The Ravens maintain discovering new methods to make life troublesome for themselves. This time, it was a fumble from working again Justice Hill after they drove deep into Cleveland Browns territory with an opportunity to go up six or 10 late within the fourth quarter. They escaped by the pores and skin of their enamel when Malik Harrison blocked a 60-yard subject purpose try and protect a 23-20 victory that was extra about survivor’s grit than any form of good new path.
Here are 5 issues we discovered from Sunday’s recreation:
The Ravens averted catastrophe however did little to thrust back questions on their ending kick.
How many occasions can we reside by means of the identical state of affairs with out growing a collective ulcer?
Again, the Ravens constructed a double-digit lead within the fourth quarter. Again, their offense couldn’t salt the sport away as Hill coughed up the ball 16 yards from the Cleveland purpose line. Again, their protection appeared at risk of melting at a vital juncture till Browns large receiver Amari Cooper was referred to as for pushing off cornerback Marcus Peters to negate a go-ahead landing.
“We had the lead again. What’s going to happen?” coach John Harbaugh stated, acknowledging the anxious loop his staff has inhabited by means of seven weeks of the 2022 season.
The Ravens extricated themselves on this tense Sunday, due to a blocked subject purpose try from Harrison (by no means was he so blissful to be struck within the face by a soccer). Every win is treasured in a league almost devoid of sustained excellence. But of late, every Ravens triumph has felt extra like a relieved exhale — the movement quarterback Lamar Jackson mimicked throughout his postgame information convention — than an announcement of ahead progress.
The Browns stumbled into this AFC North matchup, coming off a 38-15 thrashing on their house subject by the hands of the New England Patriots. The center of their protection was softer than scrambled eggs, they usually had tossed away a string of shut video games within the fourth quarter.
But we have now but to see the Ravens dominate an opponent this season, and the Browns moved extra effectively than them, averaging 6 yards per play to the Ravens’ 4. Brilliant work on particular groups, superior effectivity on third down and standout defensive performs — 5 sacks, 5 tackles for loss, three compelled fumbles — saved them.
The Ravens hope they’re straightening out kinks by the week, even when their troubles appear to go to in a distinct type every time. “What we’ve been going through is just growing pains,” stated exterior linebacker Justin Houston, who returned from a groin harm to contribute two sacks.
But they want a no-doubt-about-it efficiency to interrupt out of their cycle, and this was not it. As Jackson stated: “I’d rather it not be close.”
The Ravens selected to grind quite than soar on a troublesome day for the offense.
Jackson’s passing line — 9-for-16, 120 yards, no touchdowns — was about as mundane as they arrive, persevering with a troublesome stretch that started with the Ravens’ Week 4 loss to the Buffalo Bills. He didn’t all the time sense incoming strain and struggled to seek out open receivers even when granted ample time. The Browns swarmed tight finish Mark Andrews, who made extra affect as a short-yardage working risk than he did as a receiver.
Despite his paltry statistics, Jackson didn’t really feel he lacked rhythm as a thrower. “We only threw the ball 16 times,” he stated. “So I wouldn’t say bad rhythm. They made good plays; I got sacked on a couple. I had to get the ball out fast. … That’s just what it was.”
The Ravens ran 44 occasions out of 63 offensive performs, which Harbaugh described as a selection primarily based on the circulation of the sport greater than a sample dictated by the Cleveland protection. “You’re just trying to win the game by any means necessary,” he stated.
“Don’t think you didn’t win the game for us,” Harbaugh stated he informed Jackson after the sport. “Because you did.”
Jackson didn’t flip the ball over and stored the Ravens transferring along with his common clutch runs. He averaged 5.9 yards per stick with it a day when the staff averaged 3.6. Still, it’s troublesome to not discover how a lot his manufacturing has tailed off since he threw for 749 yards and 10 touchdowns over the primary three weeks of the season. He was not enjoying in opposition to the 1985 Chicago Bears; Patriots backup Bailey Zappe threw for 309 yards and a pair of touchdowns in opposition to the Browns in Week 6.
The Ravens will gladly take their grind-it-out victory and transfer on to planning for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, however sooner or later, they’re going to have to interrupt out of this aerial rut.
