Less than a week has gone by since Joe Flacco demonstrated that he's the toughest, most stoic quarterback in the NFL today by not letting anyone know his ACL and MCL were torn and continuing to stay right in the game to get the win--I've never heard of anything like that. It's not like playing pumped full of painkillers with a broken bone here or there; this was a fully blown out knee. I doubt anyone will argue that Joe Flacco is the greatest quarterback in the league, but it's that kind of situation that has solidified in my mind the fact that there's no one in the league I'd rather have playing quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens than #5. His certainly isn't the first time he's played injured, though it IS the most injured he's been while playing. Make no mistake: Joe WILL be back, and he'll be back in a BIG way next season.
With Joe out, the Ravens turn to a quarterback who, if it were three years ago, may have been more highly regarded than Flacco by many. Matt Schaub went to the Pro Bowl in 2009 and 2012, and he utterly DESTROYED the Ravens in the 2012 Super Bowl season. For whatever reason, however, Schaub fell off a cliff the following year, and then he couldn't find success as a backup in 2014. The question is whether or not there is something physical that changed about Schaub or whether his issues were purely psychological. Who knows? Maybe it was a combination of both. I would say that I'm curious to see how he's able to rise to the occassion, and I am, but on Monday he'll be playing with less talent at the wide receiver position than he's had at his disposal at literally any time in his professional career.
Now let's get one thing straight: it's not as though the Ravens CAN'T beat the Browns on Monday. Their defense has actually looked quite strong at times over the last month, and it did an excellent job limiting the Browns earlier this season until far too many starters came out with injuries. Buck Allen looked fantastic running against a Rams team with a sensational defensive line, and each one of the Ravens top three tight ends was recently rated in the top 10 by Pro Football Focus. It's entirely possible that the Ravens will take pressure off of Schaub with Buck Allen and Terrance West (especially since Terrance West is quite familiar running against the Browns defense in practice) and then they'll include lots of 2 and even 3 tight end sets as Schaub has typically loved going to his tight ends over the course of his career. No, the question isn't whether or not the Ravens can beat the Browns--the question is whether they actually WANT to beat the Browns at this point.
The Raven are 3-7. Without Steve Smith, Dennis Pitta, Breshad Perriman, Justin Forsett, Joe Flacco, Terrell Suggs, and Jeremy Zuttah this season has BEEN lost for quite some time. Yes, there was a point going into the bye week where there was a shred of optimism that the Ravens could make a run if their team could get healthy and Perriman and/or Pitta could return to add legitimate weapons to Flacco's arsenal. None of that even REMOTELY panned out. According to the NFL, the Ravens should be 4-6 right now, but even if they had received credit for beating the Jaguars, the Ravens would still be without their starting quarterback, their starting tailback, and their starting center now with more difficult opponents in front of them. This would SEEM like an appropriate time to give it the old college try and make all efforts to win games, but I would hope the organization is in full agreement that each game their lose from here on out is a step closer to the highest draft pick this team has possessed in a long time or ever. With that said, I'll always root for the Ravens to win anytime they play...it's just that now we can find a silver lining to their losses.
Football is almost always worth watching, but I must say that I'm a little bummed that each of the 3 Thanksgiving games features only NFC teams. I am, nevertheless, quite curious to see one of the three matchups. The Eagles are in a tailspin at this point, and the Lions have shown signs of life as of late, so I'm expecting a rare lunchtime home win today in Detroit. The Packers will host the Bears in what could prove to be a hard-fought divisional showdown or a total snoozefest/blowout. The truly intriguing game is the 4:30. The unbeaten Panthers are in Arlington Texas this afternoon/evening to face a Cowboys team that just recently became a threat to win every game on its remaining schedule. Yes, the best the Cowboys can do is 9-7, but that may be easily enough to win the NFC East at this rate. Tony Romo and Dez Bryant are both healthy, and Darren McFadden's excellent recent excellent production are all reasons the Panthers may well experience their first loss on the road today. I'll be curious to see how Cam Newton can rise to the occasion once more. Let's take a look at the picks!
THANKSGIVING NFL PICKS
EAGLES AT LIONS- Megatron is back healthy, and the Lions are coming off of two consecutive wins over quality teams. Mark Sanchez will start, and that means I have zero faith in Chip Kelly's idiotic experiment of getting rid of his most talented players. The Lions' record is bad, but I can't see them losing to a team that is much worse at this point. LIONS 23-17
PANTHERS AT COWBOYS- The have appeared to be the league's most complete team this season with strong defense and a quarterback who wills his offense to victory, but the Cowboys should have the NFC's strongest offense now that both Tony Romo and Dez Bryant are back healthy. The Cowboys are undefeated with Romo on the field, and they couldn't win a single game without him. The Panthers could easily squeak this one out too, but I'm expecting the Cowboys to control the line of scrimmage and simply outscore a Panthers offense that has been clutch but not overwhelming this season. COWBOYS 31-28
BEARS AT PACKERS- The return to form of Eddie Lacy will help the Packers win what will be a much closer game than many realize. The Bears beat the Chargers in San Diego, overwhelmed the Rams in St. Louis, and just barely lost to the Broncos. The Packers are a top 5 team in the league with 7-3 record, but they've looked uneven as of late with three losses in their last games. Last week, however, they dominated a strong Vikings team in Minnesota as Eddie Lacy finally had a strong performance. The Packers are 4-1 at home this season, and they should emerge 5-1 by the end of the night. PACKERS 33-21
I URGE RAVENS FANS NOT TO THINK OF THIS YEAR AS A FAILURE, BUT RATHER TO THINK OF IT AS A BIG OPPORTUNITY TO SET THE FRANCHISE UP FOR GREAT YEARS TO COME. THERE HAVE BEEN SOME DRAFT DISAPPOINTMENTS BY OZZIE NEWSOME IN THE EARLY ROUNDS IN RECENT YEARS, BUT THERE HAVE ALSO BEEN SOME GEMS INCLUDING BRANDON WILLIAMS, CROCKETT GILMORE, C.J. MOSLEY, MAXX WILLIAMS, NICK BOYLE, TIMMY JERNIGAN, AND CARL DAVIS. THIS IS A GREAT ORGANIZATION AND SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO TAKE ONE STEP BACK TO TAKE TWO STEPS FORWARD.
I KNOW IT'S A BIT EARLY, BUT I'M GOING TO BEGIN DRAFT CANDIDATE ANALYSIS OVER THE COURSE OF THE NEXT MONTH. THE RAVENS WILL ALMOST CERTAINLY HAVE THE ABILITY TO PICK WHOMEVER THEY PLEASE THIS SPRING, AND THAT MEANS A TON OF POSSIBILITIES!
NOW AND FOREVER
GO RAVENS!!!
Thursday, November 26, 2015
Sunday, November 22, 2015
WEEK 11 NFL PREDICTIONS
Watching the Jaguars' kicker nail a 53 yard field goal on an untimed down to end any lingering hopes of late-season Ravens run was almost as painful as hearing an apology from the NFL that the Ravens SHOULD have won the game because of a missed false start penalty on the play that ultimately set up the aforementioned field goal. Any lingering hopes I wrote about regarding the return of Dennis Pitta and Breshad Perriman have no been totally dashed as both players have been put on injured reserve. This season has been utter purgatory. All seven of the Ravens losses have come by no more than a single score. It didn't matter if the team they faced on any given week was one of the best in the league or one of the worst; they found ways to blow a late lead and nearly every team to get the best of them.
When deconstructing this season and getting at the root of all of the Ravens' losses, one could easily point to the wide receiver and defensive back positions as enormous reasons that every single one of the Ravens' losses wasn't a solid win. The injury to Terrell Suggs played a massive role as well, but one has to figure that if the Ravens had just one effective wide receiver beyond Steve Smith senior for most of this season, they would currently be totally entrenched in a playoff race at this moment--they are not. You won't see this Ravens team go down without a fight, but there isn't a terrific amount to fight for at this point. It wouldn't behoove the Ravens to just mail it in for the rest of the season because they need to find ways to win games or at least be effective with the guys they have remaining on the roster so as to get in a groove and generate some semblance of momentum going into the off-season. Quite simply, they need to find a winning formula so that Baltimore doesn't once again depend on totally unknown commodities to win as they did with Perriman.
One thing the Ravens must absolutely get back on track leading into next season is the running game. The Ravens just promoted Terrance West to the active roster, and we shouldn't be surprised if he soon starts to get carries given his incredible talent. West could actually be the feature running back of the future for the Ravens if he lives up to his explosive potential running behind a decent Ravens offensive line. At the very least, West and Buck Allen could form the 1-2 punch of the next 3-4 years as the Ravens attempt to re-establish their identity of a hard-nosed, power running football team capable of willing themselves to wins in harsh playoffs environments. I hope desperately to see West get carries against the Rams. If there is a defensive line I'd like to see the Ravens find success running against, it's that of St. Louis.
If the Ravens offensive line can also pass protect against a rather fierce Rams pass rush, the Ravens actually have a decent shot at winning this game. More important than winning the game, however, is seeing John Urschel have success at the center position. Jeremy Zuttah went out for the season last week with a torn pectoral, and Urschel needs to step up and fill Zuttah's shoes. If the offensive line can perform in pass protection, Joe Flacco has a chance to further develop chemistry with a receiving corps that looked, at times, electric last week. The problem was that at OTHER times, that receiving corps just GAVE the ball away to the other team. Flacco needs to get on the same page with the wideouts and tight ends he has at this point so that the front office knows exactly what it has going into next season.
There's not much else to say or hope for at this point. Yes, if the Ravens miraculously win out from this point, they have a shot to make the playoffs. That of course, will not happen. They're too depleted and no longer have the hope of major receiving weapons returning for the second half of the season to jump-start an offensive that has stayed just shy of being consistently effective enough to win games. Getting dead money from Rice, Ngata, and Pitta off the books in the off-season along with a top 10 draft position will allow the Ravens to acquire the free agents and draft picks they need to bounce back in 2016. I'll never stop watching and rooting for them each week, and I'll look forward to their rematch with the Steelers later this season, but after last week, I'm convinced this season has simply been cursed by the football gods for our beloved team. Fortunately for the true football fans out there, this season still has plenty of games left. Let's take a look at this week's picks!
WEEK 11 NFL PICKS
RAIDERS AT LIONS- At this point I don't know what to expect from the Raiders OR Lions. The Raiders have a better body of work this season, but the Lions looked strong beating the Packers recently. Have the Lions figured things out? Probably not. The Raiders still have a high-flying offense that should make trouble for the Lions. RAIDERS 30-21
COLTS AT FALCONS- Without a healthy Andrew Luck, what do the Colts even have? FALCONS 28-13
JETS AT TEXANS- The Texans have been hot as of late, but the Jets are coming off a bye week, and the Texans are one of the worst teams in the league at stopping the run. Revis will limit Hopkins, and the Jets will grind out a victory on the ground. JETS 21-17
BUCCANEERS AT EAGLES- I guess I wasn't THAT surprised that the Eagles lost to the Dolphins last week, but it's really getting hard to know what to expect with this Philly team. I still believe the Eagles can beat the Bucs at home though. EAGLES 27-24
BRONCOS AT BEARS- No healthy Peyton Manning means the Bears should do enough to exhaust an otherwise strong Broncos defense. The Broncos don't have a strong enough running game to make Brock Osweiler effective in Kubiak's system yet. BEARS 33-20
RAMS AT RAVENS- The Ravens have lost at home to worse teams this season, and the Rams have a strong enough running game to open things up for Tavon Austin and company for some big downfield plays. The Ravens have nothing to play for at this point except pride. RAMS 23-21
COWBOYS AT DOLPHINS- I'd like to think the Dolphins can build on last week's win, but the return of Romo makes this Cowboys team dangerous. COWBOYS 31-28
REDSKINS AT PANTHERS- The Redskins looked incredible at home against the Saints, but on the road against the Panthers they'll fall short. That's ok, no one has beaten the Panthers yet. PANTHERS 24-17
CHIEFS AT CHARGERS- The Chargers are simply to depleted and devoid of weapons other than Danny Woodhead and Antonio Gates at this point to be able to put away decent teams. CHIEFS 38-28
PACKERS AT VIKINGS- The Packers will continue their skid despite valiant second half efforts from Aaron Rodgers. Adrian Peterson will control the clock as needed. VIKINGS 23-20
49ERS AT SEAHAWKS- I dunno if this warrants much of an explanation. SEAHAWKS 34-17
BENGALS AT CARDINALS- This week will mark the second week of an interesting point wherein the Bengals finally run out of steam. Carson Palmer will pick apart his old team, and Chris Johnson should break free for a big run or two. The problem with the Bengals, as I've stated numerous times in the past, is that they look electric early on in regular seasons, but that is because they use basically everything they have in their playbook prematurely. By the time they hit the playoffs, the Bengals have put everything on film that another team would need to see to beat them. They're 9-1, but this year shouldn't be much different. CARDINALS 24-20
BILLS AT PATRIOTS- The Patriots will be without Julian Edelman and once again without Jamie Collins, but they're strong enough offensively to edge the Bills in this one. PATRIOTS 33-28
THERE'S NOTHING THAT COULD EVER MAKE ME STOP ROOTING FOR MY RAVENS, AND IF YOU CALL YOURSELF A RAVENS FAN AND YOU DON'T GET EXCITED TO WATCH THEM EACH WEEK REGARDLESS OF THE OUTCOME, YOU NEED TO FIND A NEW TEAM. THIS SQUAD WILL BE BACK IN A BIG WAY NEXT YEAR, AND IT WILL HAVE BEEN WORTH THE WAIT
NOW AND FOREVER
GO RAVENS!!!
When deconstructing this season and getting at the root of all of the Ravens' losses, one could easily point to the wide receiver and defensive back positions as enormous reasons that every single one of the Ravens' losses wasn't a solid win. The injury to Terrell Suggs played a massive role as well, but one has to figure that if the Ravens had just one effective wide receiver beyond Steve Smith senior for most of this season, they would currently be totally entrenched in a playoff race at this moment--they are not. You won't see this Ravens team go down without a fight, but there isn't a terrific amount to fight for at this point. It wouldn't behoove the Ravens to just mail it in for the rest of the season because they need to find ways to win games or at least be effective with the guys they have remaining on the roster so as to get in a groove and generate some semblance of momentum going into the off-season. Quite simply, they need to find a winning formula so that Baltimore doesn't once again depend on totally unknown commodities to win as they did with Perriman.
One thing the Ravens must absolutely get back on track leading into next season is the running game. The Ravens just promoted Terrance West to the active roster, and we shouldn't be surprised if he soon starts to get carries given his incredible talent. West could actually be the feature running back of the future for the Ravens if he lives up to his explosive potential running behind a decent Ravens offensive line. At the very least, West and Buck Allen could form the 1-2 punch of the next 3-4 years as the Ravens attempt to re-establish their identity of a hard-nosed, power running football team capable of willing themselves to wins in harsh playoffs environments. I hope desperately to see West get carries against the Rams. If there is a defensive line I'd like to see the Ravens find success running against, it's that of St. Louis.
