With Week 6 down and Week 7 coming fast, the Ravens sit tied for the best record in the AFC North at 4-2, and the reason is pretty clear: the offense has carried plenty of the load.
Under new offensive coordinator and first-time play-caller Declan Doyle, Baltimore has put together one of the league’s most explosive and creative units. The problem has been keeping enough of the roster upright long enough to make that firepower count for four full quarters.
Lamar Jackson is the whole story here, because the difference when he’s on the field versus when he’s not is massive. In 14 quarters with the two-time league MVP at quarterback, the Ravens have put up 116 points, 14 touchdowns, 967 passing yards and 1,464 total yards.
After he left with an ankle sprain in the middle of the Week 4 game against the Tennessee Titans, Baltimore managed only 40 points, four touchdowns, 429 passing yards and 742 total yards in the 10 quarters without him. Jackson was playing at an MVP level before the injury, and he still has time to climb back into the mix with Brock Purdy and Josh Allen.
The running game has been productive, but not quite the runaway force the numbers might suggest. Baltimore ranks second in the league in rushing yards and has topped 100 yards on the ground in every game but one, yet this group has landed more in the solid-than-special range.
Derrick Henry is carrying the load, as expected. The five-time Pro Bowler has 534 rushing yards, good for fourth in the league, but he has only two 100-yard games and just turned in his quietest outing of the year, finishing with a season-low 58 yards and a costly fourth-quarter fumble.
Justice Hill has given the offense exactly what it needs out of the backfield behind him. He’s averaging 7.4 yards per carry and remains useful in the passing game and as a blocker. Rasheen Ali, meanwhile, still hasn’t taken an offensive snap in his third season, though he has been active on special teams as a kick cover man and returner.
Tight end was supposed to be a major talking point in Declan Doyle’s offense, especially with his background as a former tight ends coach. Instead, the injuries have piled up there too.
Durham Smythe is out for the season with a torn Achilles, while Mark Andrews and rookie Matt Hibner have both dealt with minor hand injuries. Andrews has had a rough go of it so far, with 23 catches on 33 targets for 181 receiving yards and one touchdown.
But the rookies have flashed. Hibner and Josh Cuevas have combined for 12 catches on 13 targets for 154 yards and two scores.
The receiver room has been just as battered. Zay Flowers has missed a game and a half and was limited in another because of a hamstring strain.
Ja'Kobi Lane, a standout third-round rookie, saw his debut end early in Week 1 with a fractured wrist, then sat out until this past Sunday. When healthy, though, he’s been effective, with five catches on eight targets for 51 yards and four first downs.
Rashod Bateman has been the dependable option in the middle of all that chaos, picking up key chains and stepping up while Flowers was sidelined or limited, though he’s now dealing with a nagging shoulder injury. Devontez Walker, in his third season, leads the team with 18.8 receiving yards per catch and has four grabs for 75 yards and a touchdown. Elijah Sarratt, a fourth-round rookie, has mostly stayed on the sideline as a healthy scratch and has one catch for 13 yards and a first down on two targets.
No group has been hit harder than the offensive line. The Ravens lost projected starting center Danny Pinter for the year in a joint training camp practice, then lost their next two top centers in the same game in Week 3.
That forced them to move a standout rookie right guard over for the last three weeks and use third-stringer Emory Jones in that spot for the last two. It also pushed Eric DeCosta to make a major move and trade for two-time Pro Bowl center Cam Jurgens from the Philadelphia Eagles.
Ronnie Stanley, a two-time Pro Bowler at left tackle, also missed a game with a toe injury, and Sunday will be their fifth different starting combination of the season.
In Other News...
Ravens Have No Excuse For Another Ground Game Letdown
Baltimores run game was supposed to be a strength, but the trip to Cleveland turned into a reminder that nothing is guaranteed just because Derrick Henry is in the backfield. The Ravens managed only 87 rushing yards against the Browns, and Henry accounted for 58 of them while also putting the ball on the ground, a frustrating follow-up to a group that has generally been built to win at the line of scrimmage.
Week 7 offers a clear chance to clean that up, with Cincinnati on deck and a run defense that has struggled to slow opponents. Baltimore also should be in better shape up front, with Cam Jurgens expected to help the blocking and Vega Ioane back at guard, which gives the Ravens a cleaner path to getting Henry rolling again after a disappointing showing. [Read more 🡒]
Lamar Jacksons Week 7 Status Has Ravens Fans Watching One Thing
Lamar Jackson has been back on the practice field in a limited role all week, which is enough to keep the Ravens Week 7 plans fluid heading into a divisional matchup with the Bengals. Head coach Jesse Minter said Jackson could still play, and the team is sorting through the final details as it weighs the quarterbacks status against the clock.
The rest of the injury picture is less encouraging, with edge rusher Tavius Robinson out for the season because of a pectoral injury and safety Jaylinn Hawkins also sidelined for Sunday. If Jackson cannot go, backup Snoop Huntley is preparing to step in, and Baltimore will be waiting on the last word before it knows whether the offense can stay in its usual shape. [Read more 🡒]
Mike Green Faces A Brutal Week 7 Test Against Cincinnati
Mike Greens Week 6 was a rough one, and the timing is not ideal for a Baltimore pass rusher trying to reset against Cincinnati in Week 7. The matchup brings a different kind of test, too, because the Bengals have leaned on Amarius Mims to hold up on the edge, and the rookie has already flashed the kind of pass protection that can make life miserable for an opposing rush plan. For Green, this is less about one bad outing and more about whether he can survive a high-level blocker and get back to the kind of impact Baltimore expects.
Mims has been one of the tougher tackles to dent early this season, which puts extra pressure on Green to win with timing, leverage and finish rather than simply trying to outmuscle him. The Ravens will need Green to find a way to create disruption anyway, whether that means varying his approach or getting help from the rest of the front. If he can turn this into a cleaner, more tactical matchup, it could go a long way toward changing the tone of his start to the season. [Read more 🡒]