The Ravens are a uniquely weird team in Week 14 of the NFL season.
They're weird because their QB position is a great unknown.
Joe Flacco is, of course, the world's most underwhelming Super Bowl MVP, and has sucked this year. We know who he is, we have millions of hours of underwhelming tape to depressingly watch. And he returned to practice this week, but did not play, Eric Berry style.
But that might change. He may see the field.
Which is interesting, because their backup QB, Lamar Jackson, a 1st round selection by the Ravens (albeit with the 32nd pick), is a very weird player. He runs, and runs, and runs with the ball. His completion percentage is a not-terrible 60%. And he's only played three weeks, so tape on him is slim.
We know this: he is fast, he is not afraid to run the ball, and he's a damn gazelle when he does.
The good news: we can probably spy him. His weapons are bleak. Alex Collins is his #1 RB, and he's averaging 3.6 yards a carry. His #1 receiver is John Brown, who initially looked like Tyreek Hill when he first hit the league, but has since statistically slowed down and is now just a good receiver with very difficult speed to account for. Michael Crabtree is their #2 alongside Willie Snead, and Tyreek Hill has more yardage than both of those guys combined, but Crabtree has had good games against us in the past.
As a result, the Ravens are still somehow 13th in the league in yardage, they are averaging 25 points a game.
The Ravens have good pass protection, as they've only given up like 25 sacks or something like that. Ronnie Stanley is their LT.
But really, the Ravens offense wins by trying to run the ball, passing decently, and then letting Lamar Jackson get creative.
As far as the defense is concerned.................. biggest test of the year right here folks.
#1 rated defense in yardage (they're allowing under 300 yards/game).
#1 rated defense in points (they're allowing 17 points/game).
I think it's safe to say we're going to beat those averages but they should still slow us down pretty significantly. I don't know if Patty will have another 4 TD game here.
The Ravens get good pressure on the QB -- they're 9th in the league in sacks, and the pressure comes from everywhere. Suggs has always played well against us but he only has 5.5 this year. They blitz a good amount.
Simply put, the Ravens pass defense will be the biggest challenge Mahomes faces all year. They're allowing under 200 yards passing all season. Eric Weddle is a goddamn general at the back of their defense, and they've got a solid corner or two despite the fact that none of their corners are true ballhawks. Brandon Carr will make a rare appearance against the Chiefs, which is whatever, but he's apparently playing well.
The Ravens have a mean defensive line, and maybe the meanest NT in the league in Brandon Williams. I'm willing to bet they drop everyone in coverage, smother Kelce, and dare Spencer Ware to beat their DL. That's a very tall order, and I don't think our run game is up to the challenge. Mahomes will need to tap every ounce of his MVP talent to get yardage.
In special teams, they have arguably the greatest kicker in modern NFL history in Justin Tucker. They've had one punt return for a TD.
They're 7-5. They're on a three game win streak. Lamar Jackson has started all three games.
Their wins: Bills, Broncos, @Steelers, @Titans, Bengals (no Dalton), Raiders, @Falcons
Losses: @Bengals (Dalton), @Browns, Saints, @Panthers, Steelers
That schedule is all over the place. They beat Pitt in Pitt, but pathetically lose to the Browns. The most damning game on the schedule is the Saints game, where they only lost by a point.
How is this team so good? I've asked before. They have no elite talent on offense and are still racking up yardage and point. They have a damn good defense but don't intercept the ball and they don't have any sack masters like the Chiefs do.
Originally Posted by mr. tegu:
The score was 26-14 with 10 minutes left in the game. The next two possessions the Chiefs had, which were their last two of the game, they ran 6 plays with five runs and one pass. Two three and outs. The Cardinals can disagree but they would be wrong.
Only one game did the opposing defense actually really slow down the Chiefs, and that was at Denver
20 after three quarters is slowing the Chiefs down. Come on Man.... [Reply]
Originally Posted by mr. tegu:
Only one game did the opposing defense actually really slow down the Chiefs, and that was at Denver. In the rest of our “low” scoring games we scored around “only” 30 points because we stopped trying to score in the fourth quarter due to having big leads.
True. That was the only time they've truly been slowed. And it was largely due to being spooked by a raucous crowd. [Reply]
Originally Posted by terp1976:
Only one game did the opposing defense actually really slow down the Chiefs, and that was at Denver
20 after three quarters is slowing the Chiefs down. Come on Man....
I said “game” which surprisingly enough means for a whole game. Only once did they get slowed down for a game. Sure it took a few extra minutes into the fourth quarter against Arizona to score again but if the Chiefs needed more points in that game they would have done so. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Marcellus:
Ravens have forced the 3rd fewest turnovers in the NFL and haven't had an INT in 32 quarters and and 1 full OT period. That's 8+ games.
Their only shot to win this game is with turnovers and they haven't been doing that.
Suggs is the team leader in sacks with 6.5.
Meanwhile they had 4 fumbles last week.
The line is 8.5 I think KC covers.
We played the Steelers twice, the Falcons and the Saints. The Saints are tied for second in points, and Pittsburgh is 4th.All are top-10 teams in total offense and the most they scored against us was (Saints) 24 points.Of course we slipped against a couple of lessor teams-but not lately.
I know our D doesn't blow you away statistically-till you get to yards and points allowed part-but that's where it counts. [Reply]
Originally Posted by mikezpen:
There was a discussion earlier about elite quarterbacks and the Super Bowl.You don't need one to go all the way in a given year. We won in 2000 with Trent Dilfer who was about as un-elite as you can get. Joe Flacco took us to the title in 2012. While he was very good then, I wouldn't have called him quite "Elite". He certainly hasn't maintained that level since.
