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Article Ravens Steal one from the Steelers, 2018 Quarter Season Report

Oldfaithful

Hall of Famer
The Ravens Steal One from the Steelers

I have been saying it all offseason. The Ravens are a very good football team; the Steelers were overrated. It feels good to be king. The ravens have been in a fluctuation of mediocrity since 2015, the worst season of John Harbaugh’s career. Many were worried about this game (myself included), the injury report was long, the Steelers have a potent passing attack, and while James Conner is no Le’Veon Bell, he’s still a very good running back. It didn’t matter. The Baltimore Ravens have returned, and it’s glorious. Through four weeks we have looked like a completely different team. Let’s break down not just the Steelers game, but the first quarter of the season so far.

Defensive Breakdown

Make no mistakes; this game was not nearly as close as the score indicates. We easily looked better on both sides of the ball. This defense effectively held one of the, if not the best offense in football to 14 points, only one TD. The Steelers have arguably the best passing in the league to boot. Without Jimmy Smith, the secondary looked on point the entire game. Say what you will about week 2, Marlon Humphrey looks like he is developing into a shutdown cornerback. He’s still got some work to do, but his development has been extremely encouraging. After a dismal week two performance, Tavon Young looks like he’s back on track to do what he does best: make life hell for whoever lines up against him. Brandon Carr, who is the wink link in this secondary, had a quality game as well. Eric Weddle and Tony Jefferson look like they’ve fully adjusted to the new defense and both have quietly exceled in their roles this season. This secondary, even with the trap game in week 2, is one of the best in the game. Here comes the twist, it’s been missing it’s the best player for four games.

In the front seven CJ Mosley had a triumphant return, and while he was quiet, it was nice to have him back. Kenny Young makes me want to order my words with a nice bottle of red wine. He looks like a future pro bowl caliber ILB, and with CJ back is in his more natural role as the weakside linebacker. We effectively stuffed the run today and had a few moments of good pass rush, which is saying a lot because this Steelers offensive line is excellent, and some may say they have a hold on things.

The defense had one poor drive but overall played a close to a flawless game considering the opponent. This leads me to one conclusion: Don Martindale is the real deal. Through four weeks, the ravens have only given up nine total points in the second half, an outstanding achievement. The defense is getting reinforcements next week that it doesn’t need. Jimmy Smith is one of the game’s best corners, and the secondary has fared very well without him. Having him come back is going to cause a lot of problems for the opposition. Willie Henry also returns and will likely provide a steady interior pass rushing presence to go along with Urban, Wormley, and Pierce(who has been quietly having an elite season). This is the best Ravens defense we have seen since 2011. To hold an elite offense to 14 points in their house is an absurd accomplishment. If CJ Mosley doesn’t go down against the Bengals, we are likely talking about an undefeated team.


For as good as the offense has been, the defense is the best part about this team. There are difference makers at all three levels, and when Jimmy Smith comes back, we have a quality starter at literally every position, as well as quality depth to boot everywhere. This is a top 3 defense at full strength, and the Steelers game proved it.

Offensive Breakdown

Since we could not acquire an elite wide receiver such as Allen Robinson this past offseason, we did the next best thing. We brought in a wide receiving corps on a budget and drafted two rookie tight ends with an absurd amount of upside. The thing that makes this passing attack go is that all of them complement each other perfectly. Crabtree has been the worst of the bunch but has also made some spectacular catches thus far this season. Remember, Steve Smith Sr. had the dropsies when he got here too. John Brown has taken the next step and has evolved into a #1 wide receiver. A scary proposition as his speed is still elite, and he was always a great route runner, and he’s made a few absurd contested catches. We finally have found a #1 WR in his prime to partner to partner with Joe Flacco. And I am highly considering buying a Willie Snead IV jersey. Flacco said it best; he’s not playing better; the offense is better across the board. This is before we factor in the tight ends. Mark Andrews through these past four weeks has looked like a guy who could become a #1 receiving option for an offense one day. He’s already an excellent route runner, with glue hands, and he’s improving as a run blocker. Although the stat sheet doesn’t show it, Maxx Williams has also quietly evolved into a #1 TE and had an excellent game against the Steelers. As always, Boyle has proven himself to be a quality #2 TE who is a threat himself. The ravens are three deep at WR and have three good tight ends. Once again, we have reinforcements coming. Hayden Hurst has all pro potential as a tight end and could be a Travis Kelce clone. He’s already a good run blocker, and his hands are arguably the best on the team. This is a scary proposition. The Ravens have seven viable receiving options in the passing game.

This is before you factor in the running backs. We’ve been dealing with stacked boxes every week so far, and it has made our life difficult. The backs themselves are not the problem here either. Alex Collins and Buck Allen make a good duo, and they complement each other very well. I would like to see more from De’Lance Turner too, as I think his speed adds another dimension to this offense we have yet to unleash. Buck has evolved into a nice #2 RB who makes defenses pay in the fourth quarter, as well as being an excellent receiving option out of the backfield.

The offensive line has been a pleasant surprise. Ronnie Stanley and Yanda look like they’ve both knocked the rust off and both turned in quality performances overall against the Steelers. Matt Skura has not been a liability at center. James Hurst has been good in pass protection as a RT. Alex Lewis leaves a lot to be desired, but one thing is for sure: this offensive line can pass protect. Greg Roman runs a significant amount of misdirection’s too, so the more teams are going to have to prepare for our passing attack, the more chances we will get to run the ball too. I am not worried about the rushing attack; it will come in due time.

I said at the start of the season that our fate is the hands of Joe Flacco. He’s been excellent in all phases. Part of it is certainly that he has options now to throw the ball to, eight good ones to be exact. But the other part of it is that he is healthy again. Nay, we are healthy again. Our absurdly long injury report has one long-term injury that has hurt us: Kenneth Dixon. This pound for pound is the most talented Ravens team I have seen in a while. Yes, the offense played a swiss cheese defense. But we beat an elite offense in their house and did so convincingly, as well as establishing ourselves in the division.

This was a Ravens team that very few people saw coming, and very few had faith in going into the season. Top to bottom we might be the complete team in the entire conference, and if not for an untimely injury to CJ Mosley would likely be sitting comfortably atop the AFC at 4-0. This is not the “same old ravens.” This is not the mediocre squad with the injured Joe Flacco. This is not the defense that blows the fourth quarter lead. This is a younger, faster, smarter, and more complete football team.

The Baltimore Ravens are a team with a very good offense and a super bowl caliber defense who can beat you in every way possible offensively and put you in a chokehold defensively. This goes along with the best kicker in the league in Justin Tucker, and a great punter in Sam Koch to help win the field position game. From top to bottom this team is excellent and looks like a team that deserves to be 3-1. This is a playoff team right now, and if the reinforcements can come in and prove their worth, this is a super bowl team. Unlike in 2014, we have a lot of young talent and a good mix of veterans.

We have been waiting two years for a statement game. Yesterday proved that sometimes the wait is worth it.
 

RavensMania

Staff Member
Administrator
As Militant said in the preview game, he didn’t think real Ravens had shown up yet. If they hadn’t then, I believe they certainly have now.

Good article and write up. I have to say that I don’t believe Maxx and Boyle are good 1 and 2 TE tandem. I do believe Maxx is a good number 2 TE and a damn good blocker. He’s definitely an every down player. Boyle is more of a blocking TE, who can also catch the ball. I’d love to see him get his first TD though.
 
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