The Ravens didn’t make it straightforward on themselves. They by no means do. But they’re playoff-bound due to their operating sport and some well timed defensive stands in a 17-9 win over the Atlanta Falcons.
Here are 5 issues we realized from Saturday’s sport.
The Ravens reached the playoffs the best way they’ve carried out every little thing else: arduous and tense.
We knew it might not be elegant. It not often is with these Ravens, even once they obtain large targets.
They did discover the top zone, after avoiding it for 4 quarters every week earlier in Cleveland, however solely as soon as. They wanted a goal-line stand and a subsequent purple zone cease within the fourth quarter to carry off the Falcons, who had misplaced 5 of six coming in and began a green-as-broccoli rookie quarterback in Desmond Ridder.
The hardy followers who confirmed up for the coldest dwelling sport in franchise historical past booed the Ravens’ personal purple zone failings. Quarterback Tyler Huntley, beginning instead of Lamar Jackson for the third straight sport, accomplished simply 9 passes for 115 yards.
No, this was not soccer as artwork.
But seasoned Ravens watchers knew that may be an excessive amount of to ask. They needed a win for Christmas, and their group delivered, carrying the ball with fury over the chilly, arduous floor and standing agency when it was time to ship the Falcons dwelling defeated.
The Ravens didn’t repeat the nice unraveling of 2021, once they misplaced their final six to drop from the highest of the AFC to out of the playoffs. Over the previous 4 video games, Jackson, their unquestioned centerpiece, has performed one in every of 16 quarters. The Ravens have gone 3-1 regardless.
“I think this team has stuck together,” coach John Harbaugh stated, just a few seconds earlier than he watched the Cincinnati Bengals ship the Ravens to playoffs by holding off the New England Patriots. “They’ve had each other’s backs all season. All the other stuff, and the criticism, and the noise and the harshness of some of it, is just how it goes. It’s what we sign up for when you’re involved in this, and it’s OK. The point is that you stick together, and you find a way to get better in every kind of single area.”
Harbaugh then pointed to brighter prospects on the horizon. If the Ravens reached 10-5 and earned a playoff berth within the face of offensive woes and accidents and fan angst, what would possibly they do if just a few of these difficulties fall away over the subsequent few weeks?
“I’m excited about where we’re at because I feel that when we really get going, we can kick this thing into gear maybe at the right time,” he stated.
Can the Ravens pull themselves collectively over a comparatively brief span to turn out to be a group that does greater than maintain off the likes of the floundering Falcons? They will want Jackson. They might want to cease breaking down within the purple zone and begin stopping opponents from scoring within the two-minute drill. They have an extended method to go, sure, however they really feel higher for having fought this far.
“That’s just the Ravens standard,” tight finish Mark Andrews stated. “We know the standard that’s set here and how good of a team that this team can be. It’s just about reaching that full potential, looking at ourselves in the mirror, watching film and just getting better. Not being satisfied. Those are all of the things that we need to be doing.”
Justin Madubuike was prepared for the duty of main the defensive entrance.
Madubuike’s third NFL season arrange as a pivotal chapter in his NFL profession. The 2020 third-round draft decide flashed the quickness to turn out to be a critical inside playmaker in years one and two however solely right here and there. The Ravens craved extra. Older teammates instructed him how good he may very well be and urged him to not settle.
The 293-pound defensive deal with was already on observe for his greatest NFL season, however the Falcons sport offered him a chance to point out how far he has come. Atlanta got here to city with one of many league’s best operating video games and two of its greatest blockers in guard Chris Lindstrom and deal with Kaleb McGary. The Ravens would tackle this floor machine with out Calais Campbell, their most reliable inside lineman and a type of veterans who had urged Madubuike to chase greatness.
Would Madubuike step into the breach? He answered with seven tackles, third most on the group, piling up our bodies on the line of scrimmage on some performs, ranging extensive on others and including a sack for good measure.
“I’m going to tell you what: He’s been playing great all year, to be honest with you,” Harbaugh stated. “He’s been dominant, really. He’s twitchy, fast, powerful. [Madubuike] played great. I thought our edge-setters played great. You know who those guys are. I could name them all.”
Madubuike and his younger linemates, Travis Jones and Broderick Washington, carried out admirably with out Campbell to buoy them. The Ravens, additionally aided by a stellar, 15-tackle sport from Pro Bowl linebacker Roquan Smith, prevented explosive runs and saved the Falcons out of the top zone.
Did Madubuike really feel further duty beneath the circumstances? “A little bit,” he stated. “[Calais is] one of our best players. I know that as a defensive line, we wanted to step up. I thought we did that.”
Greg Roman gave the folks what they needed with a sport plan straight out of the Nineteen Seventies.
Fans spent the week gnashing their tooth at Roman, once more, after he deserted his environment friendly operating sport within the fourth quarter of the Ravens’ 13-3 loss to the Cleveland Browns. Roman subsequently acknowledged that he may need gone to a pass-heavy method too shortly in hopes of adjusting tempos on the Browns.