If the Ravens offensive line can also pass protect against a rather fierce Rams pass rush, the Ravens actually have a decent shot at winning this game. More important than winning the game, however, is seeing John Urschel have success at the center position. Jeremy Zuttah went out for the season last week with a torn pectoral, and Urschel needs to step up and fill Zuttah's shoes. If the offensive line can perform in pass protection, Joe Flacco has a chance to further develop chemistry with a receiving corps that looked, at times, electric last week. The problem was that at OTHER times, that receiving corps just GAVE the ball away to the other team. Flacco needs to get on the same page with the wideouts and tight ends he has at this point so that the front office knows exactly what it has going into next season.
There's not much else to say or hope for at this point. Yes, if the Ravens miraculously win out from this point, they have a shot to make the playoffs. That of course, will not happen. They're too depleted and no longer have the hope of major receiving weapons returning for the second half of the season to jump-start an offensive that has stayed just shy of being consistently effective enough to win games. Getting dead money from Rice, Ngata, and Pitta off the books in the off-season along with a top 10 draft position will allow the Ravens to acquire the free agents and draft picks they need to bounce back in 2016. I'll never stop watching and rooting for them each week, and I'll look forward to their rematch with the Steelers later this season, but after last week, I'm convinced this season has simply been cursed by the football gods for our beloved team. Fortunately for the true football fans out there, this season still has plenty of games left. Let's take a look at this week's picks!
WEEK 11 NFL PICKS
RAIDERS AT LIONS- At this point I don't know what to expect from the Raiders OR Lions. The Raiders have a better body of work this season, but the Lions looked strong beating the Packers recently. Have the Lions figured things out? Probably not. The Raiders still have a high-flying offense that should make trouble for the Lions. RAIDERS 30-21
COLTS AT FALCONS- Without a healthy Andrew Luck, what do the Colts even have? FALCONS 28-13
JETS AT TEXANS- The Texans have been hot as of late, but the Jets are coming off a bye week, and the Texans are one of the worst teams in the league at stopping the run. Revis will limit Hopkins, and the Jets will grind out a victory on the ground. JETS 21-17
BUCCANEERS AT EAGLES- I guess I wasn't THAT surprised that the Eagles lost to the Dolphins last week, but it's really getting hard to know what to expect with this Philly team. I still believe the Eagles can beat the Bucs at home though. EAGLES 27-24
BRONCOS AT BEARS- No healthy Peyton Manning means the Bears should do enough to exhaust an otherwise strong Broncos defense. The Broncos don't have a strong enough running game to make Brock Osweiler effective in Kubiak's system yet. BEARS 33-20
RAMS AT RAVENS- The Ravens have lost at home to worse teams this season, and the Rams have a strong enough running game to open things up for Tavon Austin and company for some big downfield plays. The Ravens have nothing to play for at this point except pride. RAMS 23-21
COWBOYS AT DOLPHINS- I'd like to think the Dolphins can build on last week's win, but the return of Romo makes this Cowboys team dangerous. COWBOYS 31-28
REDSKINS AT PANTHERS- The Redskins looked incredible at home against the Saints, but on the road against the Panthers they'll fall short. That's ok, no one has beaten the Panthers yet. PANTHERS 24-17
CHIEFS AT CHARGERS- The Chargers are simply to depleted and devoid of weapons other than Danny Woodhead and Antonio Gates at this point to be able to put away decent teams. CHIEFS 38-28
PACKERS AT VIKINGS- The Packers will continue their skid despite valiant second half efforts from Aaron Rodgers. Adrian Peterson will control the clock as needed. VIKINGS 23-20
49ERS AT SEAHAWKS- I dunno if this warrants much of an explanation. SEAHAWKS 34-17
BENGALS AT CARDINALS- This week will mark the second week of an interesting point wherein the Bengals finally run out of steam. Carson Palmer will pick apart his old team, and Chris Johnson should break free for a big run or two. The problem with the Bengals, as I've stated numerous times in the past, is that they look electric early on in regular seasons, but that is because they use basically everything they have in their playbook prematurely. By the time they hit the playoffs, the Bengals have put everything on film that another team would need to see to beat them. They're 9-1, but this year shouldn't be much different. CARDINALS 24-20
BILLS AT PATRIOTS- The Patriots will be without Julian Edelman and once again without Jamie Collins, but they're strong enough offensively to edge the Bills in this one. PATRIOTS 33-28
THERE'S NOTHING THAT COULD EVER MAKE ME STOP ROOTING FOR MY RAVENS, AND IF YOU CALL YOURSELF A RAVENS FAN AND YOU DON'T GET EXCITED TO WATCH THEM EACH WEEK REGARDLESS OF THE OUTCOME, YOU NEED TO FIND A NEW TEAM. THIS SQUAD WILL BE BACK IN A BIG WAY NEXT YEAR, AND IT WILL HAVE BEEN WORTH THE WAIT
NOW AND FOREVER
GO RAVENS!!!
Saturday, November 14, 2015
WEEK 10 NFL PREDICTIONS
I've been told by a close friend that I'm nuts to believe there's a decent possibility the Ravens can make the post season just because of their comparatively easy second-half schedule and because of the fact that the rest of the wildcard contenders should falter to a significant degree based on THEIR comparatively TOUGH second-half schedules. Well Monday night was just one first step in the direction of proving my point. The Buffalo Bills aren't a great team, and they weren't favored to beat the Jets in New Jersey. Divisional games, however, are often incredibly difficult to predict, and upsets are frequent between teams with an advanced level of familiarity such as the Bills and Jets.
This weekend is filled with opportunities for the Ravens to gain ground on the teams that sit ahead of them in the wildcard race. Buffalo's victory over the Jets means that the Jets are just one loss closer to only finishing 8-8 or 9-7 despite a red-hot start to the regular season. The teams that remain ahead of the Ravens are the Bills, Jets, Steelers, Raiders, Chiefs, Dolphins, Texans, and Jaguars. The Ravens can knock the Jaguars basically out of any semblance of contention by handling business against them at home on Sunday, which I fully expect them to do coming off of a bye week. The Ravens offensive line is mostly healthy with Eugene Monroe slated to play, and we should expect a good amount of time in the pocket and numerous shots downfield to some of Joe Flacco's newest speedy weapons, Chris Givens, Jeremy Ross, and Joe Morgan.
The Texans travel to Cincinatti on Monday night, and any rational mind has to predict that will be a loss for J.J. Watt and company. The Dolphins will play the Eagles in Philly, and while the Dolphins could pull an upset there, the Eagles should win that game now that Cameron Wake is on injured reserve for Miami. The Chiefs will face Peyton Manning and the Broncos in Denver, and the addition of Vernon Davis should help to fill the void that Julius Thomas left when he departed for Jacksonville. The Chiefs should make it interesting, but they're probably not winning that game. The Raiders will face a difficult task when Adrian Peterson comes to town as the Vikings, though they don't put up monster score totals, can suffocate teams with defense and control the clock with a thunderous running game. The Raiders still have a good chance to win this game, but it certainly won't be easy, especially with the emergence of Stephon Diggs and a Raiders secondary that allowed a single receiver to catch for 284 yards last week.
That leaves us with the Steelers as the only other wildcard contender that has yet to play this week. The Steelers will be without Big Ben, and they are, of course, without Le'Veon Bell. Pittsburgh hosts the Browns, and those Browns will likely start Johnny Manziel at quarterback. Landry Jones is a capable enough backup that I still expect a Pittsburgh win here, but the Browns have been known to beat the Steelers from time to time. James Harrison will also not play, and that could hurt the Steelers' ability to generate a pass rush on a relatively mobile, young QB. The Browns certainly have enough weapons to beat a team decimated by key injuries, and Joe Hayden should be able to at least somewhat limit Antonio Brown.
If the Browns find a way to upset the Steelers, the Vikings handle their business against the Raiders, and every other favored aforementioned team wins this weekend, the Ravens will actually have gained quite a bit of ground in earning a wildcard spot. Regardless of how the Raiders or Steelers do, the Ravens SHOULD leapfrog the Jaguars, Texans, Dolphins, and Chiefs in a single weekend based on divisional records. Things then become trickier as the Ravens have to beat more difficult teams and hope any three of the four remaining teams in front of them (the Bills, Jets, Steelers, and Raiders) falter under the weight of their remaining respective strengths of schedules. As we examined a week ago, all four of those teams will have a tough time getting beyond 8 or 9 wins, and this leaves a glimmer of hope for Ravens players, coaches, and fans that Baltimore can go on a run and make it to the 9 wins I believe it necessary to squeak into the playoffs this season. One way or another, because of the utter disappointing play of nearly all of the teams in the AFC, this will be quite a wild ride. With that said, let's take a look at this week's picks!
WEEK 10 NFL PICKS
LIONS AT PACKERS- This should be a nice bounce-back game for Packers team that has struggled in recent weeks despite heroic play by Aaron Rodgers. Eddie Lacy needs to get into better shape, but Starks will tote the rock instead. The Lions are atrocious, so this shouldn't be too interesting unless you're starting Rodgers as your fantasy QB. PACKERS 31-17
COWBOYS AT BUCCANEERS- The Cowboys have played their last 3 games insanely closely against 3 contending teams. I don't consider the Buccaneers to be any type of contending team even though they DID have one quality win over the Falcons in Atlanta two weeks ago. With that said, the Buccaneers simply don't have enough defensive power to stop the likes of Darren McFadden running behind strong Cowboys O line nor do they have anyone who can cover Dez Bryant. This is the week the Boys finally get a win. COWBOYS 28-24
PANTHERS AT TITANS- The Titans can upset a team with poor defense, but that's not the Panthers. The Panthers will lose at some point this season, but it won't be this week. PANTHERS 28-21
BEARS AT RAMS- If this game were going to be played in Chicago, it might be more interesting, but the Rams play suffocating defense at home, and Todd Gurley should absolutely run roughshod over a poor Bear's defense. Injuries to Alshon Jeffrey, Matt Forte, and Pernell McPhee make this a game the Bears simply won't win. RAMS 33-20
SAINTS AT REDSKINS- The Redskins are 3-1 at home, and the Saints are 1-3 on the road. The Saints defense is waaay too crappy on the road to overcome a Redskins offense that will get DeSean Jackson back this week. The Redskins defense has allowed less than 20 points per game this season, and the Redskins offense has scored an average of exactly 22 point per game at home this season. This should be close, but I'm gonna go with the home team here. REDSKINS 27-24
DOLPHINS AT EAGLES- With Cameron Wake still healthy, the Dolphins could have pulled off a win here. Without him, the Dolphins' pass rush, as I mentioned above, is only a fraction as effective. EAGLES 34-23
BROWNS AT STEELERS- The Browns COULD pull off an upset here if Josh McCown was starting--but he will not. Landry Jones is good enough, and D'Angelo Williams has been so effective running the football that I can't see many scenarios were Johnny Manziel is able to pull this one out on the road as much a I would LOVE to see that. STEELERS 28-17
JAGUARS AT RAVENS- This is not a game the Ravens should lose at home coming off of a bye week. The Jaguars, however, are one of the best teams in the league when it comes to big plays of over 20 or more yards. Blake Bortles is unquestionably better than Blaine Gabbert, but the Jaguars are still only putting up 21 points per game and allow and average of 29 points per game. To make matters worse, wide receivers Allen hurns and Marquise Lee are questionable for Sunday's game. Hurns is dealing with a foot sprain and deep thigh bruise from last week's game, and Marquise Lee is dealing with a hamstring injury. I expect both to try to play, but there's no way either will be close to 100%. The Ravens will have a relatively healthy, well-rested offensive line, and that will prove the difference-maker in this game. Flacco now has downfield threats and an offensive line that should give him ample time to hit them in stride. Expect a big day on the ground from Forsett and Buck Allen, and we should expect Flacco to get the ball to his trio of big tight ends after deep threats and the running game open up the middle of the field for them. This isn't a bad Jaguars team, they've played a lot of decent teams closely, but they're banged up and playing the Ravens at the wrong time. RAVENS 30-24
VIKINGS AT RAIDERS- The Vikings are lucky that Teddy Bridgewater isn't out this week with the lingering effects of a concussion. Derek Carr has looked incredibly impressive this season, and I have a hard time believing he'll be held under 20 points in this game. The Vikings COULD control the clock and limit the Raiders' opportunities, but their only road wins have come against incredibly weak teams, and those wins weren't particularly convincing. I'll be rooting eagerly for the Vikings, but the Raiders should simply be too difficult to slow down or match in production. RAIDERS 28-23
PATRIOTS AT GIANTS- The Giants have won nearly all of their matchups with the Patriots in recent years, but Giants team lacks something required to beat this Patriots team: defense. It's not that the Giants couldn't have a big deal through the air and go toe to toe with the Patriots, but in the end, the Patriots simply have a more effective offense and a better defense. Don't get me wrong, I would LOVE to see the Giants run the Patriots' day on Sunday, but until Victor Cruz gets back, I can't see the Giants being able to overcome their defensive deficiencies to a degree that they could outscore the Patriots. The Patriots, after all, average 34 points per game, and they've only been held under 30 points once in the last 7 weeks. C'mon, ODB, make some circus catch with the small of your back or your armpit to ruin the Patriots undefeated season. PATRIOTS 35-27
CHIEFS AT BRONCOS- This could get interesting with Aqib Talib's suspension and DeMarcus Ware's injury, but the addition of Vernon Davis should give Manning the firepower he needs to outscore the Chiefs at home. BRONCOS 27-23
CARDINALS AT SEAHAWKS- I don't care that this game is in Seattle. The Cardinals have a good enough defense to severely limit the Seahawks, and Carson Palmer has enough weapons to make even the famed Legion of Boom look weak at times. If the Seahawks can only barely put up points against the Cowboys, they're truly going to struggle against the Cardinals. CARDINALS 24-17
TEXANS AT BENGALS- This doesn't require a tremendous amount of explanation. The Texans are really bad and the Bengals are really good. The Bengals are also going to take out their frustrations from previous years of being bounced from the playoffs by the Texans in what SHOULD be a blowout win. BENGALS 42-21
THIS IS THE EASIEST WEEK THE RAVENS WILL HAVE FOR THE ENTIRE SECOND HALF OF THE SEASON, SO LET'S HOPE THEY CAPITALIZE. LET'S ALSO HOPE JOE DEMONSTRATES FURTHER DEVELOPMENT IN CHEMISTRY WITH HIS NEW, YOUNG WEAPONS. IF THE RAVENS CAN FINALLY HANDLE BUSINESS AND GET ON TRACK, THE REST OF THE AFC WILDCARD CONTENDERS ARE WEAK ENOUGH TO GIVE BALTIMORE A SHOT AT A PLAYOFF SPOT.
DON'T LOSE HOPE NOW, BALTIMORE
NOW AND FOREVER
GO RAVENS!!!
This weekend is filled with opportunities for the Ravens to gain ground on the teams that sit ahead of them in the wildcard race. Buffalo's victory over the Jets means that the Jets are just one loss closer to only finishing 8-8 or 9-7 despite a red-hot start to the regular season. The teams that remain ahead of the Ravens are the Bills, Jets, Steelers, Raiders, Chiefs, Dolphins, Texans, and Jaguars. The Ravens can knock the Jaguars basically out of any semblance of contention by handling business against them at home on Sunday, which I fully expect them to do coming off of a bye week. The Ravens offensive line is mostly healthy with Eugene Monroe slated to play, and we should expect a good amount of time in the pocket and numerous shots downfield to some of Joe Flacco's newest speedy weapons, Chris Givens, Jeremy Ross, and Joe Morgan.