So Mahomes is certainly good enough to take you all the way.Quite amazing for a second-year QB.
Despite the pass-happy nature of the NFL, I'm old fashioned; I still believe that offense wins games but defense wins championships. That's our big edge over you.
You won't beat us because you overpower our defense and score 45 points.It's too good. I'm afraid our offense will try to run, run, run, and you'll be ready for that. We could also turn the ball over and give you a couple of easy scores. I'm afraid our offense may tank early, and things will snowball. That's why I think you have the edge in this game.
The Ravens should become even more strange than they already are.
So if I'm Harbaugh, I come out throwing, Sunday. You'll be packing the box to stop the run. That leaves single coverage on our wide-outs. Given a little protection, Jackson can exploit that because the Chiefs won't expect it.We slow your rush with play-action which your front seven must respect, and then let 'er rip.It could net us a quick score and set the Chiefs back on their heels.
If we score first, it gives us some momentum and we'll make a game of it.
I don't think you're going to get much of an argument in regards to most of ChiefsPlanet thinks the Ravens are a formidable opponent- albeit a strange one with Lamar Jackson at the helm. This is very much a similar game that happened in Arrowhead Week 5 against Jacksonville- very strong defense and a good running team.
Chiefs defense is a very different animal at home- how is Lamar Jackson going to handle the noise and atmosphere at Arrowhead on Sunday? Atlanta was his first start on the road and he was 12/21 for 125 yards throwing although he did run for an additional 75. Lamar will have to have his best game as a pro on Sunday if Baltimore has a chance. The Chiefs have been on the other side in previous years- relying on takeaways, taking care of the football, dominating the time of possession, special teams plays and the occasional big play to put them in a position to win. If everything goes right can the Ravens squeak out a win? Sure they can.
That being said the Chiefs dominate this game at home and show why they are one of the best teams in football, with a generational QB at the helm. [Reply]
Originally Posted by mikezpen:
We played the Steelers twice, the Falcons and the Saints. The Saints are tied for second in points, and Pittsburgh is 4th.All are top-10 teams in total offense and the most they scored against us was (Saints) 24 points.Of course we slipped against a couple of lessor teams-but not lately.
I know our D doesn't blow you away statistically-till you get to yards and points allowed part-but that's where it counts.
The 2 games we lost were because of untimely turnovers, specifically INT's and sack trip fumbles. The Ravens aren't generating those. I think this match up plays more favorable for the Chiefs.
I get the yards and points thing but seriously doubt that they will stop Mahomes very consistently. [Reply]
Originally Posted by mikezpen:
We played the Steelers twice, the Falcons and the Saints. The Saints are tied for second in points, and Pittsburgh is 4th.All are top-10 teams in total offense and the most they scored against us was (Saints) 24 points.Of course we slipped against a couple of lessor teams-but not lately.
I know our D doesn't blow you away statistically-till you get to yards and points allowed part-but that's where it counts.
None of those offenses are the Chiefs. Their offense doesn't just blow you away statistically, it literally blows you away. They've ruined a couple of seasons already. [Reply]
Originally Posted by mikezpen:
We played the Steelers twice, the Falcons and the Saints. The Saints are tied for second in points, and Pittsburgh is 4th.All are top-10 teams in total offense and the most they scored against us was (Saints) 24 points.Of course we slipped against a couple of lessor teams-but not lately.
I know our D doesn't blow you away statistically-till you get to yards and points allowed part-but that's where it counts.
We beat the dogshit out of the Steelers in their house. The Falcons suck, nobody is scared of that Offense and the Saints just lost to the Cowboys.
The game will be closer because we lost Hunt, but Chiefs will win by 10. Ravens will think they are in it the entire game and then wonder how they lost by 2 scores. [Reply]
We're certainly going to be ****ed by the refs against yet another LA team next Thursday, so do you all think they'll call this game fair? Surely they cant **** us two games in a row can they? [Reply]
Originally Posted by MTG#10:
We're certainly going to be ****ed by the refs against yet another LA team next Thursday, so who do you all think they'll call this game fair? Surely they cant **** us two games in a row can they?
I am worried about how many more Cheap shots on Mahomes that the shitty crooked refs will ignore. Faders got away with a late hit last week. If that was Brady, the guy would have been ejected from the game and suspended 4 games. With Mahomes, the refs stand there looking like fucking idiots and ignore it. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Marcellus:
The 2 games we lost were because of untimely turnovers, specifically INT's and sack trip fumbles. The Ravens aren't generating those. I think this match up plays more favorable for the Chiefs.
I get the yards and points thing but seriously doubt that they will stop Mahomes very consistently.
The Ravens scored on strip sack fumbles the past two weeks. Just sayin is all. [Reply]
Lamar Jackson is a taller version of Michael Vick and Sutton better have a spy for him but who would that be ?? We have nobody that can keep up with this guy.:-) [Reply]
The Ravens defense is definitely worrisome, it always is.
This is the Jags game but on a higher difficulty. Ravens actually have a chance to move the ball and eat clock. I wouldn’t mind getting the ball first and forcing them to play catchup immediately. We need to force Jackson into winning this game with his arm.
Very confident we’ll win but it certainly isn’t a slam dunk. It’ll probably be a butt clencher type game where Mahomes pulls some shit out of ass to win it. [Reply]