The oft-pilloried offensive coordinator didn’t make the identical mistake towards the Falcons, leaning on his operating assault to construct a lead — 20 carries for 110 yards within the first half — and once more to seal the sport within the fourth quarter. When the Ravens wanted to get off their very own 2-yard line with 6:39 left within the sport, they handed the ball to Gus Edwards, and he rumbled for 14. When they wanted a primary right down to ship them to victory formation, they handed it to Edwards twice extra, and he picked up 11. Game over.
“Our physicality is what won that game,” Harbaugh stated.
We know the Ravens lack premium extensive receivers. We know their passing offense has been one of many least environment friendly within the league since Week 3. We know this implies each sport feels too shut for consolation.
But we’ve got realized, fairly clearly, that Edwards and J.Okay. Dobbins are essentially the most dependable and explosive components remaining of their offense. This was definitely the case Saturday once they mixed for 158 yards, greater than half the group’s complete, on 23 carries.
Dobbins sliced the Falcons up via the primary three quarters, then Edwards powered them dwelling. Roman didn’t flip away from the one method everybody within the stadium knew would work. No one complained that Huntley accomplished simply 9 passes. The ratio was a winner.
The Ravens will turn out to be extra multifaceted when Jackson returns. They will in all probability want extra landing passes and third-down conversions to win playoff video games. But on this frigid Christmas Eve, they dedicated to what was vital.
Even on a day of jubilee, the Ravens didn’t click on within the purple zone.
Four purple zone possessions equaled one landing and three subject targets. The Ravens realize it’s a math equation they might want to enhance in the event that they’re to make a reputable Super Bowl run.
On their second drive of the sport, the Ravens moved to the Atlanta 10-yard line when Huntley rolled proper and located his latest extensive receiver, Sammy Watkins, for a 40-yard achieve. But a hasty first-down move to Andrews value the Ravens 3 yards, and Huntley scrambled as a substitute of discovering an open Isaiah Likely in the long run zone on third-and-goal.
The Ravens owned the primary quarter, averaging 6.5 yards per play to Atlanta’s 1.6. Once once more, nevertheless, they got here away with a skimpy 3-0 result in present for it.
We noticed it once more in the beginning of the second quarter. Huntley related with Andrews on a candy 36-yard contact move to the Falcons’ 15-yard line. But an ill-conceived quarterback keeper to the left aspect and a mistimed move to Dobbins left the Ravens with one other subject objective.
Every little motion, whether or not it’s a move route or a block designed to spring a run, feels exponentially more difficult when this offense is confronted with a brief subject. That’s the way you go eight straight quarters with no landing.
The Ravens lastly broke the string when Huntley discovered Demarcus Robinson in a one-on-one matchup within the nook of the top zone simply earlier than halftime. The contested catch was the primary landing by a Baltimore extensive receiver since Week 3.
Was it sufficient to ward off the ghosts of purple zone previous which have haunted this group the final two months? Too early to say. The Ravens got here away with one other brief subject objective after a 37-yard burst by Edwards took them to Atlanta’s 9-yard line on the finish of the third quarter. Huntley scrambled helplessly with no open goal in sight on third-and-goal, main followers to chant, “Fire Greg Roman!”
The Ravens’ protection has to cease giving floor on the finish of halves.
The Ravens have top-of-the-line defenses in soccer 90% of the time. In the final 4 minutes of halves, nevertheless, they’ve allowed extra anticipated factors per play than every other group within the league.
We noticed this once more Saturday once they stonewalled the Falcons on their first 4 possessions of the sport, stuffing one of many league’s greatest operating assaults for 29 yards on 11 carries. Ridder bought the ball yet another time with 2:23 left within the half, and abruptly, he appeared like Joe Montana, finishing 5 passes to take Atlanta to the cusp of the top zone. Only a pointy rush by security Marcus Williams that pressured an intentional grounding penalty saved the Ravens from giving up a landing.
We noticed the identical routine every of the earlier 4 weeks, with the Ravens giving up factors simply earlier than halftime in every case. Given their offensive struggles, these nicks — much less showy than the fourth-quarter collapses early within the season — have loomed giant.
“We’re not trying to play prevent defense, per se,” defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald stated just lately when requested concerning the late-half struggles. “It’s something that we have looked at, because it’s a situation that I think we need to improve on, in terms of our results. In terms of our process in those situations, I think we’re on the right track. We do game-plan it extensively, and when you look at the results on a per-drive basis, it’s hard to kind of pinpoint one or two things.”
Harbaugh agreed, saying he doesn’t see a sample a lot as a sequence of pivotal performs — penalties referred to as and never referred to as, nice catches by opponents — which have gone towards the Ravens. “You don’t want to overreact either,” he stated. “You start overreacting, and then you start making mistakes by changing things you shouldn’t change. So, I’m not too worried about it, but all of our guys would like to see those stops.”
Week 17
Steelers at Ravens
Sunday, 1 p.m.
TV: Ch. 13
Radio: 97.9 FM, 101.5 FM, 1090 AM
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Source: www.bostonherald.com