The Texans travel to Cincinatti on Monday night, and any rational mind has to predict that will be a loss for J.J. Watt and company. The Dolphins will play the Eagles in Philly, and while the Dolphins could pull an upset there, the Eagles should win that game now that Cameron Wake is on injured reserve for Miami. The Chiefs will face Peyton Manning and the Broncos in Denver, and the addition of Vernon Davis should help to fill the void that Julius Thomas left when he departed for Jacksonville. The Chiefs should make it interesting, but they're probably not winning that game. The Raiders will face a difficult task when Adrian Peterson comes to town as the Vikings, though they don't put up monster score totals, can suffocate teams with defense and control the clock with a thunderous running game. The Raiders still have a good chance to win this game, but it certainly won't be easy, especially with the emergence of Stephon Diggs and a Raiders secondary that allowed a single receiver to catch for 284 yards last week.
That leaves us with the Steelers as the only other wildcard contender that has yet to play this week. The Steelers will be without Big Ben, and they are, of course, without Le'Veon Bell. Pittsburgh hosts the Browns, and those Browns will likely start Johnny Manziel at quarterback. Landry Jones is a capable enough backup that I still expect a Pittsburgh win here, but the Browns have been known to beat the Steelers from time to time. James Harrison will also not play, and that could hurt the Steelers' ability to generate a pass rush on a relatively mobile, young QB. The Browns certainly have enough weapons to beat a team decimated by key injuries, and Joe Hayden should be able to at least somewhat limit Antonio Brown.
If the Browns find a way to upset the Steelers, the Vikings handle their business against the Raiders, and every other favored aforementioned team wins this weekend, the Ravens will actually have gained quite a bit of ground in earning a wildcard spot. Regardless of how the Raiders or Steelers do, the Ravens SHOULD leapfrog the Jaguars, Texans, Dolphins, and Chiefs in a single weekend based on divisional records. Things then become trickier as the Ravens have to beat more difficult teams and hope any three of the four remaining teams in front of them (the Bills, Jets, Steelers, and Raiders) falter under the weight of their remaining respective strengths of schedules. As we examined a week ago, all four of those teams will have a tough time getting beyond 8 or 9 wins, and this leaves a glimmer of hope for Ravens players, coaches, and fans that Baltimore can go on a run and make it to the 9 wins I believe it necessary to squeak into the playoffs this season. One way or another, because of the utter disappointing play of nearly all of the teams in the AFC, this will be quite a wild ride. With that said, let's take a look at this week's picks!
WEEK 10 NFL PICKS
LIONS AT PACKERS- This should be a nice bounce-back game for Packers team that has struggled in recent weeks despite heroic play by Aaron Rodgers. Eddie Lacy needs to get into better shape, but Starks will tote the rock instead. The Lions are atrocious, so this shouldn't be too interesting unless you're starting Rodgers as your fantasy QB. PACKERS 31-17
COWBOYS AT BUCCANEERS- The Cowboys have played their last 3 games insanely closely against 3 contending teams. I don't consider the Buccaneers to be any type of contending team even though they DID have one quality win over the Falcons in Atlanta two weeks ago. With that said, the Buccaneers simply don't have enough defensive power to stop the likes of Darren McFadden running behind strong Cowboys O line nor do they have anyone who can cover Dez Bryant. This is the week the Boys finally get a win. COWBOYS 28-24
PANTHERS AT TITANS- The Titans can upset a team with poor defense, but that's not the Panthers. The Panthers will lose at some point this season, but it won't be this week. PANTHERS 28-21
BEARS AT RAMS- If this game were going to be played in Chicago, it might be more interesting, but the Rams play suffocating defense at home, and Todd Gurley should absolutely run roughshod over a poor Bear's defense. Injuries to Alshon Jeffrey, Matt Forte, and Pernell McPhee make this a game the Bears simply won't win. RAMS 33-20
SAINTS AT REDSKINS- The Redskins are 3-1 at home, and the Saints are 1-3 on the road. The Saints defense is waaay too crappy on the road to overcome a Redskins offense that will get DeSean Jackson back this week. The Redskins defense has allowed less than 20 points per game this season, and the Redskins offense has scored an average of exactly 22 point per game at home this season. This should be close, but I'm gonna go with the home team here. REDSKINS 27-24
DOLPHINS AT EAGLES- With Cameron Wake still healthy, the Dolphins could have pulled off a win here. Without him, the Dolphins' pass rush, as I mentioned above, is only a fraction as effective. EAGLES 34-23
BROWNS AT STEELERS- The Browns COULD pull off an upset here if Josh McCown was starting--but he will not. Landry Jones is good enough, and D'Angelo Williams has been so effective running the football that I can't see many scenarios were Johnny Manziel is able to pull this one out on the road as much a I would LOVE to see that. STEELERS 28-17
JAGUARS AT RAVENS- This is not a game the Ravens should lose at home coming off of a bye week. The Jaguars, however, are one of the best teams in the league when it comes to big plays of over 20 or more yards. Blake Bortles is unquestionably better than Blaine Gabbert, but the Jaguars are still only putting up 21 points per game and allow and average of 29 points per game. To make matters worse, wide receivers Allen hurns and Marquise Lee are questionable for Sunday's game. Hurns is dealing with a foot sprain and deep thigh bruise from last week's game, and Marquise Lee is dealing with a hamstring injury. I expect both to try to play, but there's no way either will be close to 100%. The Ravens will have a relatively healthy, well-rested offensive line, and that will prove the difference-maker in this game. Flacco now has downfield threats and an offensive line that should give him ample time to hit them in stride. Expect a big day on the ground from Forsett and Buck Allen, and we should expect Flacco to get the ball to his trio of big tight ends after deep threats and the running game open up the middle of the field for them. This isn't a bad Jaguars team, they've played a lot of decent teams closely, but they're banged up and playing the Ravens at the wrong time. RAVENS 30-24
VIKINGS AT RAIDERS- The Vikings are lucky that Teddy Bridgewater isn't out this week with the lingering effects of a concussion. Derek Carr has looked incredibly impressive this season, and I have a hard time believing he'll be held under 20 points in this game. The Vikings COULD control the clock and limit the Raiders' opportunities, but their only road wins have come against incredibly weak teams, and those wins weren't particularly convincing. I'll be rooting eagerly for the Vikings, but the Raiders should simply be too difficult to slow down or match in production. RAIDERS 28-23
PATRIOTS AT GIANTS- The Giants have won nearly all of their matchups with the Patriots in recent years, but Giants team lacks something required to beat this Patriots team: defense. It's not that the Giants couldn't have a big deal through the air and go toe to toe with the Patriots, but in the end, the Patriots simply have a more effective offense and a better defense. Don't get me wrong, I would LOVE to see the Giants run the Patriots' day on Sunday, but until Victor Cruz gets back, I can't see the Giants being able to overcome their defensive deficiencies to a degree that they could outscore the Patriots. The Patriots, after all, average 34 points per game, and they've only been held under 30 points once in the last 7 weeks. C'mon, ODB, make some circus catch with the small of your back or your armpit to ruin the Patriots undefeated season. PATRIOTS 35-27
CHIEFS AT BRONCOS- This could get interesting with Aqib Talib's suspension and DeMarcus Ware's injury, but the addition of Vernon Davis should give Manning the firepower he needs to outscore the Chiefs at home. BRONCOS 27-23
CARDINALS AT SEAHAWKS- I don't care that this game is in Seattle. The Cardinals have a good enough defense to severely limit the Seahawks, and Carson Palmer has enough weapons to make even the famed Legion of Boom look weak at times. If the Seahawks can only barely put up points against the Cowboys, they're truly going to struggle against the Cardinals. CARDINALS 24-17
TEXANS AT BENGALS- This doesn't require a tremendous amount of explanation. The Texans are really bad and the Bengals are really good. The Bengals are also going to take out their frustrations from previous years of being bounced from the playoffs by the Texans in what SHOULD be a blowout win. BENGALS 42-21
THIS IS THE EASIEST WEEK THE RAVENS WILL HAVE FOR THE ENTIRE SECOND HALF OF THE SEASON, SO LET'S HOPE THEY CAPITALIZE. LET'S ALSO HOPE JOE DEMONSTRATES FURTHER DEVELOPMENT IN CHEMISTRY WITH HIS NEW, YOUNG WEAPONS. IF THE RAVENS CAN FINALLY HANDLE BUSINESS AND GET ON TRACK, THE REST OF THE AFC WILDCARD CONTENDERS ARE WEAK ENOUGH TO GIVE BALTIMORE A SHOT AT A PLAYOFF SPOT.
DON'T LOSE HOPE NOW, BALTIMORE
NOW AND FOREVER
GO RAVENS!!!
Sunday, November 8, 2015
RAVENS BYE WEEK ANALYSIS AND WEEK 9 NFL PREDICTIONS
Who knew that two of the NFL's most elite receivers would have season-ending injuries in a single, seemingly inconsequential game between teams with records near the worst in the league? Keenan Allen was on pace to set a single season record for sheer number of catches, and Steve Smith was on pace to pass Marvin Harrison and finish 7th on the all time career receiving yards list--Smith currently sits at 10th. Who knew that Philip Rivers would be able to complete two touchdown passes AFTER Keenan Allen went down with a lacerated kidney, and who knew that none of that would matter because Joe Flacco would ultimately orchestrate a masterful pair of drives in the 4th quarter without his still-elite, future hall-of-fame receiver? The Chargers are so incredibly decimated by injuries after last week's game that it's difficult to imagine them mounting much of a comeback in the second half of the season. The Ravens, however, pose an intriguing set of possibilities for second-half success despite the departure of easily the best wide receiver to don purple and black in Baltimore.
I must preface this paragraph by stating that the odds of the Ravens going on a winning streak and earning a wildcard spot in the playoffs don't appear particularly promising. With that said, I will ask you to throw out your preconceived notions about what kind of a record is required to make it to the playoffs in the AFC. On any given year, the bare minimum record to earn a wildcard berth is typically 9-7 or 10-6. The Ravens, for example, earned a wildcard spot in 2009 with a 9-7 record. Had the Ravens won their final game of the 2013 season, they would have earned a playoff spot with a 9-7 record yet again. In order to get to 9-7 in 2015 Baltimore would need to win 7 of their final 8 games--not an easy task. What if, however, the Ravens didn't NEED to win 9 or 10 games to get a wildcard spot this season? One thing that has been largely overlooked by sports talk radio hosts and columnists has been the fact that the rest of the wildcard contenders are doing BARELY better than the Ravens. As a matter of fact, aside from the three unbeaten AFC teams, the most wins any franchise in the AFC currently possesses is 4, and that's only 2 more than the supposedly lowly birds of Baltimore.
The biggest reason for my comparatively high optimism regarding the Ravens reaching the post-season is the strength of the schedules awaiting the other AFC wildcard contenders. The Raiders, Jets, and Steelers all have 4 wins, while the Bills, Dolphins, Chiefs, and Texans all have 3. Here's the interesting part: every single team in front of the Ravens has a tougher remaining schedule than that of Baltimore.
The Raiders have to play the Steelers in Pittsburgh this weekend, and then they play the impressive Vikings next week. Oakland has a couple of poor road opponents, but then they finish the season with the Chiefs, Broncos in Denver, the Packers, Chargers, and then the Chiefs in Kansas City. We can expect the Raiders to lose at least to the Vikings, the Chiefs at least once, the Broncos, and Packers, and there's a good chance they lose to the Steelers this weekend--that would leave the Raiders 7-9 on the season at best.
The Jets got off to an impressive start, but their season could be in serious jeopardy because of ligament damage in the throwing hand of Ryan Fitzpatrick. Beyond that injury though, the Jets will face a pair of sub par teams at home for the next two weeks in the Jaguars and the Bills, but then they face a somewhat dangerous divisional rival in the Dolphins. After the Dolphins, the Jets will face the Giants, and the Giants have proven rather explosive at times and should have Victor Cruz back healthy at that point. The Jets will almost certainly beat the Titans, but then they will have to face the Cowboys in Arlington when Tony Romo will be back healthy, and then they once again face the Patriots. The Jets go to Buffalo in the final week of the season, and road divisional games are always difficult. With the level of play that Fitzpatrick has displayed as of late with an injured hand that will not heal as long as he continues to use it, I would say the Jets will likely lose to the Dolphins, Giants, Cowboys, and Patriots. There's also a reasonable chance they lose on the road versus the Bills, but I won't give the Bills too much credit. I doubt, therefore, that the Jets will finish better than 9-7, and they could easily finish 8-8.
The Steelers, like the Ravens, had great hype building up before the season started. When healthy, they have great offensive weapons such as Big Ben, Antonio Brown, and Le'Veon Bell. Well two of those three haven't stayed healthy, and at this point Ben doesn't look fully recovered from his knee injury, and Le'Veon Bell is out for the season. Ben still has impressive weapons around him and a capable back up running back in D'Angelo Williams, but he is also staring down an incredibly difficult second-half schedule. The Steelers face a Raiders team that has just enough young talent to shock a team on any given week, and the Steelers haven't been incredible at home thus far this season. Pittsburgh then faces the Browns the next week, and both the Browns and Raiders have been known to upset the Steelers from time to time. Big Ben and company then have to go to Seattle to face a Seahawks team that isn't as good this season, but is nearly impossible to beat at home in recent years. They should beat the Colts handedly, but the Steelers then go to Cincy to face a Bengals team that just beat them in Pittsburgh, and then they face Peyton Manning and the league's best defense the next week. The Steelers then go into Baltimore two days after Christmas to face a Ravens team that will presumably be operating with its first round draft pick and that has the 7th ranked offense in the league despite having few big name weapons. The Steelers finish their season on the road in Cleveland. By my estimation, the Steelers will lose to the Seahawks, the Bengals, and Broncos, and there's a good chance they lose once again to the Ravens in Baltimore late in the season. The Steelers could also lose in an upset to the Raiders or split with the Browns. The best the Steelers will finish is 9-7, and it's more likely they'll finish 8-8 once more-- but they could easily finish 7-9. Critical injuries may once again keep this team out of the playoffs.
The Buffalo Bills are just downright bad. They still have to face quality opponents such as the Dolphins, Jets, Patriots, Chiefs, Eagles, Redskins, Cowboys, and Jets again. In all likelihood, the Bills should emerge with a record no better than 7-9 this season, and that's probably generous.
The Chiefs have looked good in their last two wins, but their remaining road schedule will make their awful start to the season difficult to overcome. The Chiefs have to go Denver next weekend, then San Diego the following weekend. They'll almost certainly beat the Bills, but then they go across country to face Oakland, and then to Baltimore to face a Ravens team that hasn't lost to them during the Flacco Harbaugh era. Without Jamaal Charles, they have lost a major element to their team, but I'll give the Chiefs credit that they've found ways to put up big points in the last two weeks with the other weapons they have. With that said, the Chiefs will most likely lose in Denver, they'll likely split with the Chargers, split with the Raiders, and I have a strong feeling they'll fall in Baltimore. Even if the Chiefs manage to beat the Ravens or sweep the Chargers or Raiders, they'll still likely lose at least 3 of their remaining games, and that'll leave them with an 8-8 record at best.
