Mailbag: Why the Ravens Can Still Make the…

Mink: It’s overreaction week – at least outside of the Under Armour Performance Center – after the Ravens gave up 35 unanswered points to the Bengals.

The Ravens themselves have seemingly taken some of their issues head-on internally, too. Head Coach Jesse Minter called on “a little bit more” from his team’s leaders and said the Ravens, coaches included, need to do a better job of making second-half adjustments.

The Ravens’ 135-point swing in point differential from first half to second half is wild. However, it also shows how good this team can be.

The Ravens have been the best team in the NFL in the first half. It’s also not a coincidence that Zay Flowers went out at halftime in Week 1 and Lamar Jackson went out at halftime in Week 4.

With Flowers back and balling out and Jackson seemingly not far off from returning as well, I expect the Ravens offense to start cooking again. This is a far more explosive offense with Jackson. And as we’ve seen time and time again, his presence alone lifts the entire team.

There are still some issues that need to be improved. Another injury on the offensive line to guard Vega Ioane (knee), coupled with the season-ending injury to blocking tight end Durham Smythe, has hampered the running attack. The Ravens need to find solutions anyway.

The Ravens are 4-3. Yes, they’re in last place in the AFC North, but they still have four more AFC North games to play – all over the final four weeks of the season. Baltimore is in a tough stretch of the schedule with the first-place Buffalo Bills (5-1) and Jacksonville Jaguars (4-2) up next. But if Jackson returns, you can’t convince me that this team is incapable of beating them.

According to ESPN’s Football Power Index, the Ravens still have a 50% chance of making the playoffs. They need to get better, string together some wins, and then finish strong against their AFC North opponents. If they do that, they’ll make the playoffs and perhaps still win the division.

Mink: I do think Lane could continue to grow his role, but it’s not going to be handed to him. Lane has to keep improving, as well.

He had a chance to haul in a touchdown against the Bengals but didn’t make the catch. He also didn’t haul in another target deep down the field later in the game. The throw wasn’t perfect, but Lane may have been able to haul that one in.

Rashod Bateman has been a playmaker this season for the Ravens. I expect Baltimore to keep him and Lane as the primary targets not named Zay Flowers.

Brown: Giving up 35 points in the second half on Sunday has put the Ravens’ entire defense under the microscope, including Humphrey.

According to NextGen Stats, Humphrey has allowed 23 receptions for 313 yards on 34 targets this season, and his 67.6% completion rate allowed and 9.2 yards per target are his highest rates in the NextGen Stats era. On his podcast, Humphrey said had three crucial missed tackles against Cincinnati that led to more yardage. He used the word “embarrassed” when describing how the defense felt about its showing.

It will be interesting to see how the coaching staff reacts. Humphrey has played 82.7% of the defensive snaps this season, and he played every snap against Cincinnati. The four-time Pro Bowler has helped the Ravens win many games during his career. Is giving more playing time to Chidobe Awuzie, Keyon Martin, or Chandler Rivers being considered?

At this point, anything that would help improve the defense should be considered. To pin the problems on just one player wouldn’t be fair, but Humphrey’s role and how playing time is divided in the secondary moving forward will be something to watch.

Brown: The Ravens have already acquired one veteran offensive lineman this season, trading for center Cam Jurgens earlier this month.

That doesn’t mean they couldn’t have traded for Nelson, but many teams had interest, and Baltimore is an organization that covets draft capital.

Vega Ioane reportedly avoided a long-term injury on Sunday, and once he gets back in the lineup, the Ravens finally hope to have some offensive line continuity. During the first three games with Lamar Jackson in the lineup, and prior to being ravaged by injuries at center, the Ravens’ offense showed the potential to be one of the league’s best.

Nelson is a terrific player, but I believe the Ravens can flourish offensively with John Simpson and Ioane at guard. We haven’t seen Baltimore with the same offensive line week in and week out yet. Hopefully we will once Ioane returns.

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