Working Out The Kinks

The Ravens season opener against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium had the look and feel of a preseason game, particularly in the first half. And really, given the lack of activity from the Ravens starters during the preseason, the early sloppiness was expected. In the modern NFL with all of the procedural protocols tied to the safety of players, there’s really no way to simulate game speed – not even close. But in the end, the victory in The Meadowlands was a building block for the 2022 season as the Ravens boarded the train home with a road and conference win to start the season.

Here are my takeaways from the game.

Offense

Positives

• Despite all of the contractual noise and a sluggish start that included Lamar guiding balls and dropping his arm slot leading to some errant throws, the Ravens star quarterback made some big time plays against the Jets with his feet to escape trouble and he delivered no less than four terrific throws. The three touchdown tosses could not have been any better (see below) and his 17-yard touch pass to Mark Andrews in the fourth quarter while facing a 3rd-and-8 was a thing of beauty. Lamar finished 17 of 30 for 213, 3 scores and an ill-advised INT all adding up to a passer rating of 98.3. Had he just overthrown Demarcus Robinson on the INT instead of short-arming it, that passer rating comes in at 112.2. Hopefully it was a lesson learned. But credit Lamar for making big plays when they counted most.

• Devin Duvernay had 4 catches on 4 targets for 54 yards and two scores, both of which came on third down plays. Concerns about who might step up given the departure of Marquise Brown may have been slightly put to rest. It was a nice outing for Duv and it could lead to more confidence in his playmaking ability from both his QB and offensive coordinator. FYI, Brown in garbage time with the Cardinals playing from well behind, had 4 catches on 6 targets for 43 yards and a score.

• Despite little room to navigate the Jets defense, Kenyan Drake managed 31 yards on 11 carries. Hardly a stellar day but you got the sense that he could be a good No. 2 guy until J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards return.

• Patrick Mekari was arguably an under-valued re-signing by the Ravens last season. He provides great value and versatility as O-Line Coach Joe D’Alessandris’ Swiss Army Knife. He chipped in with a very serviceable outing subbing for Ja’Wuan James who was lost for the season with an Achilles injury after just 24 snaps.

Negatives

• The Ravens as an offensive unit were far too slow to the line of scrimmage which limited their ability to make pre-snap adjustments. They bumped up against the play clock several times and the unit just looked unprepared, particularly in the first half.

• Just as it did during the preseason, the rushing attack is struggling, producing just 3.0 YPC and a pedestrian 63 yards. The inability to get the ground game going contributed greatly to the Jets winning the time of possession battle: 32:30 to 27:30.

• With little room to navigate (and no time to get out of plays thanks to the overall sluggishness to the LOS), Greg Roman insisted on running plays in the box that produced little and left the Ravens in unfavorable 2nd and 3rd down situations. The route combos were questionable at times but it’s difficult to determine if that’s on the players or the scheme.

• Mike Davis has apparently been knocked down the depth chart by Drake. He had just 2 carries for 11 yards and fumbled at the tail end of his 10 yard burst off the left edge. That will not sit well with John Harbaugh.

• Isaiah Likely seemed a bit lost. During the preseason the grand stage of the NFL didn’t seem to affect the former Coastal Carolina Chanticleer, but yesterday he dropped a catchable ball and seemed to run one route which intersected that of Mark Andrews. Plus he was called for holding, something that he struggled with during the preseason.

• Rashod Bateman looked out of sorts early, dropping a slant that could have produced a first down. He did redeem himself later with a purposeful post route that resulted in a 55-yard TD.

Defense

Positives

• Marcus Williams was arguably the best player to dress for the Ravens against the Jets. Williams had 12 tackles, an interception and another pass defensed. His ability to read and react limits gains in the secondary and it forces the opposing quarterback to hold onto the ball a bit longer.

• DC Mike Macdonald seemed to lean on Brandon Stephens and Kyle Fuller to defend the boundaries, allowing Marlon Humphrey to disrupt slot receivers. On passing downs Chuck Clark crept up closer to the line of scrimmage allowing Williams and rookie Kyle Hamilton to manage the back end of the secondary…Clark seems to be embracing the role and borrowed secondary mate Humphrey’s signature Fruit Punch move when forcing a fumble by Breece Hall in the fourth quarter.

• Other bright spots include Justin Madubuike who was disruptive while contributing 5 tackles, shared a sack with Patrick Queen and had another tackle for loss…Calais Campbell had 4 tackles, a sack and 2 QB hits while Broderick Washington had a QB hit and knocked down pass a Joe Flacco pass. Michael Pierce was also menacing. The group lost two other sacks due to some ticky-tacky illegal contact penalties called against Humphrey and Stephens, respectively.

• It was a productive afternoon for the defensive interior. They created havoc for Flacco and that sets things up well when promising rookie Travis Jones returns to the lineup.

• Queen was fast to the football and tackled well, particularly in the open field. He had 0.5 sacks, 3 QB hits and 8 tackles…Malik Harrison also tackled well, contributing 5 takedowns.

• Justin Houston had a productive day and was a force off the edge and when stunting to the interior. He had 3 tackles, a sack and 2 QB hits.

• The Ravens third down defense was terrific, allowing the Jets to convert just 2 of 14 attempts.

Negatives

• Odafe Oweh was largely MIA. He was more noticeable dropping into coverage, somewhat ineffectively. The team’s best pass rusher should rush the passer. Oweh also failed to hold the edge early in the game and was responsible for one of Jets RB Michael Carter’s chunk plays on the ground…Josh Bynes was a bit slow to fill in while defending the run.

• Tackling early on was suspect, the biggest culprits being Bynes and Hamilton. But that’s to be expected given the extreme dearth of tackling drills since the team first took to the field in late July during training camp.

Special Teams

Positives

• Jordan Stout average 48.5 yards on 6 punts.

Negatives

• Kick and punt coverage teams lack explosiveness. Special teams play is a Harbaugh staple. The Ravens need to clean this up.

Lamar’s Three Scoring Tosses

Lamar and Devin Duvernay on a very nice pitch and catch to produce the #Ravens first TD. Nice tracking skills from Duv while securing the contested catch. pic.twitter.com/Ndy3m2RcLa

— Tony Lombardi (@RSRLombardi) September 12, 2022

Lamar climbs the pocket while showing excellent poise and patience, allow Duv to work his way across the end zone. Was it a no-look? You be the judge… pic.twitter.com/bViFDeGEuU

— Tony Lombardi (@RSRLombardi) September 12, 2022

Nicely set up play somewhat reminiscent of a Gary Kubiak staple. Solid play action and blocking up front enables the long distance connection from Lamar to Rashod Bateman. And how about that arm strength? pic.twitter.com/ek2ry9enPR

— Tony Lombardi (@RSRLombardi) September 12, 2022

Next Up

The Ravens host the Miami Dolphins, 20-7 winners at home over the New England Patriots. The Ravens are listed as 4 ½ point favorites.

Words of Wisdom From Joe

Joe Flacco advising Lamar Jackson to win a Super Bowl in his contract year. pic.twitter.com/ODAoayGEBO

— Jonas Shaffer (@jonas_shaffer) September 11, 2022

Two Teams, One Country

Chills.

pic.twitter.com/zg6YrAnUxa

— New York Jets (@nyjets) September 11, 2022

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