The Texans are horrendous and are only capable of beating the very worst teams in the league. Their problem is that they'll be playing some of the BEST teams in the league and plenty of teams vying for playoff spots. The Texans go into Cincinatti next week to face an undefeated Bengals team that is hungry to secure home field advantage in the playoffs. They then play the Jets, the Saints, the Bills, the Patriots, a Colts team in Indy that already beat them in Houston, and then they finish with the Titans and Jaguars. The Texans will almost certainly lose to the Bengals, the Jets, the Saints, the Patriots, and the Colts--and there's little guarantee that they even beat the likes of the Titans. This Texans team should finish with no more than 6 wins.
The Jaguars are only ahead of the Ravens in the playoff standings because they've played one less game. They will, however, lose in Baltimore in one week. This weekend they'll lose in New Jersey to the Jets. It's likely that they lose all but maybe one of their remaining games as they then face the Titans, Chargers, Titans, Colts, Falcons, Saints, and Texans. The Jaguars should finish with 4 wins on the season at best and will be nothing more than an afterthought following their loss in Charm City next week.
The Ravens do have some challenging opponents ahead of them, but they play 5 of their remaining 8 games at home, and there's a good chance that the Bengals rest their starters against the Ravens in the final week of the season as they will have already clinched their spot in the playoffs. The Ravens will, of course, face the lowly Jaguars at home after the bye week, and then they face an interesting Rams team at home. The Rams have a single road win on the season, and they won dominant wins at home against poor teams in the last two weeks. The Rams' strength has been running the football and defense, but the Ravens are fairly stout against the run when playing teams that can't throw the football. The Rams average only 179 passing yards per game. I like the Ravens to win that one. The Ravens then travel to Cleveland to face a team that they should beat handedly despite the fact that it's a road game. The Ravens were well on their way to a big win over the Browns before Webb, Dumervil, Kyle Arrington, and Will Davis all went down in the second half leaving the pass rush and secondary with almost no one no one left. Baltimore will then travel to Miami to face a tough Dolphins team, but the Ravens have never lost to the Dolphins during the Harbaugh era, and they almost certainly won't do so now that Cameron Wake is out for the season. The Ravens will face the Seahawks, Chiefs, and Steelers at home, and I expect them to beat at least two of those three teams. They then finish the season in Cincy, and even if the Bengals don't sit their starters, that should be a competitive game. The Ravens should beat the Jaguars, Rams, Browns, Dolphins, Chiefs, and they should beat either the Seahawks or Steelers. Its' difficult to predict a Ravens win over a Bengals team that already beat the Ravens narrowly in Baltimore, but we'll see how that shakes out. Speaking with homerish optimism, with the rise of young, speedy receivers and the return of an injured weapon or two, the Ravens should win at least 8 games this season. With a little luck, they could win 9. The point is that the Ravens are in no way guaranteed to get a playoff spot, but everyone in their way has a harrowing list of opponents ahead, and it's almost certain that 8-8 or 9-7 or both will earn wildcard berths. The Ravens have just as good a shot to get to 8-8 or 9-7 as any of the other teams given the circumstances.
Now I've watched every single Ravens game just as you have. I've seen the brief flashes of brilliance against various division-leading teams, and I've seen those flashes disappear with 4th quarter defensive collapses followed by failed last minute Ravens offensive rallies. I've seen the Ravens come just short of being one of the best teams in the league, and I've heard highly critical conclusions drawn as a result. By the way many people speak of our beloved team, you'd think they'd been blown out every single week of this season, but that is so incredibly far from the truth. The truth is that the Ravens, despite their monumental number of critical season-ending injuries, are still only a play or two and a player or two away from being a serious contender. Fortunate for Harbaugh and company, the Ravens might just see the arrival of a couple of game-changing integral cogs in the machine that is the Ravens offense. No, it's not the Patriots offense, and it is currently devoid of big name playmakers. Justin Forsett could be considered a big name, but he was a career backup before his breakout year in 2014. The Ravens instead possess a handful of no-name receivers and tight ends that have, on the shoulders of Joe Flacco and under the guidance of Marc Trestman, put up an average of 357.3 offensive yards per game which ranks 7th in the league. And despite a serious lack of wide receivers, Joe Flacco has managed to pass for over 2,100 yards which currently ranks him 6th in the league in that category.
By now you're probably saying to yourself that Joe Flacco couldn't possibly continue at this pace without his number one target. You may very well be correct on that point, but that would ignore the pending return of two interesting targets. If Dennis Pitta is going to play this season, we'll know by next week. There is, of course, the risk of re-injury, but I'm actually in the minority of people who believes that over a year of rehab after his surgery has been about as much as Pitta could need to be ready to give this a shot. If old #88 can come in an contribute, he'll likely do so from the slot. Pitta is a tight end, but the Ravens will likely utilize him much the way that one would ideally utilize Anquan Boldin. Pitta is a height mismatch on any defensive back and most linebackers in the league. He also excels at finding soft spots in opposing defenses, and his hands are some of the best to which Joe Flacco has ever had the pleasure of throwing. If Dennis Pitta's rehab has been comprehensive enough and he has been able to regain even close to his previous form, it's safe to say that the Ravens will gain a chain-mover after losing one less than a week ago.
Breshad Perriman is a lesser known commodity than Dennis Pitta, not because of his lack of talent, but because of the fact that he has never made a play on an NFL field in a game or even a preseason game. Perriman's college highlights speak for themselves as he demonstrated a knack for getting behind opposing free safeties and snatching the ball out of the air to complete acrobatic catches. Perriman is reportedly "weeks away" from playing, and I have to assume that means he'll begin practice next week or the week after, and he'll likely see his first actual game action on the road against the Browns or Dolphins. The Ravens likely won't need him to beat the Jaguars and Rams, but it would be fantastic, though, to get the tall, explosive target into Joe's arsenal as soon as the Ravens have to once again play in enemy territory. If there's one thing that can take advantage of Joe Flacco's arm, it's blistering, explosive, breakaway speed--and that's something the Ravens receiving corps lacked through much of the first half of this season.
Now let me be clear about something: the Ravens receiving corps is not currently devoid of speed. It has, in fact, been recently injected with a shot of speed in the form of Chris Givens and Jeremy Ross. As I've mentioned in previous posts, Chris Givens ran an elite 4.35 second forty yard dash in the 2012 NFL combine, and Jeremy Ross ran a 4.44 second official forty yard dash in his combine. To put that into perspective, Torrey Smith ran an official 4.41 forty at the 2011 combine, and Ray Rice ran an official 4.42 second forty at the 2008 combine. Givens has already demonstrated an ability to get deep behind opposing defenses with his current 19 yards per catch average. Givens caught three passes last week for a respectable 57 yards against the Chargers. Jeremy Ross has shined as a returner on special teams, but he also made a fantastic catch and run down inside the 1 yard line to set up a game-tying touchdown by Joe Flacco. These two receivers are not, of course, Steve Smith senior, but they're young, speedy, and athletic, and they have demonstrated the ability to separate from defensive backs and stretch the field to both make big plays and open up opportunities for other targets. Ironically, the Ravens achieved their only two wins when Smith Sr. went down with a serious injury. It appears as though the absence of Steve Smith as meant Flacco is forced to spread the ball out to his younger weapons rather than forcing the ball to his lone super star. You never want to lose a guy like Steve Smith, but his absence may just free Joe Flacco psychologically from using Smith as a security blanket.
I'm not betting money on the Ravens getting to the playoffs or making some magical run for the Super Bowl, but it's abundantly clear that mediocrity in the AFC aside of the three top teams will give Baltimore a solid chance to turn their season around and at least make things interesting in the second half. For now, we Ravens fans will get to kick back and enjoy watching the rest of the league beat itself up during this Ravens bye week. Let's take a look at this week's picks!
WEEK 9 NFL PICKS
PACKERS AT PANTHERS- This is a tough matchup. The Packers, as good as they've looked, don't nearly have the offensive production that many people might assume. They're efficient in that Rodgers has scored on many of the offensive drives he's had into enemy territory, but there haven't been nearly as many of those as he is used to engineering. Rodgers only has 1,598 passing yards on the season, and he has 15 touchdowns. That means for 106.5 yards, Rodgers has produced a TD. Flacco, for example, has had 2,179 passing yards and 10 touchdowns. The ratio is good for Rodgers, but he could use more yards and more TDs. On paper, the Panthers should win this game, but the Panthers have had an incredibly weak schedule thus far, and only BARELY held off a relatively weak Colts team in Charlotte last week. UGH, this one is tough. Ultimately, the Packers defense has been horrendous, especially on the road, as of late. The Packers wide receivers have also struggled to get separation in recent weeks. This will be interesting and likely close, but I have to give it to the stronger defense at home. PANTHERS 27-21
REDSKINS AT PATRIOTS- This doesn't require an explanation. PATRIOTS 33-17
TITANS AT SAINTS- The Saints offense has come alive in recent weeks. I have to hand it to Brees, he's doing a LOT without Jimmy Graham. The Titans aren't good and they won't be able to pull an upset in the Big Easy. SAINTS 42-13
DOLPHINS AT BILLS- The Dolphins WERE looking much better, but the Bills are getting Tyrod Taylor back, and Cameron Wake is done for the season--that's big. Cameron Wake's level of play prior to his injury was a major reason for the reassurance in Miami's play. Tyrod Taylor already beat the Dolphins handedly in Miami; I can't imagine he won't be able to do so at home this time around. This likely will be much closer than the 41-14 victory earlier this season. BILLS 24-20
RAMS AT VIKINGS- The Rams are a solid team, and they appear to be able to go toe to toe with anyone in St. Louis, but everything the Rams can do the Vikings can do better, and this game will be far away from Missouri. Both teams can run the football, but the Vikings have some speedy targets upon which Bridgewater can rely. The Vikings are actually built to go beyond the first round of the playoffs this season with the second ranked defense in the league and the 5th ranked running game. VIKINGS 21-17
JAGUARS AT JETS- The Jets have some issues, but I would be SHOCKED if they lost at home to the Jaguars. The Jets offense still gets enough from Chris Ivory to overcome any issues at the quarterback position when facing one of the worst teams in the league. JETS 31-23
RAIDERS AT STEELERS- Ben Roethlisberger had to shake the rust off last week, and he will be missing Le'Veon Bell for the rest of the season, but the Steelers actually have the 6th ranked defense in the league in regards to points allowed. I would LOVE to see an upset here, but Ben still has enough weapons to at least edge the up and coming Raiders. STEELERS 28-24
GIANTS AT BUCCANEERS- The Giants have a ridiculously difficult schedule going forward, and it'll be an uphill battle to make the playoffs, but they'll get Victor Cruz back after their bye week, so he'll be available for the final 6 weeks of the season. Eli Manning has played out of his mind as of late, and he'll put up enough points to win this game even if his defense isn't particularly effective. JPP is back with his deformed hand, but he'll still be an added factor in bolstering a struggling defense. GIANTS 38-31
FALCONS AT 49ERS- Blaine Gabbert? Really? Ok then. FALCONS 35-20
BRONCOS AT COLTS- This Broncos defense is about as good as defenses get this day an age with rules to protect receivers. Peyton Manning is also excellent in domes...particularly THIS dome. Andrew Luck is a great young quarterback, but he doesn't have protection or a serious enough defense to win a game like this. BRONCOS 31-23
EAGLES AT COWBOYS- The Eagles get back DeMarco Murray, and the Cowboys still don't have Tony Romo. The Eagles also get Kiko Alonso back, and that's bigger than a lot of people may realize. I gotta go Eagles in this one. EAGLES 33-28
BEARS AT CHARGERS- I don't think much of the Bears this season, and Philip Rivers will be able to put up points on anyone even without Keenan Allen. CHARGERS 28-21
THIS IS THE WEEK THE RAVENS GET HEALTHY AT EVALUATE WHAT IT IS THEY'RE GOOD AT AND WHAT IT IS THEY NEED TO STOP EVEN TRYING TO DO. BEYOND THE ELITE TEAMS, THERE ARE NO TEAMS IN THE AFC THAT ARE FAR AHEAD OF THE RAVENS IN EITHER RECORD OR POTENTIAL. THIS HAS BEEN A DISATROUS SEASON THUS FAR, BUT THIS TEAM HAS AN AGREEABLE SCHEDULE AND A FIGHTING CHANCE TO MAKE THINGS INTERESTING DOWN THE STRETCH.
DON'T GO NUTS IF IT DOESN'T WORK OUT IN THE END
BUT DON'T LOSE FAITH EITHER, BALTIMORE
NOW AND FOREVER
GO RAVENS!!!
I must preface this paragraph by stating that the odds of the Ravens going on a winning streak and earning a wildcard spot in the playoffs don't appear particularly promising. With that said, I will ask you to throw out your preconceived notions about what kind of a record is required to make it to the playoffs in the AFC. On any given year, the bare minimum record to earn a wildcard berth is typically 9-7 or 10-6. The Ravens, for example, earned a wildcard spot in 2009 with a 9-7 record. Had the Ravens won their final game of the 2013 season, they would have earned a playoff spot with a 9-7 record yet again. In order to get to 9-7 in 2015 Baltimore would need to win 7 of their final 8 games--not an easy task. What if, however, the Ravens didn't NEED to win 9 or 10 games to get a wildcard spot this season? One thing that has been largely overlooked by sports talk radio hosts and columnists has been the fact that the rest of the wildcard contenders are doing BARELY better than the Ravens. As a matter of fact, aside from the three unbeaten AFC teams, the most wins any franchise in the AFC currently possesses is 4, and that's only 2 more than the supposedly lowly birds of Baltimore.
The biggest reason for my comparatively high optimism regarding the Ravens reaching the post-season is the strength of the schedules awaiting the other AFC wildcard contenders. The Raiders, Jets, and Steelers all have 4 wins, while the Bills, Dolphins, Chiefs, and Texans all have 3. Here's the interesting part: every single team in front of the Ravens has a tougher remaining schedule than that of Baltimore.
The Raiders have to play the Steelers in Pittsburgh this weekend, and then they play the impressive Vikings next week. Oakland has a couple of poor road opponents, but then they finish the season with the Chiefs, Broncos in Denver, the Packers, Chargers, and then the Chiefs in Kansas City. We can expect the Raiders to lose at least to the Vikings, the Chiefs at least once, the Broncos, and Packers, and there's a good chance they lose to the Steelers this weekend--that would leave the Raiders 7-9 on the season at best.
The Jets got off to an impressive start, but their season could be in serious jeopardy because of ligament damage in the throwing hand of Ryan Fitzpatrick. Beyond that injury though, the Jets will face a pair of sub par teams at home for the next two weeks in the Jaguars and the Bills, but then they face a somewhat dangerous divisional rival in the Dolphins. After the Dolphins, the Jets will face the Giants, and the Giants have proven rather explosive at times and should have Victor Cruz back healthy at that point. The Jets will almost certainly beat the Titans, but then they will have to face the Cowboys in Arlington when Tony Romo will be back healthy, and then they once again face the Patriots. The Jets go to Buffalo in the final week of the season, and road divisional games are always difficult. With the level of play that Fitzpatrick has displayed as of late with an injured hand that will not heal as long as he continues to use it, I would say the Jets will likely lose to the Dolphins, Giants, Cowboys, and Patriots. There's also a reasonable chance they lose on the road versus the Bills, but I won't give the Bills too much credit. I doubt, therefore, that the Jets will finish better than 9-7, and they could easily finish 8-8.
