of Baltimore's offensive line should help dramatically as they look to exploit a Steelers run defense that has struggled over the last couple of games. Possibly the biggest factor that the Ravens could benefit from tremendously is a comparative lack of a pass rush from Pittsburgh. The Steelers as a team only have two more sacks than Terrell Suggs this season--and Sizzle has missed the last two games. Joe Flacco's biggest obstacle thus far has been finding the time and confidence to step into his throws and find open receivers downfield. If the Steelers can't manage to dial up pressure and force Joe to make errant throws, he actually has enough weapons to make this a long day for Pittsburgh.
I'd like to think that the Ravens offense at close to full strength has a chance to have decent production against the Steelers defense, but schematic familiarity could nullify some of that to a degree that statistics from early games this season can't predict. History would suggest that this will be a 20-17 or 23-20 win for one of these teams, but there has been the occasional statistical outlier game like that of Week 1 in 2011 where the Ravens won 35-7 or Week 2 of 2014 where the Ravens won 26-6, or like Week 9 of 2014 where Big Ben threw 6 touchdowns and absolutely blasted the Ravens after Jimmy Smith went down the week prior. Come to think of it, no game in 2014 WASN'T a big win as the Ravens proceeded to beat up on the Steelers in the playoffs 31-17. In 2015, however, the Ravens-Steelers rivalry reverted to its usual impossibly close margin of victory for both contests.
The Ravens, on paper, don't appear as good as the Steelers, but the Steelers simply aren't the Super Bowl favorites that many people assumed they'd be early in the season. Big Ben has had a total of 3 complete seasons over 13 years in the league, and it is largely that reason that the Steelers will typically have the potential to be a truly great team but struggle to dominate consistently. Let's hope that this is one day where he struggles mightily against a healthy Ravens team.
THE PICKS
I apologize that time this week has limited my ability to post more through explanations of each matchup. I will briefly post a list of the winners of each game:
RAVENS 24-20
COWBOYS 34-13
CHIEFS 31-17
MIAMI 23-21
EAGLES 30-21
PANTHERS 20-17
CHARGERS 27-20
PACKERS 31-28
RAIDERS 33-24
SEAHAWKS 31-27
THIS IS IT, RAVENS FANS. THIS IS THE MATCHUP WE WAIT FOR ALL SEASON, EVERY SEASON. THE NFL HASN'T BEEN ENTERTAINING THIS SEASON, BUT LET'S HOPE TODAY CHANGES THAT IF ONLY FOR A FEW HOURS.
NOW AND FOREVER
GO RAVENS!!!
It's always tempting to rave about the talent at the Steelers' disposal. Le'Veon Bell is a fantastic, versatile running back, and Antonio Brown is one of the most talented receivers in the league. Ben Roethlisberger has appeared to be the best quarterback in the league for stretches of games, and analysts always speak about the trio of Bell, Brown, and Ben being the most talented RB/WR/QB combo in the league. There are, however, a few major factors that tend to derail that idea when it comes to Ravens-Steelers games. The first is the fact that Antonio Brown has almost been a total non-factor in his career against the Ravens. In thirteen career games against Baltimore, Brown has accumulated a total of one touchdown. You read that correctly...one touchdown. Brown has also not been a major factor from a yardage standpoint as he has only caught for 100+ yards in two of his 13 games against the Ravens. Le'Veon Bell has been injured or suspended far too often to be thought of as a durable, dependable all-purpose back, and Ben Roethlisberger seldom stays healthy over the course of an NFL season. The Ravens have, furthermore, won 8 of the last 11 contests against the Steelers since the departure of Bruce Arians as the Steelers' offensive coordinator after the 2010 season.
Much like the lowly Rams always seem to give the Seahawks fits, so too do the Ravens seem to have the Steelers' number over the past 5 seasons. Does that guarantee a win today? Of course not, but it should absolutely give Baltimore fans hope that their team can pull off a win over a team that has unquestionably looked better than they have over the first half of this season--especially with the questionable status of Ben Roethlisberger.
Big Ben will likely play against the Ravens, but one can't help but wonder if he'll be a little ginger on that recently-scoped knee or whether his not yet fully healed knee will slow him down a step. He could proceed to have a sensational game and not be too terrifically bothered by it because of painkillers, but something tells me that a week of limited practice means he couldn't possibly feel 100%.
Ben's health isn't the only thing that could bode well for the Ravens. The return to health of Baltimore's offensive line should help dramatically as they look to exploit a Steelers run defense that has struggled over the last couple of games. Possibly the biggest factor that the Ravens could benefit from tremendously is a comparative lack of a pass rush from Pittsburgh. The Steelers as a team only have two more sacks than Terrell Suggs this season--and Sizzle has missed the last two games. Joe Flacco's biggest obstacle thus far has been finding the time and confidence to step into his throws and find open receivers downfield. If the Steelers can't manage to dial up pressure and force Joe to make errant throws, he actually has enough weapons to make this a long day for Pittsburgh.
I'd like to think that the Ravens offense at close to full strength has a chance to have decent production against the Steelers defense, but schematic familiarity could nullify some of that to a degree that statistics from early games this season can't predict. History would suggest that this will be a 20-17 or 23-20 win for one of these teams, but there has been the occasional statistical outlier game like that of Week 1 in 2011 where the Ravens won 35-7 or Week 2 of 2014 where the Ravens won 26-6, or like Week 9 of 2014 where Big Ben threw 6 touchdowns and absolutely blasted the Ravens after Jimmy Smith went down the week prior. Come to think of it, no game in 2014 WASN'T a big win as the Ravens proceeded to beat up on the Steelers in the playoffs 31-17. In 2015, however, the Ravens-Steelers rivalry reverted to its usual impossibly close margin of victory for both contests.
The Ravens, on paper, don't appear as good as the Steelers, but the Steelers simply aren't the Super Bowl favorites that many people assumed they'd be early in the season. Big Ben has had a total of 3 complete seasons over 13 years in the league, and it is largely that reason that the Steelers will typically have the potential to be a truly great team but struggle to dominate consistently. Let's hope that this is one day where he struggles mightily against a healthy Ravens team.
THE PICKS
I apologize that time this week has limited my ability to post more through explanations of each matchup. I will briefly post a list of the winners of each game:
RAVENS 24-20
COWBOYS 34-13
CHIEFS 31-17
MIAMI 23-21
EAGLES 30-21
PANTHERS 20-17
CHARGERS 27-20
PACKERS 31-28
RAIDERS 33-24
SEAHAWKS 31-27
THIS IS IT, RAVENS FANS. THIS IS THE MATCHUP WE WAIT FOR ALL SEASON, EVERY SEASON. THE NFL HASN'T BEEN ENTERTAINING THIS SEASON, BUT LET'S HOPE TODAY CHANGES THAT IF ONLY FOR A FEW HOURS.
NOW AND FOREVER
GO RAVENS!!!
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