Last week, Baltimore Beatdown asked Ravens fans to put a grade on Jesse Minter’s new coaching staff after six games, and the answer landed in B territory. The staff came away with a B- overall from readers, a reflection of a team that was 4-2 at the time but still carrying plenty of baggage from blown second-half leads and uneven play.
That record had some real substance behind it. Baltimore had closed out wins over the Colts and the Titans, then held on in tighter victories against the Cowboys and Falcons.
Even so, the bigger picture was messier. The Ravens had entered the year with Super Bowl expectations, and through six games they still did not look like a team consistently playing like a true championship contender.
There were, at least, reasons for optimism. The offense was getting healthier, and Minter had started to make positive adjustments as his first-year defense settled in.
But the same late-game issues kept hanging around. The team was still fighting the second-half demons it hoped to get rid of by firing John Harbaugh, and the margin for error had been razor thin.
A seven-second miracle and an overtime coin flip helped Baltimore get to four wins, and the record could just as easily have sat at 2-4.
That tension showed up in the reader comments, too. Frequent commenter jack aka potato jones summed it up this way:
I gotta give em a solid B. They obviously haven’t been perfect, but we’re seeing improvements with penalties and defense, and they’ve made the best of a terrible OL situation for the most part. I feel like an A would be at least a 5-1 record so B feels right.
Of course, that survey feels like it belongs to another era after Sunday’s loss to the Bengals. If fans were grading the staff now, the number would almost certainly be much harsher, sliding firmly into C range and probably carrying a sharp increase in D’s and F’s.
The same kind of whiplash would likely hit confidence in the team’s direction. That figure had climbed to 79% after the Falcons win, then dropped to 48% after the Browns loss. After the disaster against Cincinnati, it should tumble again, perhaps all the way into the single digits unless there’s a positive update on Lamar Jackson by the middle of the week.
The betting markets, though, remain steadier than the fan mood. Baltimore is still sitting around +1100 to win the Super Bowl, via FanDuel Sportsbook, even as its win total and playoff odds take a hit in the AFC North race. The division title is still on the table, but the Ravens likely need to sweep their remaining four matchups to pull it off.
In Other News...
Ravens Suddenly Have Very Little Room For Error In The AFC
A rough stretch has pushed Baltimore into an uncomfortable spot in the AFC playoff race, with recent results around the conference leaving the Ravens staring up from outside the current bracket. After Week 7, the standings have tightened enough that every slip now matters a little more, and the margin the Ravens once had to work with has thinned fast.
The immediate concern is getting Lamar Jackson back in time for a tough upcoming run. With Buffalo and Jacksonville next on the schedule, Baltimore does not have much breathing room to absorb another setback, and the way the AFC has lined up means the Ravens may need to start stacking wins quickly just to keep pace. [Read more 🡒]
Ravens Have A Bigger Problem Than Their Record Right Now
The Ravens have spent most of this season fighting the same frustrating battle, and it has little to do with who is under center. After John Harbaugh was fired earlier this year and Jesse Minter took over as head coach, Baltimore has watched three separate games slip away after building double-digit leads, a pattern that has turned routine wins into painful what-ifs and left the team searching for answers beyond the standings.
Lamar Jacksons absence has been part of the backdrop, with the quarterback missing the last three games while Baltimore tried to steady itself. He has since resumed practicing, which at least gives the Ravens a path toward getting their offense back in place, but the bigger issue remains how a team that keeps getting in front keeps letting those games get away. [Read more 🡒]
Ravens Pro Bowler Is Taking Heat After Costly Bengals Matchup
Marlon Humphrey found himself in the spotlight after Baltimores latest meeting with Cincinnati, and not in the way a Pro Bowler usually wants. The Ravens cornerbacks comments about JaMarr Chase drew attention before the game even settled in, with Humphrey making it clear he would rather not see that matchup quite so often.
Chase then did his part in the Bengals win, catching five passes for 62 yards and a touchdown while Baltimores defense struggled to slow the game down. Humphrey finished with three tackles and a pass defended, and the criticism online came quickly after the final whistle, with fans using the result to question how the veteran cornerback handled the matchup. [Read more 🡒]