The Steelers, like the Ravens, had great hype building up before the season started. When healthy, they have great offensive weapons such as Big Ben, Antonio Brown, and Le'Veon Bell. Well two of those three haven't stayed healthy, and at this point Ben doesn't look fully recovered from his knee injury, and Le'Veon Bell is out for the season. Ben still has impressive weapons around him and a capable back up running back in D'Angelo Williams, but he is also staring down an incredibly difficult second-half schedule. The Steelers face a Raiders team that has just enough young talent to shock a team on any given week, and the Steelers haven't been incredible at home thus far this season. Pittsburgh then faces the Browns the next week, and both the Browns and Raiders have been known to upset the Steelers from time to time. Big Ben and company then have to go to Seattle to face a Seahawks team that isn't as good this season, but is nearly impossible to beat at home in recent years. They should beat the Colts handedly, but the Steelers then go to Cincy to face a Bengals team that just beat them in Pittsburgh, and then they face Peyton Manning and the league's best defense the next week. The Steelers then go into Baltimore two days after Christmas to face a Ravens team that will presumably be operating with its first round draft pick and that has the 7th ranked offense in the league despite having few big name weapons. The Steelers finish their season on the road in Cleveland. By my estimation, the Steelers will lose to the Seahawks, the Bengals, and Broncos, and there's a good chance they lose once again to the Ravens in Baltimore late in the season. The Steelers could also lose in an upset to the Raiders or split with the Browns. The best the Steelers will finish is 9-7, and it's more likely they'll finish 8-8 once more-- but they could easily finish 7-9. Critical injuries may once again keep this team out of the playoffs.
The Buffalo Bills are just downright bad. They still have to face quality opponents such as the Dolphins, Jets, Patriots, Chiefs, Eagles, Redskins, Cowboys, and Jets again. In all likelihood, the Bills should emerge with a record no better than 7-9 this season, and that's probably generous.
The Chiefs have looked good in their last two wins, but their remaining road schedule will make their awful start to the season difficult to overcome. The Chiefs have to go Denver next weekend, then San Diego the following weekend. They'll almost certainly beat the Bills, but then they go across country to face Oakland, and then to Baltimore to face a Ravens team that hasn't lost to them during the Flacco Harbaugh era. Without Jamaal Charles, they have lost a major element to their team, but I'll give the Chiefs credit that they've found ways to put up big points in the last two weeks with the other weapons they have. With that said, the Chiefs will most likely lose in Denver, they'll likely split with the Chargers, split with the Raiders, and I have a strong feeling they'll fall in Baltimore. Even if the Chiefs manage to beat the Ravens or sweep the Chargers or Raiders, they'll still likely lose at least 3 of their remaining games, and that'll leave them with an 8-8 record at best.
The Texans are horrendous and are only capable of beating the very worst teams in the league. Their problem is that they'll be playing some of the BEST teams in the league and plenty of teams vying for playoff spots. The Texans go into Cincinatti next week to face an undefeated Bengals team that is hungry to secure home field advantage in the playoffs. They then play the Jets, the Saints, the Bills, the Patriots, a Colts team in Indy that already beat them in Houston, and then they finish with the Titans and Jaguars. The Texans will almost certainly lose to the Bengals, the Jets, the Saints, the Patriots, and the Colts--and there's little guarantee that they even beat the likes of the Titans. This Texans team should finish with no more than 6 wins.
The Jaguars are only ahead of the Ravens in the playoff standings because they've played one less game. They will, however, lose in Baltimore in one week. This weekend they'll lose in New Jersey to the Jets. It's likely that they lose all but maybe one of their remaining games as they then face the Titans, Chargers, Titans, Colts, Falcons, Saints, and Texans. The Jaguars should finish with 4 wins on the season at best and will be nothing more than an afterthought following their loss in Charm City next week.
The Ravens do have some challenging opponents ahead of them, but they play 5 of their remaining 8 games at home, and there's a good chance that the Bengals rest their starters against the Ravens in the final week of the season as they will have already clinched their spot in the playoffs. The Ravens will, of course, face the lowly Jaguars at home after the bye week, and then they face an interesting Rams team at home. The Rams have a single road win on the season, and they won dominant wins at home against poor teams in the last two weeks. The Rams' strength has been running the football and defense, but the Ravens are fairly stout against the run when playing teams that can't throw the football. The Rams average only 179 passing yards per game. I like the Ravens to win that one. The Ravens then travel to Cleveland to face a team that they should beat handedly despite the fact that it's a road game. The Ravens were well on their way to a big win over the Browns before Webb, Dumervil, Kyle Arrington, and Will Davis all went down in the second half leaving the pass rush and secondary with almost no one no one left. Baltimore will then travel to Miami to face a tough Dolphins team, but the Ravens have never lost to the Dolphins during the Harbaugh era, and they almost certainly won't do so now that Cameron Wake is out for the season. The Ravens will face the Seahawks, Chiefs, and Steelers at home, and I expect them to beat at least two of those three teams. They then finish the season in Cincy, and even if the Bengals don't sit their starters, that should be a competitive game. The Ravens should beat the Jaguars, Rams, Browns, Dolphins, Chiefs, and they should beat either the Seahawks or Steelers. Its' difficult to predict a Ravens win over a Bengals team that already beat the Ravens narrowly in Baltimore, but we'll see how that shakes out. Speaking with homerish optimism, with the rise of young, speedy receivers and the return of an injured weapon or two, the Ravens should win at least 8 games this season. With a little luck, they could win 9. The point is that the Ravens are in no way guaranteed to get a playoff spot, but everyone in their way has a harrowing list of opponents ahead, and it's almost certain that 8-8 or 9-7 or both will earn wildcard berths. The Ravens have just as good a shot to get to 8-8 or 9-7 as any of the other teams given the circumstances.
Now I've watched every single Ravens game just as you have. I've seen the brief flashes of brilliance against various division-leading teams, and I've seen those flashes disappear with 4th quarter defensive collapses followed by failed last minute Ravens offensive rallies. I've seen the Ravens come just short of being one of the best teams in the league, and I've heard highly critical conclusions drawn as a result. By the way many people speak of our beloved team, you'd think they'd been blown out every single week of this season, but that is so incredibly far from the truth. The truth is that the Ravens, despite their monumental number of critical season-ending injuries, are still only a play or two and a player or two away from being a serious contender. Fortunate for Harbaugh and company, the Ravens might just see the arrival of a couple of game-changing integral cogs in the machine that is the Ravens offense. No, it's not the Patriots offense, and it is currently devoid of big name playmakers. Justin Forsett could be considered a big name, but he was a career backup before his breakout year in 2014. The Ravens instead possess a handful of no-name receivers and tight ends that have, on the shoulders of Joe Flacco and under the guidance of Marc Trestman, put up an average of 357.3 offensive yards per game which ranks 7th in the league. And despite a serious lack of wide receivers, Joe Flacco has managed to pass for over 2,100 yards which currently ranks him 6th in the league in that category.
By now you're probably saying to yourself that Joe Flacco couldn't possibly continue at this pace without his number one target. You may very well be correct on that point, but that would ignore the pending return of two interesting targets. If Dennis Pitta is going to play this season, we'll know by next week. There is, of course, the risk of re-injury, but I'm actually in the minority of people who believes that over a year of rehab after his surgery has been about as much as Pitta could need to be ready to give this a shot. If old #88 can come in an contribute, he'll likely do so from the slot. Pitta is a tight end, but the Ravens will likely utilize him much the way that one would ideally utilize Anquan Boldin. Pitta is a height mismatch on any defensive back and most linebackers in the league. He also excels at finding soft spots in opposing defenses, and his hands are some of the best to which Joe Flacco has ever had the pleasure of throwing. If Dennis Pitta's rehab has been comprehensive enough and he has been able to regain even close to his previous form, it's safe to say that the Ravens will gain a chain-mover after losing one less than a week ago.
Breshad Perriman is a lesser known commodity than Dennis Pitta, not because of his lack of talent, but because of the fact that he has never made a play on an NFL field in a game or even a preseason game. Perriman's college highlights speak for themselves as he demonstrated a knack for getting behind opposing free safeties and snatching the ball out of the air to complete acrobatic catches. Perriman is reportedly "weeks away" from playing, and I have to assume that means he'll begin practice next week or the week after, and he'll likely see his first actual game action on the road against the Browns or Dolphins. The Ravens likely won't need him to beat the Jaguars and Rams, but it would be fantastic, though, to get the tall, explosive target into Joe's arsenal as soon as the Ravens have to once again play in enemy territory. If there's one thing that can take advantage of Joe Flacco's arm, it's blistering, explosive, breakaway speed--and that's something the Ravens receiving corps lacked through much of the first half of this season.
Now let me be clear about something: the Ravens receiving corps is not currently devoid of speed. It has, in fact, been recently injected with a shot of speed in the form of Chris Givens and Jeremy Ross. As I've mentioned in previous posts, Chris Givens ran an elite 4.35 second forty yard dash in the 2012 NFL combine, and Jeremy Ross ran a 4.44 second official forty yard dash in his combine. To put that into perspective, Torrey Smith ran an official 4.41 forty at the 2011 combine, and Ray Rice ran an official 4.42 second forty at the 2008 combine. Givens has already demonstrated an ability to get deep behind opposing defenses with his current 19 yards per catch average. Givens caught three passes last week for a respectable 57 yards against the Chargers. Jeremy Ross has shined as a returner on special teams, but he also made a fantastic catch and run down inside the 1 yard line to set up a game-tying touchdown by Joe Flacco. These two receivers are not, of course, Steve Smith senior, but they're young, speedy, and athletic, and they have demonstrated the ability to separate from defensive backs and stretch the field to both make big plays and open up opportunities for other targets. Ironically, the Ravens achieved their only two wins when Smith Sr. went down with a serious injury. It appears as though the absence of Steve Smith as meant Flacco is forced to spread the ball out to his younger weapons rather than forcing the ball to his lone super star. You never want to lose a guy like Steve Smith, but his absence may just free Joe Flacco psychologically from using Smith as a security blanket.
I'm not betting money on the Ravens getting to the playoffs or making some magical run for the Super Bowl, but it's abundantly clear that mediocrity in the AFC aside of the three top teams will give Baltimore a solid chance to turn their season around and at least make things interesting in the second half. For now, we Ravens fans will get to kick back and enjoy watching the rest of the league beat itself up during this Ravens bye week. Let's take a look at this week's picks!
WEEK 9 NFL PICKS
PACKERS AT PANTHERS- This is a tough matchup. The Packers, as good as they've looked, don't nearly have the offensive production that many people might assume. They're efficient in that Rodgers has scored on many of the offensive drives he's had into enemy territory, but there haven't been nearly as many of those as he is used to engineering. Rodgers only has 1,598 passing yards on the season, and he has 15 touchdowns. That means for 106.5 yards, Rodgers has produced a TD. Flacco, for example, has had 2,179 passing yards and 10 touchdowns. The ratio is good for Rodgers, but he could use more yards and more TDs. On paper, the Panthers should win this game, but the Panthers have had an incredibly weak schedule thus far, and only BARELY held off a relatively weak Colts team in Charlotte last week. UGH, this one is tough. Ultimately, the Packers defense has been horrendous, especially on the road, as of late. The Packers wide receivers have also struggled to get separation in recent weeks. This will be interesting and likely close, but I have to give it to the stronger defense at home. PANTHERS 27-21
REDSKINS AT PATRIOTS- This doesn't require an explanation. PATRIOTS 33-17
TITANS AT SAINTS- The Saints offense has come alive in recent weeks. I have to hand it to Brees, he's doing a LOT without Jimmy Graham. The Titans aren't good and they won't be able to pull an upset in the Big Easy. SAINTS 42-13
DOLPHINS AT BILLS- The Dolphins WERE looking much better, but the Bills are getting Tyrod Taylor back, and Cameron Wake is done for the season--that's big. Cameron Wake's level of play prior to his injury was a major reason for the reassurance in Miami's play. Tyrod Taylor already beat the Dolphins handedly in Miami; I can't imagine he won't be able to do so at home this time around. This likely will be much closer than the 41-14 victory earlier this season. BILLS 24-20
RAMS AT VIKINGS- The Rams are a solid team, and they appear to be able to go toe to toe with anyone in St. Louis, but everything the Rams can do the Vikings can do better, and this game will be far away from Missouri. Both teams can run the football, but the Vikings have some speedy targets upon which Bridgewater can rely. The Vikings are actually built to go beyond the first round of the playoffs this season with the second ranked defense in the league and the 5th ranked running game. VIKINGS 21-17
JAGUARS AT JETS- The Jets have some issues, but I would be SHOCKED if they lost at home to the Jaguars. The Jets offense still gets enough from Chris Ivory to overcome any issues at the quarterback position when facing one of the worst teams in the league. JETS 31-23
RAIDERS AT STEELERS- Ben Roethlisberger had to shake the rust off last week, and he will be missing Le'Veon Bell for the rest of the season, but the Steelers actually have the 6th ranked defense in the league in regards to points allowed. I would LOVE to see an upset here, but Ben still has enough weapons to at least edge the up and coming Raiders. STEELERS 28-24
GIANTS AT BUCCANEERS- The Giants have a ridiculously difficult schedule going forward, and it'll be an uphill battle to make the playoffs, but they'll get Victor Cruz back after their bye week, so he'll be available for the final 6 weeks of the season. Eli Manning has played out of his mind as of late, and he'll put up enough points to win this game even if his defense isn't particularly effective. JPP is back with his deformed hand, but he'll still be an added factor in bolstering a struggling defense. GIANTS 38-31
FALCONS AT 49ERS- Blaine Gabbert? Really? Ok then. FALCONS 35-20
BRONCOS AT COLTS- This Broncos defense is about as good as defenses get this day an age with rules to protect receivers. Peyton Manning is also excellent in domes...particularly THIS dome. Andrew Luck is a great young quarterback, but he doesn't have protection or a serious enough defense to win a game like this. BRONCOS 31-23
EAGLES AT COWBOYS- The Eagles get back DeMarco Murray, and the Cowboys still don't have Tony Romo. The Eagles also get Kiko Alonso back, and that's bigger than a lot of people may realize. I gotta go Eagles in this one. EAGLES 33-28
BEARS AT CHARGERS- I don't think much of the Bears this season, and Philip Rivers will be able to put up points on anyone even without Keenan Allen. CHARGERS 28-21
THIS IS THE WEEK THE RAVENS GET HEALTHY AT EVALUATE WHAT IT IS THEY'RE GOOD AT AND WHAT IT IS THEY NEED TO STOP EVEN TRYING TO DO. BEYOND THE ELITE TEAMS, THERE ARE NO TEAMS IN THE AFC THAT ARE FAR AHEAD OF THE RAVENS IN EITHER RECORD OR POTENTIAL. THIS HAS BEEN A DISATROUS SEASON THUS FAR, BUT THIS TEAM HAS AN AGREEABLE SCHEDULE AND A FIGHTING CHANCE TO MAKE THINGS INTERESTING DOWN THE STRETCH.
DON'T GO NUTS IF IT DOESN'T WORK OUT IN THE END
BUT DON'T LOSE FAITH EITHER, BALTIMORE
NOW AND FOREVER
GO RAVENS!!!
