We get a peek over the other side of the fence with one of the head honchos over at SB Nation’s Baltimore Ravens site.
The first AFC North clash occurs this Sunday with two of the AFC preseason favorites set to face-off. Expectations haven’t been met for the Baltimore Ravens nor the Cincinnati Bengals through the first month of the season, but a win this Sunday really goes a long way.
We tapped the insight of Kyle Phoenix from SB Nation’s Baltimore Beatdown this week to get the skinny on the Ravens.
1.) AC: What should we make of the Ravens’ 2-2 start? One loss was to the undefeated Chiefs at Arrowhead (a tough task for any team), but the other was at home to an up-and-down Raiders team. They had a great win against the Bills, but from the outside looking in, they appear to be all over the map. What’s your take on their start?
KP: “The Chiefs loss, though disappointing, was expected. Hard to come into Arrowhead Week 1 and escape with a win. But the Raiders game was a prototypical Ravens loss. They let an inferior opponent hang around and utterly collapsed in the fourth quarter. It’s been a recurring theme since 2022.
Since then, they’ve changed their approach. Offensively, they’re leaning more on their rushing attack. Their offensive line, which featured three new starters, has become more cohesive and effective. Most importantly on offense, they’re getting ahead of the chains. When they were facing 2nd and long and 3rd and long, they were in pure pass scenarios.
It allowed the likes of Chris Jones and Maxx Crosby to go directly after Jackson with abandon. That never happened with the Cowboys’ Micah Parsons and Bills’ Von Miller. They got up on the scoreboard and pounded the rock or played efficiently with play-action.
Defensively, I think they’ve settled in. New Defensive Coordinator Zach Orr seems settled. He knows the strengths and weaknesses of the defense better and can deploy players, like Kyle Hamilton, more effectively.
Now, they’re far from being rock-solid, and they’re not out of the woods from being a team who fail to win the final quarter, but they’re looking more complete. I think they’ve turned a corner but I won’t let myself get ahead of anything more.”
2.) AC: After a little bit of a slow start, Derrick Henry has been on fire the last 2-3 weeks. What’s changed, and how, if at all, can he be stopped?
KP: “It starts with the offensive line. Blocks are landing more effectively, and they’re playing heavier personnel. Part of that is due to the Cowboys being horrible against the run and the Bills also being too small of a defense. The Bills have just about only played nickel defense all season. The Ravens countered by putting physical blocking tight ends in front of 300-pound fullback Patrick Ricard, who then was leading for Henry. In short, slowing down the physical specimen that is Henry is hard to do when you’re already fighting through a litany of blockers, allowing Henry to get up to full speed.
Yes, I think Henry can still be slowed. A solid defensive line that clogs the lanes can nullify Henry’s effectiveness. Winning the trenches and getting to him before he spools up like a diesel truck is pertinent. Getting out ahead of the Ravens on the scoreboard will make Monken want Jackson to throw more, as well.”
3.) AC: Cincinnati’s offense has been more diverse this season using both spread and the newly-implemented 12 personnel formations this year. What may be the best plan of attack (one, the other or a mix) against this Ravens defense?
KP: “Going after the Ravens’ linebackers has proved fruitful for offenses; the middle of the field has appeared to be their weakness. Roquan Smith hasn’t been his All-Pro self this season, and first-year linebacker Trenton Simpson—though he’s been a big improvement over Patrick Queen— is still losing to superior tight ends.
I think the Bengals can go after the Ravens’ with Mike Gesicki and force the Ravens to shade more inside. Hitting receivers on crossing patterns will be a way to generate yards and first downs, too.”
4.) AC: Is it a fair statement that the pressure and asks of Lamar Jackson have been at least slightly lessened this year because of Henry’s emergence? He still looks great, but is there potentially less of a feeling that he has to be Superman this year?
KP: “I would say so. He hasn’t been forced to “put on the cape” as much. In fact, there’s a chance he’s not the Ravens’ leading rusher at season’s end for the first time since becoming their starter in 2019.
Jackson did have to do so against the Chiefs in Week 1, but that’s to be expected in such a matchup. But outside of Week 1, Jackson has been able to rely more on the weapons around him, like Henry, Justice Hill and Isaiah Likely. It feels only a matter of time until their other star pass-catchers, Mark Andrews and Zay Flowers, are added to the list, too.”
5.) AC: FanDuel Sportsbook has the line pretty tight with the Ravens being -2.5 on the road. How do you see this one playing out?
KP: “I’m never one to enjoy giving predictions, but I’ll say this. The Ravens’ offense is coming in with a lot of momentum. They do feel as though they know their identity now and better understand how to utilize Henry. And they’re going up against the Bengals, who are one of the weaker teams in the NFL in stopping the run. How much does that matter though in a divisional battle between two heated teams?
I think the Ravens can — and should — win this. But Burrow is looking dangerously efficient, and the Bengals have scored 30+ points in back-to-back games.”
Our thanks to Kyle Phoenix of SB Nation’s Baltimore Beatdown for the chat.
