Musings After a Chaotic Week 1

Football, and everything about it, is chaos.

Take a look at 49ers warmups— pic.twitter.com/nRiznr9z4u

— Jason Lieser (@JasonLieser) September 11, 2022

COLTS-TEXANS ENDS IN A TIE pic.twitter.com/LBBtw0zDlD

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 11, 2022

not a single win in the AFC south today and two of the teams played each other

— Nora Princiotti (@NoraPrinciotti) September 11, 2022

Well, Harrison Butker is Questionable to return with an injury. So it looks like Safety Justin Reid is the Week 1 kicker.

This should be fun. pic.twitter.com/UoXgsqP2iY

— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) September 11, 2022

After all the months of careful planning, Week 1 is in the books, and while some of it went about the way we expected, there’s a reason we play the games: they are chaotic. They have millions of degrees of randomness that make them exciting. The best teams are the ones that can control enough of that chaos to force their opponent to grapple with it instead.

The Ravens may not have played a very pretty game all the way through, but it was chaotic enough to give the Jets fits.

.@ravens unleashed Holy Hell on Flacco. Just relentless pressure and it started right away. This looked like Raven Football #ravensflock #BaldysBreakdowns pic.twitter.com/PIxsfEGfpH

— Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) September 12, 2022

Highest graded Ravens in Week 1 win vs. the Jets:

Justin Madubuike – 90.7

Michael Pierce – 89.9

Justin Houston – 82.1

4⃣ Chuck Clark – 80.5

5⃣ Broderick Washington Jr. – 77.3 pic.twitter.com/4Vr974y4pM

— PFF BAL Ravens (@PFF_Ravens) September 12, 2022

“Michael Pierce is very motivated and determined to have a great year, and he had a great start yesterday. He was dominant. The whole D-line was dominant, but he was right there, leading the charge.” pic.twitter.com/sflbFhyzuy

— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) September 12, 2022

I remember a time not that long ago when the interior of the Ravens D-line was considered a potential weak spot. Watching Sunday’s game, you would never have known it. The big guys up front bullied the interior of the Jets O-line, and Joe Flacco’s tendency to stay stationary came back to bite the Jets on multiple occasions.

Justin Houston stays patient when Fant quick sets him. Knows he wants to go inside so he hops outside then accelerated inside, long arms, then rips under and SMACKS Flacco.

Houston was dominant in the first half, one of his best games as a Raven. pic.twitter.com/ie7PmGtdfX

— Spencer N. Schultz (@ravens4dummies) September 12, 2022

The stifling defense up front eventually wore the Jets down, creating some nice scoring drives through the air. The breathing room gave Calais Campbell time to focus on another true source of chaos: fantasy football.

Relatable: @CalaisCampbell talking about his fantasy teams on the sideline… @Dev_Duv5, he shouldn’t have had you on the bench huh?? pic.twitter.com/poq3aVHn29

— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) September 12, 2022

I’m glad I’m not in Calais’ league so I can poach Duv for myself.

Admittedly, the beginning of the game was not pretty, and the offense struggled to get things started. When you’re depending on managing chaos, though, who better to call upon than your own agent of chaos?

Lamar Jackson is special, part 105 pic.twitter.com/SAj8OwFym9

— Jaime Eisner (@JaimeEisner) September 11, 2022

Give this Lamar NO LOOK TD the same love you give Patrick Mahomes pic.twitter.com/dzBF1cPMDV

— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) September 11, 2022

ALWAYS BET ON YOURSELF, LJ BALLIN pic.twitter.com/SPfm9xHR0z

— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) September 11, 2022

Unfortunately, the chaotic energy of the game often comes with a cost as well. The league got hit hard by costly injuries in Week 1, and the Ravens were no exception.

At this point last year, the Ravens had lost 7 contributors to season-ending injuries: J.K. Dobbins, Gus Edwards, Justice Hill, Ronnie Stanley, Derek Wolfe, L.J. Fort and Marcus Peters.

Entering Week 2, the Ravens are now down 3: Ja’Wuan James, Vince Biegel and Kyle Fuller.

— Jonas Shaffer (@jonas_shaffer) September 12, 2022

Here’s hoping reinforcements in the likes of Ronnie Stanley, Marcus Peters, and others are ready sooner rather than later. Until then, the team can focus their sights on this season’s first game at The Bank where they’ll play host to Miami. Let’s give them a chaotic Flock welcome.

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