Saturday, October 31, 2015
WEEK 8 NFL PREDICTIONS
When the Cleveland Browns traveled to Baltimore earlier this season the Ravens appeared to finally have a solid win ahead of them as they traveled into the locker room at halftime. John Harbaugh's guys were up 21-9 and in firm defensive and offensive command of the game. The second half, however, saw all of that disappear as a rash of injuries took away the Ravens' ability to rush the passer, cover receivers, and eventually, run the football. Baltimore couldn't create a drive on their overtime possession, and then they could do absolutely nothing to stop the Browns' drive to seal an embarrassing, depressing Ravens loss.
Fast forward to Week 8 wherein the Ravens currently find themselves once again staring down a team with minimal success this season in the San Diego Chargers. The Chargers possess one of the league's worst defenses, and that defense will further weakened by injuries to their top two tacklers. Both Manti Te'o and Eric Weddle will not suit up in Baltimore. The Ravens should, thus, be able to move the football against a team whose only wins came by three points against the Browns and by five points at home against the bottom-feeding Lions. The Ravens have been even less successful with their lone win coming against the Steelers in Pittsburgh, but the Ravens have also played 3 of their 7 painfully close games against division leaders, and two of those teams remain unbeaten. Here's the problem though: the Chargers lost to two unbeaten teams by a single score as well...on the road.
These teams have experienced such a similar lack of success this season that this game becomes much harder to predict than sports commentators and writers have made it appear. An overwhelming number of members of the sports media have picked the Ravens to win. I certainly hope they're correct, but I remember vividly the seemingly game-sealing drive in which the Ravens stalled out last season only to give the ball back to Philip Rivers with more than enough time to go right down the field and put the ball in the end zone for an incredibly narrow victory. The Ravens and Chargers are, in fact, 2-2 against the Chargers during Joe Flacco's career. Three of those four contests came right down to the wire, and both Ravens wins came on monumentally memorable plays (Ray Lewis shooting the gap on 4th down to bury Sproles in the backfield, and the legendary 4th and 29). It would, therefore, stand to reason that this game will be either thrillingly or depressingly close.
One cannot simply look at a team's record when predicting this game. The biggest keys to an accurate prediction in this case are the setting and specific match-ups. Both teams, in this case, had to travel east as the Ravens just came off of a road trip to Arizona that they SHOULD have won if not for inexcusably critical calls and non-calls by the referees. The Ravens are on a short week, but the familiarity of the home setting should help soften the blow. Baltimore, however, will once again be without its starting left tackle, Eugene Monroe #thisisgettingridiculous. Monroe's backup, James Hurst isn't particularly impressive, but he has at had a great deal of experience at the position this season and last season with Monroe's extended absences. The Ravens will otherwise be just about as healthy as they can be at this point, and their defense actually looked fairly impressive against a Cardinals offense with devastating aerial weapons last Monday.
The Chargers sport some devastating aerial weapons of their own with Keenan Allen on pace to set a single season NFL catches record. Allen, in fact, has 62 catches within the first seven weeks of the season, and he faces a Ravens pass defense that has proven vulnerable to elite receivers on a weekly basis. Fortunately for the Ravens, it appears doubtful that Antonio Gates will play considering that he didn't practice this week with a sprained knee. Gates' backup, Ladarius Green, however, has caught one touchdown pass in every game he's started this season, and he offers a formidable skill set of his own. The Ravens have actually held tight ends to surprisingly low production on the season, so we must expect the coverage issues to come on big chunk plays to speedy wide receivers such as the aforementioned Allen. The Ravens have struggled all season to prevent deep threat receivers from beating them over the top. Philip Rivers' arm makes deep passes a near constant danger. Beyond Keenan Allen, the Chargers have Malcolm Floyd averaging over 18 yards per reception, but his production has been hit-or-miss this season as he has less than 50 yards per game and has produced only a single touchdown in 2015. Believe it or not, the Chargers second leading receiver is actually the shifty running back, Danny Woodhead. Woodhead already has 37 receptions and over 400 receiving yards. Woodhead is not the feature back as rookie Melvin Gordon has taken that spot.
Philip Rivers always gives the Chargers opportunities to score quickly, but something about this week doesn't seem to scare me. If the Ravens can double team Keenan Allen and put Jimmy Smith on an aging Malcolm Floyd, the Chargers will likely struggle to sustain and finish drives. The Chargers rank 29th in the league in rushing yards per game, and Melvin Gordon has already fumbled 4 times. The Ravens have arguably the league's greatest run defender in Brandon Williams, and despite Suggs' absence, the Ravens rank 5th in the league with 20 sacks on the season. If they can manage to sack Rivers 4-5 times tomorrow (not exactly an easy task) they'll actually be on pace to finish with the same number of sacks as last season (49).
The Ravens offense sometimes stalled last week against the Cardinals, but the Cardinals boast one of the league's most impressive arrays of defensive weapons. We saw early in that game that Chris Givens was able to get open deep on Tyrann Mathieu, but Joe simply has to trust Givens' elite speed and unleash a strong throw so as to hit him in stride. Without Eric Weddle playing, expect the Ravens to take deep shots downfield to Givens early and often in order to open up the field for the rest of the Ravens weapons. Without Manti Te'o playing, expect the Ravens to run the football to maintain a balanced attack and keep the football out of Philip Rivers' hands at critical points.
I liked a lot of what I saw from the Ravens defense last week with Lardarius Webb back healthy. If he can STAY healthy for the entire game tomorrow, then the Ravens have a great shot to win this game. The Chargers can't play defense, they can't reliably run the football, and they'll be playing in Baltimore on a day where the Ravens will be honoring Ray Lewis. This may not be some sort of turning point in the Ravens' season, but it's a great opportunity for a solid win at home against a broken, flawed team. Get em, birds.
WEEK 8 NFL PICKS
LIONS AT CHIEFS- The Chiefs may not be nearly as good without Jamaal Charles, but they're adjusting to his absence and will face one of the very worst teams in the league in London on Sunday. CHIEFS 24-16
BUCCANEERS AT FALCONS- If the Falcons lose this game, they need to do a little soul searching. FALCONS 42-21
CARDINALS AT BROWNS- The Browns won't be able to move the ball much as Freeney continues to get back into form rushing the passer. CARDINALS 31-17
49ERS AT RAMS- The 49ers will be on the road and without Carlos Hyde. Let's see if poor Torrey Smith catches for less than 500 or 600 yards this season and is then cut. RAMS 35-20
GIANTS AT SAINTS- The Saints have looked good every now and then. The Giants have own 4 of their last 5 games, but they were crushed by the Eagles. When Victor Cruz gets back, the Giants will make a push for the playoffs and possibly a serious run, but the Saints should find their rhythm against a banged up Giants. SAINTS 31-27
VIKINGS AT BEARS- I don't think much of the Bears, and Stephon Diggs has added a spark to the Vikings offense. With Adrian Peterson in good shape to play, this game should be at least a narrow win for Minnesota. VIKINGS 23-21
CHARGERS AT RAVENS- The Ravens defense is beginning to heat up, and the Ravens offense now has a deep threat it can begin to utilize. The Chargers will be missing two of their top defenders, and that should mean the Ravens shouldn't have to punt more than 2-3 times. RAVENS 34-27
BENGALS AT STEELERS- The Bengals coming off of a bye week will be a tough team to beat. Big Ben won't be particularly mobile. I have gone back and forth about this one in my mind, but the Bengals should edge this one out. BENGALS 26-24
TITANS AT TEXANS- Mettenberger should be able to get something going this week. I actually like him better than Mariota. TITANS 21-17
JETS AT RAIDERS- Darrelle Revis will take away Amari Cooper and the Raiders won't be able to stop the Jets rushing attack. JETS 30-21
SEAHAWKS AT COWBOYS- Until Romo gets back, this has to be a loss. SEAHAWKS 34-21
PACKERS AT BRONCOS- Aaron Rodgers will struggle to find his rhythm early, but he spreads the ball out to well and is too mobile not to be able to score against Denver's D. PACKERS 23-20
COLTS AT PANTHERS- The Colts have occasionally put up points on good teams such as the Patriots, but the Pathers defense is strong enough to force Luck to turn the ball over multiple times. Old Andrew isn't the same with his arm injury. PANTHERS 28-24
THE RAVENS HAVE ALMOST ZERO CHANCE OF GOING TO THE PLAYOFFS AT THIS POINT, BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN THEY CAN'T FIND A WAY TO WIN GAMES AND BECOME COMPETITIVE TO BUILD UP MOMENTUM FOR NEXT SEASON. FLACCO NEEDS TO TAKE COMMAND AND FINALLY PUT TOGETHER A DOMINANT, COMPLETE GAME WITH THE WEAPONS HE HAS.
NOW AND FOREVER
GO RAVENS!!! WIN THIS ONE FOR RAY!!!
Fast forward to Week 8 wherein the Ravens currently find themselves once again staring down a team with minimal success this season in the San Diego Chargers. The Chargers possess one of the league's worst defenses, and that defense will further weakened by injuries to their top two tacklers. Both Manti Te'o and Eric Weddle will not suit up in Baltimore. The Ravens should, thus, be able to move the football against a team whose only wins came by three points against the Browns and by five points at home against the bottom-feeding Lions. The Ravens have been even less successful with their lone win coming against the Steelers in Pittsburgh, but the Ravens have also played 3 of their 7 painfully close games against division leaders, and two of those teams remain unbeaten. Here's the problem though: the Chargers lost to two unbeaten teams by a single score as well...on the road.
These teams have experienced such a similar lack of success this season that this game becomes much harder to predict than sports commentators and writers have made it appear. An overwhelming number of members of the sports media have picked the Ravens to win. I certainly hope they're correct, but I remember vividly the seemingly game-sealing drive in which the Ravens stalled out last season only to give the ball back to Philip Rivers with more than enough time to go right down the field and put the ball in the end zone for an incredibly narrow victory. The Ravens and Chargers are, in fact, 2-2 against the Chargers during Joe Flacco's career. Three of those four contests came right down to the wire, and both Ravens wins came on monumentally memorable plays (Ray Lewis shooting the gap on 4th down to bury Sproles in the backfield, and the legendary 4th and 29). It would, therefore, stand to reason that this game will be either thrillingly or depressingly close.
One cannot simply look at a team's record when predicting this game. The biggest keys to an accurate prediction in this case are the setting and specific match-ups. Both teams, in this case, had to travel east as the Ravens just came off of a road trip to Arizona that they SHOULD have won if not for inexcusably critical calls and non-calls by the referees. The Ravens are on a short week, but the familiarity of the home setting should help soften the blow. Baltimore, however, will once again be without its starting left tackle, Eugene Monroe #thisisgettingridiculous. Monroe's backup, James Hurst isn't particularly impressive, but he has at had a great deal of experience at the position this season and last season with Monroe's extended absences. The Ravens will otherwise be just about as healthy as they can be at this point, and their defense actually looked fairly impressive against a Cardinals offense with devastating aerial weapons last Monday.
The Chargers sport some devastating aerial weapons of their own with Keenan Allen on pace to set a single season NFL catches record. Allen, in fact, has 62 catches within the first seven weeks of the season, and he faces a Ravens pass defense that has proven vulnerable to elite receivers on a weekly basis. Fortunately for the Ravens, it appears doubtful that Antonio Gates will play considering that he didn't practice this week with a sprained knee. Gates' backup, Ladarius Green, however, has caught one touchdown pass in every game he's started this season, and he offers a formidable skill set of his own. The Ravens have actually held tight ends to surprisingly low production on the season, so we must expect the coverage issues to come on big chunk plays to speedy wide receivers such as the aforementioned Allen. The Ravens have struggled all season to prevent deep threat receivers from beating them over the top. Philip Rivers' arm makes deep passes a near constant danger. Beyond Keenan Allen, the Chargers have Malcolm Floyd averaging over 18 yards per reception, but his production has been hit-or-miss this season as he has less than 50 yards per game and has produced only a single touchdown in 2015. Believe it or not, the Chargers second leading receiver is actually the shifty running back, Danny Woodhead. Woodhead already has 37 receptions and over 400 receiving yards. Woodhead is not the feature back as rookie Melvin Gordon has taken that spot.
Philip Rivers always gives the Chargers opportunities to score quickly, but something about this week doesn't seem to scare me. If the Ravens can double team Keenan Allen and put Jimmy Smith on an aging Malcolm Floyd, the Chargers will likely struggle to sustain and finish drives. The Chargers rank 29th in the league in rushing yards per game, and Melvin Gordon has already fumbled 4 times. The Ravens have arguably the league's greatest run defender in Brandon Williams, and despite Suggs' absence, the Ravens rank 5th in the league with 20 sacks on the season. If they can manage to sack Rivers 4-5 times tomorrow (not exactly an easy task) they'll actually be on pace to finish with the same number of sacks as last season (49).
The Ravens offense sometimes stalled last week against the Cardinals, but the Cardinals boast one of the league's most impressive arrays of defensive weapons. We saw early in that game that Chris Givens was able to get open deep on Tyrann Mathieu, but Joe simply has to trust Givens' elite speed and unleash a strong throw so as to hit him in stride. Without Eric Weddle playing, expect the Ravens to take deep shots downfield to Givens early and often in order to open up the field for the rest of the Ravens weapons. Without Manti Te'o playing, expect the Ravens to run the football to maintain a balanced attack and keep the football out of Philip Rivers' hands at critical points.
I liked a lot of what I saw from the Ravens defense last week with Lardarius Webb back healthy. If he can STAY healthy for the entire game tomorrow, then the Ravens have a great shot to win this game. The Chargers can't play defense, they can't reliably run the football, and they'll be playing in Baltimore on a day where the Ravens will be honoring Ray Lewis. This may not be some sort of turning point in the Ravens' season, but it's a great opportunity for a solid win at home against a broken, flawed team. Get em, birds.
WEEK 8 NFL PICKS
LIONS AT CHIEFS- The Chiefs may not be nearly as good without Jamaal Charles, but they're adjusting to his absence and will face one of the very worst teams in the league in London on Sunday. CHIEFS 24-16
BUCCANEERS AT FALCONS- If the Falcons lose this game, they need to do a little soul searching. FALCONS 42-21
CARDINALS AT BROWNS- The Browns won't be able to move the ball much as Freeney continues to get back into form rushing the passer. CARDINALS 31-17
49ERS AT RAMS- The 49ers will be on the road and without Carlos Hyde. Let's see if poor Torrey Smith catches for less than 500 or 600 yards this season and is then cut. RAMS 35-20
GIANTS AT SAINTS- The Saints have looked good every now and then. The Giants have own 4 of their last 5 games, but they were crushed by the Eagles. When Victor Cruz gets back, the Giants will make a push for the playoffs and possibly a serious run, but the Saints should find their rhythm against a banged up Giants. SAINTS 31-27
VIKINGS AT BEARS- I don't think much of the Bears, and Stephon Diggs has added a spark to the Vikings offense. With Adrian Peterson in good shape to play, this game should be at least a narrow win for Minnesota. VIKINGS 23-21
CHARGERS AT RAVENS- The Ravens defense is beginning to heat up, and the Ravens offense now has a deep threat it can begin to utilize. The Chargers will be missing two of their top defenders, and that should mean the Ravens shouldn't have to punt more than 2-3 times. RAVENS 34-27
BENGALS AT STEELERS- The Bengals coming off of a bye week will be a tough team to beat. Big Ben won't be particularly mobile. I have gone back and forth about this one in my mind, but the Bengals should edge this one out. BENGALS 26-24
TITANS AT TEXANS- Mettenberger should be able to get something going this week. I actually like him better than Mariota. TITANS 21-17
JETS AT RAIDERS- Darrelle Revis will take away Amari Cooper and the Raiders won't be able to stop the Jets rushing attack. JETS 30-21
SEAHAWKS AT COWBOYS- Until Romo gets back, this has to be a loss. SEAHAWKS 34-21
PACKERS AT BRONCOS- Aaron Rodgers will struggle to find his rhythm early, but he spreads the ball out to well and is too mobile not to be able to score against Denver's D. PACKERS 23-20
COLTS AT PANTHERS- The Colts have occasionally put up points on good teams such as the Patriots, but the Pathers defense is strong enough to force Luck to turn the ball over multiple times. Old Andrew isn't the same with his arm injury. PANTHERS 28-24
THE RAVENS HAVE ALMOST ZERO CHANCE OF GOING TO THE PLAYOFFS AT THIS POINT, BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN THEY CAN'T FIND A WAY TO WIN GAMES AND BECOME COMPETITIVE TO BUILD UP MOMENTUM FOR NEXT SEASON. FLACCO NEEDS TO TAKE COMMAND AND FINALLY PUT TOGETHER A DOMINANT, COMPLETE GAME WITH THE WEAPONS HE HAS.
