If you’ve spent any time around toddlers, you know how much of a challenge it can be to get them to eat. Sometimes, they can spend as much time playing with their food, as they do actually eating it.
With all due respect, watching the Baltimore Ravens play football this year can be a lot like watching a four-year-old at the dinner table. Sometimes, the spaghetti feels as likely to end up on the wall as it might in Tommy’s tummy.
Make no mistake: After last Thursday’s electric 35-34 win over the Cincinnati Bengals, the Ravens are among the best teams in the NFL, with perhaps the most dynamic offense seen in recent years.
Quarterback Lamar Jackson is well on pace to repeat as the league’s Most Valuable Player, which would be his third such trophy overall in his seven-year career.
Where Jackson has advanced is in his prowess at thinking the game. Second-year offensive coordinator Todd Monken has given Jackson free rein to run the offense as he sees fit.
The results are obvious. For the first time in his career, Jackson is as frightening to a defense with his arm as a passer as he is with his legs as a runner. He has thrown for 20 touchdowns and only two interceptions and leads the NFL in quarterback rating.
Part of the reason Jackson has emphasized his passing role is because of his new backfield mate, running back Derrick Henry.
The Ravens have utilized the future Hall of Famer nearly flawlessly. Henry, in his first season in Baltimore, leads the NFL in rushing yards and has scored a touchdown in each of the team’s 10 games.
And that scoring has been crucial, as the Ravens have needed just about every point. Their vaunted defense, which has been the cornerstone of the organization essentially since the club arrived here from Cleveland in 1996, has largely let the team down.
The Ravens are ranked first in the league against running teams, perhaps because opponents have learned that to beat Baltimore, it’s prudent to pass.
The team is ranked last against passing among the 32 NFL clubs. Cincinnati receiver Ja’Marr Chase, a talented pass catcher, to be sure, nonetheless, caught 11 passes Thursday for 264 yards and three touchdowns at the stadium.
That, added to the 10 catches for 193 yards and two touchdowns in the September meeting between the two teams, means Chase has nearly 500 yards against Baltimore alone.
Chase isn’t the only receiver to have success against the Ravens; just the most obvious. The team has had trouble especially in the fourth quarters of games, where they have been
outscored 106-82, allowing opponents to hang close and win, particularly in games against the Raiders and Browns.
All that said, the team heads to a critical meeting against archrival Pittsburgh next Sunday with a chance to go into first place in the AFC North. If they could only keep all their food on the plate.
And that’s how I see it for this week. You can reach us via email with your questions and comments at Sports at Large at gmail.com. And follow me on Threads and Twitter at Sports at Large.
Until next week, for all of us here and for producer Spencer Bryant, I’m Milton Kent. Thanks for listening and enjoy the games.