• Welcome to PurpleFlock! Be sure to sign up here so that you can chat with your fellow Ravens fans.

Article Week Six Preview: Baltimore Ravens at Tennessee Titans

29BmoreBird22

Staff Member
Moderator
Writer
If you are anything like me, you probably thought you had the 2018 Baltimore Ravens all figured out. You thought you knew what this team was about, and it was good football. You thought they had finally turned the corner after missing the playoffs in four of the past five years and morphed back into the Ravens team that had won at least one playoff game for five straight seasons under John Harbaugh. This was the Ravens year; they were looking like maybe even the best team in the AFC.

All of that, however, came crashing down in one excruciatingly long 70 minute game against the Cleveland Browns. Instead of looking like the team that dominated the Buffalo Bills and hated rival Steelers, the team that fought back from early mistakes against the Denver Broncos, the Ravens looked out of place and disinterested against the Browns… a team that had only won one game over the past two seasons.

Now, I am one to fully admit that the Browns have been silently building up a force to be reckoned with and that they were only a quarterback away from climbing back to relevancy. The thing, though, is that the Browns did not actually look like that strong team that is going to challenge for the AFC North. They very much looked like a team that was still finding its footing and identity. A team that is trying to mesh together all of their star talent. The Ravens truly should have walked away 4-1, but they are not 4-1; the Ravens are 3-2 and must win this game to hope to continue to stay relevant in the AFC North race.

With all of that said, let us take a look at the key story lines that will determine whether or not the Ravens can pull a win off in the Music City.

Can Joe Flacco and Michael Crabtree Bounce Back?

Much of the blame from Baltimore Ravens fans has been tossed at Michael Crabtree, and deservedly so. The veteran wide receiver was signed to be the answer to the Ravens issue of signing wide receivers who were on their last leg to be the answer to the Ravens wide receiver woes for the foreseeable future. However, that unfortunately has not come to fruition, yet.

Despite leading the Ravens in targets with 46, Crabtree has only produced 24 catches for 250 yards and a single touchdown, an amazing catch in the back of the end zone in week one against the Buffalo Bills. What is hindering Crabtree the most? Untimely drops, and a lot of them. The Ravens as a team have 16 dropped passes. The leader of those drops? Crabtree with 8 drops. Against the Browns, he had three, including a would-be go-ahead touchdown late in the fourth quarter. Many fans still have faith that the wily veteran can turn it around, but he needs to do it fast before Joe Flacco loses his faith.

Joe Flacco, however, is not absolved of blame simply due to Crabtree’s drops. The veteran quarterback looked more like a rookie than the actual Browns rookie quarterback, Baker Mayfield. Flacco showed an inability to fully scan the field and a tendency to fully tunnel onto a single target. Despite targeting 11 different receivers, Crabtree and John Brown accounted for 26 of 56 Flacco targets. Even with the tight ends running free against the Browns linebackers, Flacco only targeted the four healthy tight ends a total of nine times.

While Crabtree’s drops might stand out the most, Flacco’s inability to find the open receivers played an equally large part. The Ravens will be counting on both to bounce back and play to their capable levels this Sunday to keep pace in the AFC.

Can the Baltimore Ravens Find a Balance Between the Passing Game and the Running Game?

After the loss to the Browns, John Harbaugh was asked if he had any concerns with the run-pass balance. Harbaugh, never being one to criticize the play calling of his coordinators publically, remarked that the Ravens had run the ball 28 times; was that not enough?

Three things to note here. One, the Ravens ran the ball with Alex Collins 12 times and with Buck Allen 8 times. Joe Flacco had a scramble for a first down and a quarterback sneak for a first down. Lamar Jackson received three designed runs. That is 25 carries with only 20 going to the running backs. Two, even if the Ravens had run 28 times, that would still be under half as many times as they had passed the ball. Three, the Ravens are the proud owners of a sparkling 8-22 record when Joe Flacco passes at least 45 times in a games, including a 2-9 record when Flacco throws the ball at least 50 times.

Harbaugh, listen to me for a second, please- you can have all the faith in Flacco in the world, but it is very clear that the Ravens need a balance between the running and passing game. I understand that passing when the Ravens are far down is expected, but the Ravens were never trailing by more than six points; there was never a reason to pass more than 50 times. Please, continue to run the ball- Joe will love you for it.

Which Defense Comes out Looking Stronger?

If you are a fan of high scoring, fast paced offenses, this game may not be the game to watch this Sunday. This will be a defensive battle between the first and third ranked defenses in terms of points per game. This Sunday, however, it will be a matter of which defense shows up stronger when it counts.

For the Tennessee Titans, their defense has excelled all year long in the first quarter. Through five weeks, the Titans have only given up seven first quarter points off of a rush from quarterback Josh Allen in week five. The Titans have found success so far this year, despite a very mediocre offense, by smothering opposing teams out of the gates and not allowing those teams to gain a tempo or rhythm advantage. On the flip side, the Ravens offense has scored 41 first quarter points this season. The productive first quarter offense is especially vital to the Ravens because of how much Joe Flacco relies on getting into a rhythm and establishing early tempo. Will that hold up this Sunday or will the Titans be able to rattle Flacco too early and too often for the Ravens offense to have a productive day?

The Ravens, on the other hand, take the opposite approach. The Ravens have allowed a total of fifteen second half points across five weeks, including no touchdowns. If a team is going to beat the Ravens, they need to score all of the points that they need in the first half because after halftime, the Ravens are masters of adjustment and adaptation. Points will be at a premium after the half. However, the Ravens will get a tough test as the Titans have scored 59 second half points, almost two touchdowns per game. Can the Ravens stingy defense keep its streak alive or will the defense finally meet its match?

Final Score Prediction

The Ravens will likely be looking to bounce back in a big way this week against the Tennessee Titans after having a major letdown game against the Cleveland Browns, but that bounce back probably will not come in the form of an explosive offense. Instead, the Ravens will have to show the resolve to win a tough fought, hard won game where points will not be easy to come by.

Baltimore Ravens: 17, Tennessee Titans: 13
 
Top