NOW AND FOREVER
GO RAVENS!!! WIN THIS ONE FOR RAY!!!
Sunday, October 25, 2015
WEEK 7 NFL PREDICTIONS
After yet another loss to the lowly 49ers, it's hard to think of anything particularly uplifting in my usual unflinchingly optimistic fashion. It's not out of the realm of possibility that the Ravens go on some kind of serious run from this point on, but there likely won't be even a wildcard spot open if they do. The biggest reason is the New York Jets' resurgence as run-first team with an elite defense. The Jets are, in fact, off to their best start in years as they have only lost a single game up to this point. That may change this weekend to two games, but they're still far ahead of the Ravens--who have one win. What's that you say? The Jets and the Ravens can BOTH get wildcard spots after a miraculous run by Baltimore? Nope, try again. The Bengals are undefeated, and the Steelers have only two losses despite not having a healthy Ben Roethlisberger for an entire month now. So, either the Bengals or Steelers will win the AFC North, and whichever one of those teams doesn't win will almost certainly get the second wildcard spot. If having no Ben doesn't slow down the Steelers this year, I can't imagine what will.
Some people ignore these factors and cling to hope that the Ravens will make their dreams come true once again. Many more people, however, have decided it would be a good idea for the Ravens to tank their season in order to get an extremely high draft pick. I want the Ravens to show improvement. I want Joe to continue find chemistry with receivers such as Chris Givens Jeremy Ross, Darren Waller, and the young tight end corps. I want to know that when the Ravens have bolstered their roster through free agency and the draft they will be that much better because they learned to perform WITHOUT a strong, compete roster in 2015.
The Arizona Cardinals will likely beat the Ravens. Carson Palmer has had great success against Baltimore in his career, and so too has Bruce Arians. The Cardinals have an impressive wide receiver tandem, and their defense is simply better than that of Baltimore. The Cardinals, however, and not nearly the best team the Ravens have faced; that would be the Bengals. This should be another game the Ravens have a chance to win late. Who knows? Maybe things will click and they hand the Cardinals their 3rd loss in 4 weeks? Eh, probably not, but who knows? Either way, we'll get to watch the rest of the NFL beat up on itself on Sunday because the Ravens play on Monday. So let's take a look at who is likely going to win each game.
WEEK 7 NFL PICKS
BILLS AT JAGUARS- The Jaguars have done nothing this season to suggest they should win this game. The Bills aren't what we thought they'd be defensively after last season, but they're still good enough to beat one of the worst teams in the league. BILLS 23-17
BUCCANEERS AT REDSKINS- The Redskins get a nice win here on the back of a good defense and running game. REDSKINS 33-21
FALCONS AT TITANS- The Titans will be without their starting QB, and the Falcons are finally for real again this year. FALCONS 42-13
SAINTS AT COLTS- This is a game between two similar underachieving dome teams. I'll give the edge to the home dome team. COLTS 35-28
VIKINGS AT LIONS- NFC North divisional games are difficult to predict, but this one shouldn't be. The Vikings are legit this season and should do some damage in the playoffs. The Lions? Not so much. Minnesota is also coming off of a bye week. VIKINGS 24-20
STEELERS AT CHIEFS- The Steelers still don't have Ben back, but they've shown they don't need him to win. This team has too many weapons, and the defense has performed miracles with what was expected to be a poor defense at the beginning of the season. The Chiefs lost their season when Jamaal Charles went down. STEELERS 34-19
BROWNS AT RAMS- The Browns can make this a game, but the Rams defense should prove the difference-maker at home. RAMS 23-21
TEXANS AT DOLPHINS- The Dolphins are playing with a renewed level of vigor since Philbin got canned. The Texans, despite having defensive superstars, are total garbage. The Texans have only managed wins against the Jags and Bucs. The Dolphins won't blow the Texans out, but this should be interesting. DOLPHINS 27-21
JETS AT PATRIOTS- The Patriots will be without their starting running back, but they get Brandon LaFell back. I would love to see an upset here, but Revis can't cover Gronk, and the Patriots are simply too good at home to be slowed down the way it would take to upset them. The tide may turn when these teams play in New Jersey later this season though. PATRIOTS 31-24
RAIDERS AT CHARGERS- The Chargers aren't nearly what I thought they'd be this season, but Philip Rivers is starting to heat up. CHARGERS 28-21
COWBOYS AT GIANTS- No Romo, no Dez. No Cruz, but Odell WILL play. Gotta give this one to the Gmen at home against a Cowboys team missing some incredibly important pieces. GIANTS 30-20
EAGLES AT PANTHERS- The Panthers defense hasn't been good enough this season to step on the throats of some pretty horrendous offenses. Their undefeated status is a product of a poor strength of schedule and some clutch performances by Cam. The Eagles, on the other hand, have won 3 of their last 4 in impressive, dominant fashion. EAGLES 38-20
RAVENS AT CARDINALS- The Ravens will be big underdogs by most accounts, but they shouldn't be. The Cardinals have dropped two of their last 3 including a 10 point loss to a team starting it's third string quarterback. The Ravens have yet to lose by more than a single score. With that said, they have also only won a single game because their offense has typically taken either too long to get going or failed to score on key late game drives, while their defense couldn't even stop one of the worst offenses in the league last week. Lardarius Webb will be back healthy this week, however, and that will make a big difference despite what many people think about his current abilities. When is healthy, he's the best corner on this team this season statistically because Jimmy Smith doesn't seem completely recovered from that foot injury. Let's hope Shareece Wright and Kyle Arrington can redeem themselves too. I keep praying the Ravens prove me wrong, but they keep making an honest man out of me. CARDINALS 34-31\
AT THIS POINT THERE'S NOT MUCH WE HAVE TO LOOK FORWARD TO REGARDING THE WILDCARD RACE, BUT AT LEAST WE RAVENS FANS GET TO KICK BACK AND WATCH THE REST OF THE LEAGUE THIS SUNDAY BEFORE WATCHING AND PRAYING BALTIMORE CAN TURN IT AROUND AGAIN IN PRIME TIME ON MONDAY NIGHT.
NOW AND FOREVER
GO RAVENS!!!
Some people ignore these factors and cling to hope that the Ravens will make their dreams come true once again. Many more people, however, have decided it would be a good idea for the Ravens to tank their season in order to get an extremely high draft pick. I want the Ravens to show improvement. I want Joe to continue find chemistry with receivers such as Chris Givens Jeremy Ross, Darren Waller, and the young tight end corps. I want to know that when the Ravens have bolstered their roster through free agency and the draft they will be that much better because they learned to perform WITHOUT a strong, compete roster in 2015.
The Arizona Cardinals will likely beat the Ravens. Carson Palmer has had great success against Baltimore in his career, and so too has Bruce Arians. The Cardinals have an impressive wide receiver tandem, and their defense is simply better than that of Baltimore. The Cardinals, however, and not nearly the best team the Ravens have faced; that would be the Bengals. This should be another game the Ravens have a chance to win late. Who knows? Maybe things will click and they hand the Cardinals their 3rd loss in 4 weeks? Eh, probably not, but who knows? Either way, we'll get to watch the rest of the NFL beat up on itself on Sunday because the Ravens play on Monday. So let's take a look at who is likely going to win each game.
WEEK 7 NFL PICKS
BILLS AT JAGUARS- The Jaguars have done nothing this season to suggest they should win this game. The Bills aren't what we thought they'd be defensively after last season, but they're still good enough to beat one of the worst teams in the league. BILLS 23-17
BUCCANEERS AT REDSKINS- The Redskins get a nice win here on the back of a good defense and running game. REDSKINS 33-21
FALCONS AT TITANS- The Titans will be without their starting QB, and the Falcons are finally for real again this year. FALCONS 42-13
SAINTS AT COLTS- This is a game between two similar underachieving dome teams. I'll give the edge to the home dome team. COLTS 35-28
VIKINGS AT LIONS- NFC North divisional games are difficult to predict, but this one shouldn't be. The Vikings are legit this season and should do some damage in the playoffs. The Lions? Not so much. Minnesota is also coming off of a bye week. VIKINGS 24-20
STEELERS AT CHIEFS- The Steelers still don't have Ben back, but they've shown they don't need him to win. This team has too many weapons, and the defense has performed miracles with what was expected to be a poor defense at the beginning of the season. The Chiefs lost their season when Jamaal Charles went down. STEELERS 34-19
BROWNS AT RAMS- The Browns can make this a game, but the Rams defense should prove the difference-maker at home. RAMS 23-21
TEXANS AT DOLPHINS- The Dolphins are playing with a renewed level of vigor since Philbin got canned. The Texans, despite having defensive superstars, are total garbage. The Texans have only managed wins against the Jags and Bucs. The Dolphins won't blow the Texans out, but this should be interesting. DOLPHINS 27-21
JETS AT PATRIOTS- The Patriots will be without their starting running back, but they get Brandon LaFell back. I would love to see an upset here, but Revis can't cover Gronk, and the Patriots are simply too good at home to be slowed down the way it would take to upset them. The tide may turn when these teams play in New Jersey later this season though. PATRIOTS 31-24
RAIDERS AT CHARGERS- The Chargers aren't nearly what I thought they'd be this season, but Philip Rivers is starting to heat up. CHARGERS 28-21
COWBOYS AT GIANTS- No Romo, no Dez. No Cruz, but Odell WILL play. Gotta give this one to the Gmen at home against a Cowboys team missing some incredibly important pieces. GIANTS 30-20
EAGLES AT PANTHERS- The Panthers defense hasn't been good enough this season to step on the throats of some pretty horrendous offenses. Their undefeated status is a product of a poor strength of schedule and some clutch performances by Cam. The Eagles, on the other hand, have won 3 of their last 4 in impressive, dominant fashion. EAGLES 38-20
RAVENS AT CARDINALS- The Ravens will be big underdogs by most accounts, but they shouldn't be. The Cardinals have dropped two of their last 3 including a 10 point loss to a team starting it's third string quarterback. The Ravens have yet to lose by more than a single score. With that said, they have also only won a single game because their offense has typically taken either too long to get going or failed to score on key late game drives, while their defense couldn't even stop one of the worst offenses in the league last week. Lardarius Webb will be back healthy this week, however, and that will make a big difference despite what many people think about his current abilities. When is healthy, he's the best corner on this team this season statistically because Jimmy Smith doesn't seem completely recovered from that foot injury. Let's hope Shareece Wright and Kyle Arrington can redeem themselves too. I keep praying the Ravens prove me wrong, but they keep making an honest man out of me. CARDINALS 34-31\
AT THIS POINT THERE'S NOT MUCH WE HAVE TO LOOK FORWARD TO REGARDING THE WILDCARD RACE, BUT AT LEAST WE RAVENS FANS GET TO KICK BACK AND WATCH THE REST OF THE LEAGUE THIS SUNDAY BEFORE WATCHING AND PRAYING BALTIMORE CAN TURN IT AROUND AGAIN IN PRIME TIME ON MONDAY NIGHT.
NOW AND FOREVER
GO RAVENS!!!
Friday, October 16, 2015
WEEK 6 NFL PREDICTIONS
There is almost zero faith in the Ravens at this point. Their 1-4 start coupled with the ever-growing list of injuries to major players has left fans and probably many within the organization doubting that any sort of turnaround could occur at this point that would allow Baltimore to sneak into the playoffs.
For the first half of last week's game against the Browns, I fully believed the Ravens had turned the corner and were on their way to putting together a 3-4 game winning streak that would allow them to make a strong push in the second half of the season with the eventual return of their vaunted first round pick, Breshad Perriman. The second half told a different story. Lardarius Webb, Elvis Dumervil, and the newly acquired, talented cornerback, Will Davis, all went down with injuries and never returned to the game. Suddenly drives that might have ended in field goals for the Browns during the first half found their way into the end zone without such integral cogs in the Ravens pass defense. Josh McCown was made to look like an absolute stud, and the Ravens offense possessed the ball far fewer times and for less minutes than in the first half. Then, when the Ravens had first and goal from the 10 yardline at the end of regulation, Justin Forsett exited the game with an ankle injury, and that halted the Ravens otherwise spectacular march down the field nearly dead in its tracks.
The Ravens, no longer able to run the football effectively without Justin Forsett, settled for a field goal toward the end of regulation and then proceeded to go three and out on the first possession of overtime. The Ravens defense found itself almost totally devoid of pass defending and pass rushing talent, and allowed the Browns to go promptly down the field to drive a sudden death dagger into the hearts of the citizens of Baltimore.
I would like to sit here and explain how and why the Ravens are only inches away from winning games against tough opponents, and therefore, ultimately going to get better, but that would have only been the case before Dumervil, Webb, Davis, and Forsett all went down. Sure, poor Steve Smith Sr. is gearing up to try to play, and Crockett Gilmore might be able to play too, but there's simply not enough on defense to stop mediocre opponents such as the Browns at this point and even less to stop quality opponents that lay ahead. The Ravens, in order to have a good shot at securing a wildcard berth, must win a bare minimum of 9 games, but it's more likely that they'll need 10 wins.
At this point in the season, in order to accrue 10 wins, the Ravens will have to win 9 of their remaining 11 games. There was already only a small chance that such and miraculous comeback would take place BEFORE more players became injured, but now that chance may actually be less than 1 percent. Lardarius Webb may come back healthy in a week, and it's possible that so too will Elvis Dumervil. It's also possible that Shareece Wright, Will Davis' quality replacement, will prove just as useful as Davis did during his brief stint with the Ravens, and help solidify the pass defense. The problem is that the odds of these players all getting healthy and coalescing into one effective group within the next two weeks is low, and the Ravens go to Arizona next week to face a dangerous Cardinals team led by a quarterback who has almost never lost to Baltimore. So that means the Ravens have high odds of losing their next two games and falling to 1-6, and in order to reach 10 wins, they'd have to win all 9 of their remaining games...and that ain't happening, folks.
