The Ravens packed numerous information into their longest layoff of the season.
They gained a star inside linebacker in Roquan Smith on Monday, then confirmed they’d misplaced a possible star extensive receiver in Rashod Bateman three days later. They activated exterior linebackers Tyus Bowser and David Ojabo on Tuesday, however practiced with out tight finish Mark Andrews and operating again Gus Edwards on Thursday, per week after each left a formidable win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
With a 3rd straight victory Monday evening over the New Orleans Saints (3-5), the Ravens (5-3) might head into their bye week feeling good about their playoff probabilities. With a loss contained in the Caesars Superdome, they’d must stew over their season’s misfortunes and missed alternatives for longer than they’d like. Here’s what to observe within the groups’ Week 7 matchup.
Offense
1. In their 24-0 win final Sunday over the Las Vegas Raiders, the Saints sacked beginning quarterback Derek Carr 3 times and backup Jarrett Stidham as soon as. On all 4 sacks, New Orleans wanted simply 4 move rushers to get residence.
It was a reasonably typical recreation plan from the Saints’ protection, one of many NFL’s least aggressive items. According to Pro Football Reference, New Orleans ranks No. 29 within the NFL in blitz fee, sending 5 or extra move rushers on simply 15.2% of opponents’ drop-backs. The Saints even have one of many NFL’s lowest stress charges (17.2%, twenty sixth total).
They won’t change issues up in opposition to Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson. Against 4 or fewer move rushers this season, he’s finishing 64.4% of his passes however averaging simply 6.4 yards per try and taking a sack on 8% of his drop-backs, in keeping with Sports Info Solutions. He’s additionally thrown six touchdowns and 4 interceptions on 146 makes an attempt.
2. After the perfect recreation of his rookie season, tight finish Isaiah Likely might have the hardest check of his rookie season.
With the All-Pro Andrews sidelined at observe this week, the fourth-round choose is in line to make his first profession begin Monday. Likely earned a recreation ball after catching six of his seven targets for 77 yards and his first profession landing within the Ravens’ win over Tampa Bay. Awaiting him in New Orleans is a Saints protection, led within the center by All-Pro inside linebacker Demario Davis, that’s first within the NFL in move protection effectivity in opposition to tight ends, in keeping with Football Outsiders.
“There’s a lot about this NFL game that rookies have to learn on the fly,” offensive coordinator Greg Roman mentioned Friday. “As a tight end in this offense, you have to learn a lot. He’s doing a nice job with that, but someone goes down, someone has to step up. That’s the name of this game, so he did a great job with that, and we look forward to working with him and him developing moving forward.”
3. Since Week 3, the Ravens have averaged 6 yards per stick with it third and fourth down and transformed these runs into first downs 64.5% of the time, in keeping with TruMedia.
The Saints, in the meantime, have allowed simply 3.2 yards per stick with it third- and fourth-down runs this season, the fourth-best mark within the NFL. Only 30.8% of these makes an attempt have been transformed into first downs, by far the league’s finest fee. In its loss to New Orleans final Sunday, the Raiders tried only one run on third and fourth down — a third-and-1 end-around to extensive receiver Davante Adams that misplaced a yard.
Defense
4. Over his 9 seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals and one-year cameos with the Dallas Cowboys and Chicago Bears, quarterback Andy Dalton is a good 8-10 in opposition to the Ravens regardless of substandard play. His passer ranking (78.3), completion proportion (.568), yards per try (6.8) and touchdown-to-interception ratio (1.3) in these 18 conferences are all decrease than his profession averages.
In his first season with New Orleans, the place he’s changed Jameis Winston, the 35-year-old Dalton is now having fun with a late-career resurgence. His QBR (55.0) can be his highest over a season since 2018, and he’s completed with a completion proportion higher than his present mark (.652) simply as soon as in his profession.
“He’s capable in so many ways,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh, who’ll face Dalton for the fourth time in as a few years Monday, mentioned Thursday. “We’ve played him so many times; we’ve seen him on tape so much. We understand his game, and we understand how he can win for an offense. So our job is going to be to do everything we can to take those things away from their offense. That’s a challenge, because they have a lot of good players around him, but we have all the respect in the world for Andy Dalton. He’s made a big difference in their offense; they’re playing good offense, and he’s done a good job.”
5. If dealing with Lamar Jackson daily in observe has ready the Ravens’ protection for something, it’s a run menace like Taysom Hill.
The Saints’ gadget participant, technically a decent finish, has 39 carries for 337 yards (8.6 per try) and 5 touchdowns this season. Designed quarterback runs account for many of his manufacturing: According to SIS, he has 18 such carries for 210 yards and three scores this season, with 145 yards coming after contact.
Hill’s been particularly harmful on third down, with 5 designed quarterback runs for 124 yards and a landing. He had a 60-yard rating on third-and-1 in opposition to the Seattle Seahawks and a 57-yard run on third-and-1 in opposition to the Atlanta Falcons. Both got here on “QB power” performs, through which Hill takes a shotgun snap in a heavy formation and follows a pulling lineman into the second degree.
“The key to stopping them is, you have to play really sound defense, and everyone has to do their job in a very physical way,” Harbaugh mentioned Thursday. “It’s the same thing you talk about with our offense; it adds an extra blocker to the equation, and he can throw. So we have to just do a great job against that offense. We run a lot of those plays, too. So we’re practicing hard against it. It’s not just that; he’s a very good runner, he’s very physical, he’s a very smart player, a very tough player. All those things come into account.”
6. Saints operating again Alvin Kamara makes a speciality of outside-zone run ideas, through which offensive linemen transfer in unison towards one aspect of the sphere, answerable for blocking zones on the sphere, somewhat than particular defenders. From there, it’s as much as the operating backs. As they learn the protection, on the lookout for a crease, they will both “bend” again to the weak aspect of the play, “bang” into an open dashing lane or “bounce” the run exterior the deal with.
According to SIS, Kamara has extra outside-zone carries (29) than every other form of run this season, averaging 4.9 yards per try and scoring three touchdowns. Against the Raiders, he had seven such carries for 31 yards, together with a 3-yard landing to open the scoring.
The Ravens needs to be effectively ready. Their protection has allowed simply 2.8 yards per stick with it 18 outside-zone runs this season, bolstered by stable manufacturing in any respect three ranges, from defensive lineman Justin Madubuike to inside linebacker Patrick Queen to security Chuck Clark.
Smith, acquired Monday, is anticipated to play, too. “We’ll see how much,” defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald mentioned Friday, praising the All-Pro’s grasp of the protection, “but he’ll be out there.”
Extra factors
7. The Ravens are tied for second within the NFL in turnover differential (plus-six) and have compelled a turnover in 10 consecutive video games, a streak that dates to the top of final season. The Saints are final in turnover differential this season (minus-nine); they’ve compelled simply seven turnovers (two interceptions, 5 fumbles) and have dedicated 16 themselves (9 interceptions, seven fumbles).
8. Jackson wants 14 dashing yards to move Steve Young for fifth place in profession dashing yards by a quarterback. Young completed his Pro Football Hall of Fame profession with 4,239 yards in 169 video games. Jackson has 4,226 yards in 66 video games.
With a punt return landing, Devin Duvernay would turn out to be the primary participant in fashionable NFL historical past to report a landing on a fumble restoration, kickoff return, punt return, catch and carry. The Saints have one of many NFL’s worst particular groups items and rank No. 28 in punt effectivity, in keeping with Football Outsiders.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com