If you need to know why the Ravens rank first in particular groups effectivity, this week was Exhibit 1.
Harrison’s blocked subject purpose introduced a becoming climax to an excellent all-around efficiency from coordinator Chris Horton’s crew.
Usually, kicker Justin Tucker is the lead actor, and he was good on three subject purpose makes an attempt, together with a dead-on 55-yarder within the fourth quarter to offer vital respiration room.
This time, his associate Jordan Stout was simply pretty much as good, flipping the sector with a 69-yard punt within the second quarter and struggling a little bit of dangerous luck within the closing minute when his 50-yarder simply trickled into the tip zone. The fourth-round draft choose from Penn State had not punted as much as his personal excessive expectations by means of the primary six video games of his profession. This was extra what he had in thoughts. “You just knew he was going to have a game like that,” Harbaugh stated of the confident rookie.
And we are able to always remember returner supreme Devin Duvernay, who did a outstanding job ready for his blockers after which selecting his approach alongside the sideline for a 46-yard punt return that handed the Ravens a straightforward three factors within the second quarter. “The way he sets up blocks … he’s just amazing,” Harbaugh stated.
We know the way a lot money and time the Ravens put into weaponizing particular groups. That funding received them this recreation.
It’s nice to see Gus Edwards again.
Edwards, enjoying for the primary time in 21 months, wasted no time marking the stat sheet as he carried the ball on the Ravens’ first three offensive snaps. He ran a lot as he did earlier than he tore his ACL, LCL and hamstring, taking no extraneous steps as he pounded into the slivers of area out there to him.
He would finally rating each of the Ravens’ touchdowns — a no-frills hero in a no-frills recreation. “All that power,” Jackson stated admiringly. “We’ve been missing that power, and it showed today.”
We promote Edwards quick by not acknowledging his development as an all-around runner over his first three seasons as a Raven. He turned a risk to chop exterior and pop off double-digit positive aspects. But sledgehammer work was his unique calling card, and as Jackson famous, the staff doesn’t have one other again with Edwards’ talent set.
Edwards acknowledged the jagged path he traveled as he rehabilitated his knee by means of numerous classes within the chilly tub and on the therapeutic massage desk. “It was up and down, up and down,” he stated in his common subdued tone.
Harbaugh hoped he would come again as the identical blunt pressure. But “you never really know,” he stated. “He looked good in practice; he looked like he was ready. We were patient with him, in terms of bringing him back, but until you get in a game it’s kind of hard to say.”
Twenty-one months after he final performed in an NFL recreation, Edwards fought for the vital yards the Ravens wanted to scrape by means of a divisional win. “He’s unique; he’s his own kind of guy,” Harbaugh stated. “Every back has a different style, and Gus’ style is very valuable to us.”
Don’t look now, however Patrick Queen has strung collectively three standout video games.
We have overreacted to flashes from the 2020 first-round choose earlier than, believing he had lastly sorted himself out primarily based on a sack right here or a cluster of tackles there. But it’s troublesome to recollect Queen making as regular an affect as he has over the past three video games.
Queen is normally greatest in assault mode, and he credited defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald with scheming up free lanes for him when he made consecutive tackles behind the road of scrimmage within the second quarter in opposition to Cleveland. Queen added a sack — he has 3 1/2 on the season — with a second-effort play and led the Ravens with 11 tackles total.
To his credit score, he didn’t overplay what he had accomplished. “My confidence is definitely building, obviously, but it’s just a point of stacking and being consistent while doing that,” he stated. “I feel like in the past it was I’d have a game like that, and then it would go down, then I would have another game like that, then it would go down. So, it’s just the point of being consistent with it now.”
Spoken like a participant who understands the large image of his profession. Queen won’t be the all-around center linebacker the Ravens envisioned after they drafted him out of LSU, however when he’s firing into the backfield, he’s as able to stringing collectively game-changing performs as anybody on the protection. Macdonald has a really feel for tips on how to use him, and we’re beginning to see regular outcomes.
Week 8
Ravens at Buccaneers
Thursday, 8:15 p.m.
TV Ch. 2 Stream: Amazon Prime
Radio: 97.9 FM, 101.5 FM, 1090 AM
Line: Ravens by 1
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Source: www.bostonherald.com