The biggest hope that Ravens fans can cling to going forward is that the Ravens win put together an offensively dominant performance this week and limit a 49ers offense that has performed quite poorly this season to say the least. If by some chance the Ravens can FINALLY get their first round pick back onto the field following a win this week, then hopefully he can be ready to go in two weeks when the Ravens face an uneven Chargers team that only barely beat the Browns and just lost at home to the Steelers. I'm writing off the Cardinals game as a loss regardless, but the best case scenario is that the Ravens find a way to get healthy and win two out of their next three games going into the bye week. After the bye week, the Ravens face many teams doing just as poorly if not far worse than they are currently, and the possibility for some kind of winning streak improves IF the Ravens can get healthy and stay that way to an extent. Also, as I write this, I have just read that Steve Smith Sr. has not felt good in practice and is not likely to play. Justin Forsett has listed himself as a game-time decision as his ankle has improved each day of this week, but Forsett, Elvis Dumervil and Marshal Yanda have all returned to practice today.
I am not optimistic that the Ravens will somehow find a healthy, dominant groove and go 9-2 for the remainder of the season--no one should be. I, instead, will continue to support my favorite team and hope that, despite a lack of a playoff berth, Flacco will develop chemistry with his young tights ends and Breshad Perriman down the stretch. This team should finish with anywhere from 6-8 wins, and their higher-than-usual position in the 2016 draft should enable them to go after a high quality corner or safety to finally return the Ravens pass defense to its elite status of yesteryear. If, however, Perriman hits the field and proves the difference-maker that turns narrow losses into a string of solid wins, then we should all be pleasantly surprised--just don't hold your breath. With that said, there is still a lot of good football to watch this season aside of the Ravens. Let's take a look at this week's picks around the league!
WEEK 6 NFL PICKS
REDSKINS AT JETS- This game isn't easy to predict. The Redskins have looked tough at times, and so have the Jets. The Jets are coming off of a bye week, and they rely on heavy rushing production from Chris Ivory, but Ivory may struggle to find much running room against a quality Redskins defense. The Redskins, however, must also content with a suffocating Jets defense front and some of the best corners in the league with Revis and Cromartie in the secondary. I'm going with the home team coming off of a bye here, but an upset won't surprise me in the least. JETS 24-20
CARDINALS AT STEELERS- Michael Vick may have engaged in late-game heroics against the Chargers, but the Chargers haven't looked great this season. The Cardinals are one of the top 10 teams in the league, and their head coach is the Steelers' former offensive coordinator. It might be nice to see the Steelers BEAT the Cardinals in order to give a blueprint to the Ravens as to how one accomplishes that, but I can't see that happening until Ben gets healthy. CARDINALS 33-21
CHEIFS AT VIKINIGS- With no Jamaal Charles, the Chiefs are doomed. VIKINGS 42-10
BENGALS AT BILLS- The Bills are a tremendous disappointment, and the Bengals are quite good, if not the most complete team in the league. BENGALS 37-17
BEARS AT LIONS- The Bears are bad, but the Lions may be worse. In this kind of a situation, I go with the home team, but does it even really matter? LIONS 21-20
BRONCOS AT BROWNS- Without Demarcus Ware, this game will be a lot more interesting. The Browns aren't nearly as bad as their record might suggest, and the Broncos aren't nearly as GOOD as THEIR record might suggest. The Broncos only barely beat the Raiders last week, and they could be walking into a buzz saw here. The thing that will tip the scales in favor of the Broncos is the fact that Joe Haden won't play. BRONCOS 28-24
TEXANS AT JAGUARS- These are two very bad teams. The Texans have yet to win a road game this season, and the Jaguars are 1-1 at home. God, I hate predicting meaningless games. JAGUARS 20-17
DOLPHINS AT TITANS- The Dolphins are in a state of utter chaos right now. The Titans lost two games by a combined score of 4 points in the last two weeks against better teams than the Dolphins. I have to imagine they'll win this one at home. TITANS 17-13
PANTHERS AT SEAHAWKS- The Seahawks have a bad record and the Panthers have a good one, but the Seahawks still have enough firepower to beat a team such as the Panthers at home. SEAHAWKS 31-23
CHARGERS AT PACKERS- If the Chargers just barely beat the Browns and lose to a Michael Vick-led Steelers team at home, then they're going to be absolutely blasted in Green Bay. PACKERS 35-20
RAVENS AT 49ERS- The 49ers have looked horrible this season, but they began to pick up offensive steam in their loss to the Giants last week. The Ravens will likely start Justin Forsett and possibly Crocket Gillmore, but Steve Smith is doubtful, and that leaves them with almost no serious wide receivers against a team that did manage to hold the Packers to a mere 17 points. PLEASE Joe, PROVE ME WRONG, I'M BEGGING YOU!!! 49ERS 27-23
PATRIOTS AT COLTS- The Patriots may have lost their left tackle, but that won't stop them from flattening the worst Colts team since Peyton Manning missed a season because of his neck injury. PATRIOTS 49-21
GIANTS AT EAGLES- The Eagles are coming off of their second win in three weeks. If the Giants were healthy, I would pick them. Odell Beckham and Victor Cruz are both injured, so is Prince Amukamara. This has Eagles written all over it. I'll be rooting for the Gmen though. EAGLES 33-28
AS RAVENS FANS, WE HAVE BEEN SPOILED FOR YEARS. OUR TEAM GIVES US A CONSISTENT, HIGH QUALITY PRODUCT. EVERY TEAM MUST OCCASIONALLY FACE A DOWN SEASON. THERE IS STILL HOPE THAT THE RAVENS CAN GET HEALTHY AND THEIR COACHING STAFF CAN MAKE SIGNIFICANT ADJUSTMENTS THAT WILL LEAD TO A STRING OF WINS AND PLAYOFF BERTH, BUT NONE OF THAT IS LIKELY WITH 4 LOSSES ALREADY IN THE BOOKS. THAT DOESN'T MEAN WE SHOULD STOP WATCHING OR ROOTING FOR OUR GUYS, BUT IT MEANS THAT RAVENS FANS SHOULD TEMPER THEIR EXPECTATIONS FOR THIS SEASON IF THEY HAVEN'T ALREADY DONE SO WITHIN THE LAST MONTH. AN EARLY PICKING SLOT IN THE DRAFT ORDER COULD BE JUST WHAT THIS TEAM NEEDS TO REGROUP AND MOVE FORWARD NEXT SEASON. DON'T LOSE HOPE, BUT TRY NOT TO LOSE YOUR MINDS, BALTIMORE. IT IS< AFTER ALL, JUST A GAME.
NOW AND FOREVER
GO RAVENS!!!
For the first half of last week's game against the Browns, I fully believed the Ravens had turned the corner and were on their way to putting together a 3-4 game winning streak that would allow them to make a strong push in the second half of the season with the eventual return of their vaunted first round pick, Breshad Perriman. The second half told a different story. Lardarius Webb, Elvis Dumervil, and the newly acquired, talented cornerback, Will Davis, all went down with injuries and never returned to the game. Suddenly drives that might have ended in field goals for the Browns during the first half found their way into the end zone without such integral cogs in the Ravens pass defense. Josh McCown was made to look like an absolute stud, and the Ravens offense possessed the ball far fewer times and for less minutes than in the first half. Then, when the Ravens had first and goal from the 10 yardline at the end of regulation, Justin Forsett exited the game with an ankle injury, and that halted the Ravens otherwise spectacular march down the field nearly dead in its tracks.
The Ravens, no longer able to run the football effectively without Justin Forsett, settled for a field goal toward the end of regulation and then proceeded to go three and out on the first possession of overtime. The Ravens defense found itself almost totally devoid of pass defending and pass rushing talent, and allowed the Browns to go promptly down the field to drive a sudden death dagger into the hearts of the citizens of Baltimore.
I would like to sit here and explain how and why the Ravens are only inches away from winning games against tough opponents, and therefore, ultimately going to get better, but that would have only been the case before Dumervil, Webb, Davis, and Forsett all went down. Sure, poor Steve Smith Sr. is gearing up to try to play, and Crockett Gilmore might be able to play too, but there's simply not enough on defense to stop mediocre opponents such as the Browns at this point and even less to stop quality opponents that lay ahead. The Ravens, in order to have a good shot at securing a wildcard berth, must win a bare minimum of 9 games, but it's more likely that they'll need 10 wins.
At this point in the season, in order to accrue 10 wins, the Ravens will have to win 9 of their remaining 11 games. There was already only a small chance that such and miraculous comeback would take place BEFORE more players became injured, but now that chance may actually be less than 1 percent. Lardarius Webb may come back healthy in a week, and it's possible that so too will Elvis Dumervil. It's also possible that Shareece Wright, Will Davis' quality replacement, will prove just as useful as Davis did during his brief stint with the Ravens, and help solidify the pass defense. The problem is that the odds of these players all getting healthy and coalescing into one effective group within the next two weeks is low, and the Ravens go to Arizona next week to face a dangerous Cardinals team led by a quarterback who has almost never lost to Baltimore. So that means the Ravens have high odds of losing their next two games and falling to 1-6, and in order to reach 10 wins, they'd have to win all 9 of their remaining games...and that ain't happening, folks.
The biggest hope that Ravens fans can cling to going forward is that the Ravens win put together an offensively dominant performance this week and limit a 49ers offense that has performed quite poorly this season to say the least. If by some chance the Ravens can FINALLY get their first round pick back onto the field following a win this week, then hopefully he can be ready to go in two weeks when the Ravens face an uneven Chargers team that only barely beat the Browns and just lost at home to the Steelers. I'm writing off the Cardinals game as a loss regardless, but the best case scenario is that the Ravens find a way to get healthy and win two out of their next three games going into the bye week. After the bye week, the Ravens face many teams doing just as poorly if not far worse than they are currently, and the possibility for some kind of winning streak improves IF the Ravens can get healthy and stay that way to an extent. Also, as I write this, I have just read that Steve Smith Sr. has not felt good in practice and is not likely to play. Justin Forsett has listed himself as a game-time decision as his ankle has improved each day of this week, but Forsett, Elvis Dumervil and Marshal Yanda have all returned to practice today.
I am not optimistic that the Ravens will somehow find a healthy, dominant groove and go 9-2 for the remainder of the season--no one should be. I, instead, will continue to support my favorite team and hope that, despite a lack of a playoff berth, Flacco will develop chemistry with his young tights ends and Breshad Perriman down the stretch. This team should finish with anywhere from 6-8 wins, and their higher-than-usual position in the 2016 draft should enable them to go after a high quality corner or safety to finally return the Ravens pass defense to its elite status of yesteryear. If, however, Perriman hits the field and proves the difference-maker that turns narrow losses into a string of solid wins, then we should all be pleasantly surprised--just don't hold your breath. With that said, there is still a lot of good football to watch this season aside of the Ravens. Let's take a look at this week's picks around the league!
WEEK 6 NFL PICKS
REDSKINS AT JETS- This game isn't easy to predict. The Redskins have looked tough at times, and so have the Jets. The Jets are coming off of a bye week, and they rely on heavy rushing production from Chris Ivory, but Ivory may struggle to find much running room against a quality Redskins defense. The Redskins, however, must also content with a suffocating Jets defense front and some of the best corners in the league with Revis and Cromartie in the secondary. I'm going with the home team coming off of a bye here, but an upset won't surprise me in the least. JETS 24-20
CARDINALS AT STEELERS- Michael Vick may have engaged in late-game heroics against the Chargers, but the Chargers haven't looked great this season. The Cardinals are one of the top 10 teams in the league, and their head coach is the Steelers' former offensive coordinator. It might be nice to see the Steelers BEAT the Cardinals in order to give a blueprint to the Ravens as to how one accomplishes that, but I can't see that happening until Ben gets healthy. CARDINALS 33-21
CHEIFS AT VIKINIGS- With no Jamaal Charles, the Chiefs are doomed. VIKINGS 42-10
BENGALS AT BILLS- The Bills are a tremendous disappointment, and the Bengals are quite good, if not the most complete team in the league. BENGALS 37-17
BEARS AT LIONS- The Bears are bad, but the Lions may be worse. In this kind of a situation, I go with the home team, but does it even really matter? LIONS 21-20
BRONCOS AT BROWNS- Without Demarcus Ware, this game will be a lot more interesting. The Browns aren't nearly as bad as their record might suggest, and the Broncos aren't nearly as GOOD as THEIR record might suggest. The Broncos only barely beat the Raiders last week, and they could be walking into a buzz saw here. The thing that will tip the scales in favor of the Broncos is the fact that Joe Haden won't play. BRONCOS 28-24
TEXANS AT JAGUARS- These are two very bad teams. The Texans have yet to win a road game this season, and the Jaguars are 1-1 at home. God, I hate predicting meaningless games. JAGUARS 20-17
DOLPHINS AT TITANS- The Dolphins are in a state of utter chaos right now. The Titans lost two games by a combined score of 4 points in the last two weeks against better teams than the Dolphins. I have to imagine they'll win this one at home. TITANS 17-13
PANTHERS AT SEAHAWKS- The Seahawks have a bad record and the Panthers have a good one, but the Seahawks still have enough firepower to beat a team such as the Panthers at home. SEAHAWKS 31-23
CHARGERS AT PACKERS- If the Chargers just barely beat the Browns and lose to a Michael Vick-led Steelers team at home, then they're going to be absolutely blasted in Green Bay. PACKERS 35-20
RAVENS AT 49ERS- The 49ers have looked horrible this season, but they began to pick up offensive steam in their loss to the Giants last week. The Ravens will likely start Justin Forsett and possibly Crocket Gillmore, but Steve Smith is doubtful, and that leaves them with almost no serious wide receivers against a team that did manage to hold the Packers to a mere 17 points. PLEASE Joe, PROVE ME WRONG, I'M BEGGING YOU!!! 49ERS 27-23
PATRIOTS AT COLTS- The Patriots may have lost their left tackle, but that won't stop them from flattening the worst Colts team since Peyton Manning missed a season because of his neck injury. PATRIOTS 49-21
GIANTS AT EAGLES- The Eagles are coming off of their second win in three weeks. If the Giants were healthy, I would pick them. Odell Beckham and Victor Cruz are both injured, so is Prince Amukamara. This has Eagles written all over it. I'll be rooting for the Gmen though. EAGLES 33-28
AS RAVENS FANS, WE HAVE BEEN SPOILED FOR YEARS. OUR TEAM GIVES US A CONSISTENT, HIGH QUALITY PRODUCT. EVERY TEAM MUST OCCASIONALLY FACE A DOWN SEASON. THERE IS STILL HOPE THAT THE RAVENS CAN GET HEALTHY AND THEIR COACHING STAFF CAN MAKE SIGNIFICANT ADJUSTMENTS THAT WILL LEAD TO A STRING OF WINS AND PLAYOFF BERTH, BUT NONE OF THAT IS LIKELY WITH 4 LOSSES ALREADY IN THE BOOKS. THAT DOESN'T MEAN WE SHOULD STOP WATCHING OR ROOTING FOR OUR GUYS, BUT IT MEANS THAT RAVENS FANS SHOULD TEMPER THEIR EXPECTATIONS FOR THIS SEASON IF THEY HAVEN'T ALREADY DONE SO WITHIN THE LAST MONTH. AN EARLY PICKING SLOT IN THE DRAFT ORDER COULD BE JUST WHAT THIS TEAM NEEDS TO REGROUP AND MOVE FORWARD NEXT SEASON. DON'T LOSE HOPE, BUT TRY NOT TO LOSE YOUR MINDS, BALTIMORE. IT IS< AFTER ALL, JUST A GAME.
NOW AND FOREVER
GO RAVENS!!!
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